The northern province of Quang Ninh received nearly 2 million visitors in the first two months of the year, up three per cent from the same period last year with international visitor numbers increasing by 10 per cent, according to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Spiritual relics like Yen Tu Buddhist relic, Ba Vang Pagoda, Cua Ong Temple, and Cai Bau Pagoda attracted the most visitors, it said.

The province's localities have organised art performances and sports and traditional games for visitors.

The province reported that revenues from tourism in the period are estimated at more than VND1.2 trillion (US$53.7 million), a year-on year increase of 14 per cent.

Boasting a 250km long coastline, Quang Ninh is famous for Ha Long Bay, one of the world's natural wonders. Tourists are also attracted by its many beautiful beaches like Bai Chay, Titop, Quan Lan, Minh Chau, Ngoc Vung, and others.

Acacia forests a big earner in Quang Nam

Workers check furniture products for export at a workshop in Quang Nam. All timber collected from log farms have Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifications.

Vo Van Vinh, a farmer in Dai Nghia Commune in the central Quang Nam Province's Dai Loc District, can earn VND400 million (US$18,000) from his 10ha farm of acacia every five years.

It's quite a good income and easy for him and family in comparison to rice farming or raising livestock.

Acacia farms have helped over 293 households in the commune earn a living and provided 40 per cent share of the annual budget.

However, a five-year-old acacia harvest is only used as material for paper production (pulpwood) – with the price half as much as eight-year-old acacia farms.

"I could double my income from my log farm if I extend harvest time to two more years. Eight-year-old acacia farms could sell at a higher price – 1.5 times more than the harvest of five-year-old acacia," Vinh said.

He said acacia harvested longer can be used for furniture production for export with better wood quality and prices ranging from VND1.7million ($76) to VND2 million per tonne," Vinh said, adding that wood for paper production costs only VND1 million.

"We often log after four or five years in avoiding risks from storm that often occur every five years in the central region. Loan deficiency from banks and package purchasing guarantees given by furniture producers are also the main reason that we have to log earlier," Vinh explained.

Vinh said he would log his acacia farms after five or eight years if he receives a prolonged commitment from furniture producers to buy logs and initial funding.

Rare farmers and timber processing businesses are able to reach international standards and regulations including timber quality, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, original certification on legal logging and land-use rights.

Meanwhile, FSC-certified logs have been increasing in Viet Nam due to demand of FSC certification in Europe – a major export market of Viet Nam.

In order to help businesses and the community in boosting plantation and production of illegal logs for export to European market, the Europe Union (EU) and Swedish International Development Co-operation (SIDA) has funded a project of common access to Voluntary Partnership Agreements VPA and Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) process in Viet Nam.

The project with a fund of over 1 million euros ($1.1 million) helps improve capacity for businesses and local farmers in Ha Noi, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, HCM City and Binh Dinh between 2014-18.

"Viet Nam has been in the process of negotiations with EU on Voluntary Partnership Agreements/Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT)," said Nguyen Ngoc Thang, project manager from World Wide Fund for Nature-Viet Nam.

He said VPA/FLEGT is the EU response to illegal logging that includes a regulation that prohibits EU businesses from importing or trading illegal timber, and bilateral trade agreements with timber-exporting countries.

"Much of the FLEGT Action Plan focuses on promoting trade in legal timber products and creating disincentives for trade in illegal products. It's also a voluntary scheme to ensure that only legally harvested timber is imported into the EU from countries agreeing to take part in this scheme," Thang said.

He said from now on local timber exporters have to prove that the timber for furniture production must come from plantations, but not logging from nature forests.

He stressed all the strict regulations of FLEGT Action Plan aim to reduce illegal logging.

Dang Cong Quang, deputy director of forest products export joint-stock company of Quang Nam (Forexco), said his company had earned the Chain-of-Custody (COC) certification in 2007 after a 3-year process including sale, control and manufacture from pure log as well as transparent legal procedures by planters.

"Reaching the certification creates a more smooth condition and value for exporting to Europe, the US and Taiwan. We have built up a plantation area on 1,600ha with FSC-certified log in 2012 in Quang Nam Province and the central region," Quang said, adding that the company earns $10 million from furniture exports.

He said rare households in Quang Nam and the central region have recognised the importance of FSC-certified log for export.

"We only supply ourselves 50 per cent of input material, while the remaining logs come from the community's plantation farms. But it could hardly persuade local household to extend their harvests from five to eight years for qualified log," Quang said.

He said co-operation from businesses, farmers and local administration is necessary to provide financial and technical support on how to produce qualified logs for furniture production for export.

Truong Nhanh, chairman of Dai Nghia commune People's Committee, said log farms, which cover over 1,800ha – 57 per cent of the commune's area – create over 40 per cent of the community's budget.

He said the commune has granted land-use certificates for log farmers with 1,600ha who have reached the VPA/FLEGT standard.

"We hope that local farmers would improve income from the FSC-certification log farm, and help build up a key supplying zone for timber export," Nhanh said, adding that over 500 households in the commune – 20 per cent of total population – earn VND25 million ($1,100) each per year from acacia farming.

According to a report from the National Administration of Forestry of Viet Nam, FSC timber in Viet Nam currently fetches around 15-20 per cent more than non-certified wood – and by selling directly to factories as an association, rather than through traders.

Thang, from WWF, said over 200 businesses and hundreds of farmers would benefit from accessing VPA/FLEGT process.

Special class for unfortunate child patients

Volunteer students of a club called “Faith and Hope” hold a special class for child patients at the Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion every weekend.

Though they have not undergone any formal pedagogical training, they expect to bring joy and happiness to these unfortunate children.

The club was established in 2011 as an initiative by Vu Truong An, a leukemia patient.

Born in Ninh Binh province, An graduated from the Thai Nguyen Information Technology University and won a scholarship to study at Russia’s Tula State University.

In May, 2010, just two months before his graduation, An was diagnosed with advanced-stage leukemia and had to return to Vietnam.

During treatment at Military Hospital 103 and the Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, An sympathized with the pains suffered every day by leukemia child patients. That’s how he came up with the idea of establishing the “Faith and hope” club.

However, he died before the club was set up. Other club members continued his dream and opened a special class for child patients at the Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion who because of their regular treatment can’t attend school.           

The children are taught mathematics, literature, drawing, coloring, and puzzle solving. The class is a place for them to gain knowledge and also to entertain and relax.

Hoang Thi Thao, mother of a child patient, said, “This class is very helpful and meaningful. We all hope that our children will get better and their illness be cured.”

Members of the “Faith and hope” club have become teachers, friends, and relatives of the child patients, giving them hope and faith.

Club member Nguyen Hoai Thuong shared, “I’m luckier than others out there so I decided to join the club to help the child patients. Other club members have taught me a lot about social activities.”

The club’s President and Vice-president have been honored by the Vietnam Youth Federation for their contributions to community activities.     

Vietnamese society in Germany builds classrooms in northern Vietnam

Children from a province in northern Vietnam can now feel excited, as they have a new place to enrich knowledge in comfort.

Two new classrooms funded by a society that supports the Vietnamese in Germany were inaugurated on February 26 in Yen Bai Province.

The rooms of the Lien Son Village school, located in Lang Thip Commune, Van Yen District, were handed over to local authorities during a ceremony held by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper and the Vietnamesisches Studienwerk in der BRD e.V (VSW).

The VSW, or the Vietnam Study and Work in Germany, covered VND350 million (US$15,683) out of the total VND400 million (US$19,724) cost of the classrooms, whereas the Van Yen authorities paid for the remaining.

The classrooms sit on over 120 square meters and are equipped with 30 table sets and two new blackboards.

Dang Van Cham, a member of the VSW, said he was so touched to see there was too much difficulty for teachers and students in the commune.

At the inauguration ceremony, the VSW handed plenty of warm clothes, boots, and assortments to the teachers and students.

Lang Thip Commune comprises 19 villages, over half of which are in severe poverty.

Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City to see partial solar eclipse on March 9

A solar eclipse on March 9 will be visible in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for around two hours in the morning.

People in Hanoi can see the partial solar eclipse from 6:57 a.m. to 8:39 a.m., and in HCMC from 6:35 a.m. to 8:41 a.m.

The max view in Hanoi is at 7:46 a.m. and in HCMC at 7:34 a.m.

Dang Vu Tuan Son, chairman of the Vietnam Astronomy Club, said the eclipse would be visible across Vietnam, but more in the south. Ho Chi Minh City will see an 80% eclipse while Hanoi will only see 20%.

Some islands in Indonesia will have the best view of what will be a total solar eclipse for more than four minutes.

Southern and eastern Asia, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and parts of Australia will also see it.

Ensuring security for spring festivals

Spring festivals are being held throughout Vietnam and localities are taking all necessary precautions to ensure security and order.

Millions of pilgrims and tourists are attending spring festivals in Vietnam, the biggest of which are the Perfume Pagoda festival in Hanoi, the Yen Tu festival in Quang Ninh, the Hung Kings temple festival in Phu Tho, and the Tran temple festival in Nam Dinh. The Perfume Pagoda festival, the biggest and oldest festival in Vietnam, opened on February 13.

Nguyen Van Hau, Vice-chairman of the My Duc district People’s Committee and the festival’s chief organizer, said measures are in place to ensure security and order.

“Local residents are taught heritage, tourism, transport laws and appropriate behavior when dealing with tourists. We’ve also told them about food safety and hygiene. Monks and nuns at pagodas have also received training,” he noted.

Unlike in previous years, congestion at parking lots and disorder at cable car stations are no longer a problem at the Yen Tu festival in Quang Ninh thanks to good planning by local authorities and businesses.

Le Trong Thanh, Deputy director of the Tung Lam development joint stock company, said, “We’ve opened a parking lot with catering services for tourists and pilgrims. Our electronic transportation system costs 50 cents per person.”

Pham Hong Van, a visitor from Hanoi, shared, “The environment is much cleaner than in previous years. There are no eateries near the places of worship. The organization of this year’s festival is much better.”

Pham Xuan Phuc, Deputy chief inspector of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, stressed the ministry has established inspection teams to make sure festival activities and rituals are properly practiced.

Promotion programmes for tourists to Nha Trang resort city

The 2016 Nha Trang tourism promotion programme promises to bring enormous benefits for domestic and international vacationers in the resort city in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.

The Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa Tourism Association held a press conference in Nha Trang city on February 26 to introduce the programme.

As part of the programme, ceremony to sign cooperation deals and popularise tourism products will take place in Ho Chi Minh City from March 23 to 27 and in Hanoi from April 13 to 17.

The involved parties will promote their products at the 12th trade fair and tourism festival in Ho Chi Minh City and the international tourism fair in Hanoi .

To date, 22 businesses, hotels, restaurants and tourist companies have registered to join the programmes, pledging to offer numerous incentives for partners and tourists.

Nha Trang Tourism Promotion Forum Chairman Le Kim Nhut said the programme will cover tour discounts with high-quality products and services, providing holiday-makers with various new and exciting experiences.

In 2015, Khanh Hoa welcomed more than 4.1 million tourists, including around 974,000 foreigners, grossing VND7 trillion (US$315 million).

The province aims to serve 4.5 million visitors in 2016.

'Kong: Skull Island' casts more than 40 Vietnamese as extras

The cast and crew of the new King Kong film has moved to the northern province of Ninh Binh, its second filming location in Vietnam where it will recruit more than 40 locals as extras.

Bui Van Manh, deputy chief manager of Trang An - Tam Coc, a complex of mountains and rivers in the province, said a set of an Asian village has been built at the site and around 40 to 60 locals will join as extras.

Among them are local traditional opera artists, Manh said, as cited by news website VnExpress.

The filming of “Kong: Skull Island,” which is a prequel centered on the origins of King Kong, will last between February 27 and March 15 in Ninh Binh.

Its crew has spent money repairing a road leading to the film set.

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has reportedly requested the site managers to put up a temporary embankment to hold water inside the Van Long Lagoon nearby to serve several scenes.

Affected farmers who have rice fields in the area will be compensated, a local official told VnExpress.

Trang An and Van Long are both popular tourist sites in the northern province. Local managers said they will make sure to keep visitors far from the sets.

The movie started filming in Vietnam early this week in the central province of Quang Binh. It will move to Ha Long Bay afterwards.

The highly-anticipated Hollywood movie is set to hit theaters in March 2017. Other filming locations are in Australia and Hawaii.

Chef Pierre Gagnaire brings French flair to Danang

Well-known French Chef Pierre Gagnaire, who is at the forefront of the fusion cuisine movement will introduce his latest dishes at the La Maison 1888 in Danang during an upcoming one week-visit beginning February 29.

The La Maison 1888 also unveiled that the Danang visit is part of an Asian tour by Chef Gagnaire that includes Dubai, Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong.

Chef Gagnaire began his career in St Etienne where he won three Michelin Stars, and gained a reputation for challenging the conventions of classic French cooking by introducing jarring juxtapositions of flavours, tastes, textures, and ingredients.

Le Chef Magazine last year selected Pierre Gagnaire as one of top ten chef in the world.

HCM City to revamp emergency services

HCM City Department of Health's plan on developing medical emergency service system in this year and calling for private sector's investment for the field will help improve the service's quality and raise popularity.

In 2013, only around one per cent of 831,499 those hospitalised for emergency aid were brought to hospitals by ambulances, according to the department's statistic.

Many of them died on the way or got disabilities in the rest of their life because of not ensuring proper medical care during transporting.

Speaking at a recent meeting, Dr Nguyen Ngoc Duy, the department's head of general planning division, said that providing emergency aid to patients on the spot and quickly transporting them to the nearest health facilities was critical to ensure safety.

Developing medical emergency services, including pre-hospital emergency systems, was one of 10 solutions which the department would focus on to improve quality of health examination and treatment, Duy said.

The 115 Medical Emergency Centre last year set up two satellite emergency aid stations at Binh Tan Hospital in Binh Tan District and Sai Gon General Hospital in District 1.

"Establishment of the stations meets resident's demand. Last year, the centre received 9,795 calls," he said.

"However, the number of stations is too low compared to the city's population of 10 million, including migrants and an increase in the number of the elderly," he added.

Anther problem is traffic jams, particularly in rush hours, that prevent timely arrival at hospitals.

As part of the department's plan, the centre this year will have at least three more stations in the districts of Hoc Mon, Thu Duc and 7.

He said it was necessary to ensure a sufficient number of doctors and nurses as well as ambulances for these centres.

Dr Tang Chi Thuong, the department's deputy head, however, said it was difficult to recruit personnel to work in emergency aid.

"We will create more paramedic jobs by offering courses to people in HCM City," Thuong said, adding that such training had never been conducted in Viet Nam.

He said that Australian universities would provide professional assistance to the city's Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University to set up international standards.

The department has also encouraged private universities with medical majors to offer training in emergency care.

Dr Le Truong Giang, chairman of the Public Health Association, said that a large investment from the private sector was needed to help develop the city's emergency system.

Thuong said that the department was considering ways to attract investment from the sector.

Last Friday, the Van Khang SOS Company launched an SOS emergency centre.

Le Truong Minh, the centre's deputy director, said it would connect to the city's 115 Centre to serve people better.

In cases of disasters and natural calamities in the city and neighbouring provinces, it also would be part of the city's first responder care, he said.

Giang said that the Van Khang SOS had signed an agreement with the city's Red Cross Society to provide help in emergency aid cases.

The society had set up 1,000 emergency stations, he said, adding that many of them had not been sufficiently equipped with devices for emergency aids.

In the agreement, the centre would provide devices like mobile phones to staff at 200 stations.

Patients in need of emergency care can press an SOS button on their device to ask for assistance from the centre.

The Van Khang SOS Centre, whose system operates in districts 1, 3, 5, 10 and Phu Nhuan, will expand its services beginning in May.

The SOS Centre will provide specialised devices to both patients and staff. The device connects the mobile phones of doctors and nurses and patients'relatives.

The service will first be directed toward patients with chronic conditions and the elderly.

The mobile phones will have a positioning system, which will allow the doctor to know the location of the patient.

In case of emergency, the centre's doctors and nurses will leave by motorbike, rather than by ambulance, to reach the destination quickly.

The motorbike will be able to travel quickly through narrow alleys.

The motorbikes are equipped with equipment for emergency aid, such as mini oxygen containers, electrocardiogram machines and other devices.

"On the way, the doctor will be able to give guidance to people on the phone and help them provide assistance to the patient," Minh said.

Ron McDaniel, senior vice president of Priority Dispatch Corp, which provides emergency dispatch technologies in the US, said that it was important to give patients instructions while they wait for ambulances to come to their home.

McDaniel spoke at a recent graduation ceremony of the first emergency medical dispatcher course in Viet Nam at HCM City-based Family Medical Practice Viet Nam,

The Family Medical Practice clinic this year will launch an emergency medical response centre in HCM City that will provide further medical advice to patients or their relatives who call for emergency aid as they wait for an ambulance.

Its clinics nationwide have fully equipped ambulances on stand-by 24 hours a day.

The ambulances are used as responders to emergency medical services within the city. They also can transfer up to two patients with complicated cases from around the country.

New project to provide free healthcare

The Project Viet Nam Foundation's Ket Noi Yeu Thuong (Connecting to Love) programme last Saturday kicked off to provide free healthcare to patients in HCM City, the central province of Nghe An and the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

The programme, which ends on March 11, includes five teams of a total of 80 US doctors in various fields such as paediatrics, psychology, cardiology and others.

They are working with health experts at hospitals, including Gia Dinh People's Hospital, Military Hospital No.175 and Tam Duc Heart Hospital in HCM City.

The five teams will treat patients' heart conditions and perform surgery on children with cleft lip palate.

A training course on autism for parents whose children have the disorder will open at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital in HCM City.

Another course will teach professional knowledge to doctors and teachers at Paediatrics Hospital No. 2, Ton Duc Thang University and University of Education.

Improving professional knowledge in the paediatrics field will be the focus of a course to be held at Nghe An Obstetrics and Paediatrics Hospital and Can Tho Paediatrics Hospital.

Dental treatment and free delivery of medicine to residents will be provided to residents of two disadvantaged districts, Vinh Thanh and Co Do in Can Tho.

The Project Viet Nam Foundation is a non-profit humanitarian organisation under the American Academy of Paediatrics that offers sustainable paediatric healthcare in Viet Nam. It has also provided free healthcare and aid to impoverished rural areas for the last 20 years.

Ethnic groups receive support

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said there needs to be a complete update of the mechanisms and policies to spur socio-economic development in ethnic minority-inhabited regions.

Phuc made his statement at a conference held by the Government's Committee for Ethnic Affairs and the Lao Cai provincial People's Committee on Saturday. The event was focused on reviewing ethnic affairs from 2011 to 2015, and to roll out targets for 2016.

Over the past five years, ethnic-related policies had contributed to raising the living standards of ethnic minority and people in mountainous regions, he said.

There were, however, policies that were overlapping and unsuitable, he said, adding that many localities had yet to outline their ethnic strategies for 2016-20.

The income gap in some regions has widened, especially among ethnic minority-inhabited and mountainous areas, according to an official who wished to remain anonymous.

Deputy PM Phuc asked ministries, agencies and localities to promptly amend ethnic-related policies and allocate more resources towards mountainous, remote and far-flung areas.

While echoing the Deputy PM's views, the Committee's Minister-Chairman Giang Seo Phu also blamed a shortage of resources for pending policies, programmes and projects.

He said that ethnic, minority-inhabited and mountainous regions still had many economic difficulties. In particular, he pointed towards poor socio-economic infrastructure, especially in transport, electricity, irrigation, medical and educational facilities.

High rates of poverty, unemployment, low income, low-quality human resources, frequent natural disasters and new diseases were posing a headache, he said.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat, added that underdevelopment in agricultural production in the region added to the list of problems.

The minister suggested that the close connection between business and farmers, as well as the close collaboration between farmers, along with technological advances in production would advance sustainability.

The Ministry had always paid attention to policies supporting ethnic groups from all localities, particularly those who were promoting sustainability and the rapid reduction of poverty, Phat affirmed.

Addressing the conference, Vice Chairman of the Dak Nong provincial People's Committee, Cao Huy, said that policies regarding ethnic minorities had proven effective, contributing to the improvement of living standards for remote, far-flung, mountainous and marginalised communities.

He hoped that ethnic minorities would gain easy access to information so as to learn means to earn more sustainable incomes.

Representatives from Quang Nam and Tra Vinh provinces also proposed that the Party and State invest more in ethnic groups and present more specific policies to support ethnic minorities.

Delegates at the conference agreed on key tasks for 2016, which focus on ethnic-related programmes, policies and projects.

Youth prove role in community building

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union's Chapter in HCM City yesterday launched the 2016 Youth Month with numerous activities.

Volunteer teams have been dispatched to districts across the city to help poor families with power repairs and water metre installations, equip local residents with firefighting skills, and clean the environment.

From now until the end of this year, young intellectuals will update scientific and technological research for local residents, especially in rural areas and suburbs.

On Saturday, the 2016 Youth Month also started in Ha Noi with the participation of more than 1,000 young people in the capital.

Held annually, the Youth Month aims to educate young people on the position and role the Youth Union plays in socio-economic development, nation-building and defence.

Cho Ray patients receive new treatment

The Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City and Viet Nam Dairy Products Joint-Stock Company (Vinamilk) last Friday signed an agreement to provide nutrition counselling for 1 million patients by 2018.

At the signing ceremony, Dr Nguyen Truong Son, the hospital's head, said that patients brought to the hospital, which is a central government-level hospital, were usually in a serious health situation. The hospital receives patients from provincial hospitals in the southern region.

Nutrition plays an important role in treatment, and treatment time can be shortened with proper nutrition, which can decrease costs.

Women's political participation on rise

Communication plays an important role in improving awareness and promoting women's participation in politics, said Truong Thi Mai, head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Mass Mobilisation.

At a conference held on Thursday, Mai said Viet Nam must take more breakthrough measures to reach the target of 35 per cent women in the National Assembly (NA) and People's Council for the 2016-2021 term.

Data shows that the country has made strides in increasing women's presence in elected agencies, from three per cent at the first NA to 24.4 per cent at the 13th NA (from 2011 to 2016).

In the 2011-16 tenure, women accounted for 25.17 per cent of deputies at province-level People's Committees, 24.62 per cent at district-level People's Committees and 21.71 per cent at commune-level People's Committees.

Mai said increasing women's participation in elected bodies will help bring the country closer to gender equality and ensure women's engagement in deciding policies.

It was a global fact that to have a decisive voice, women must hold at least 30 per cent of the seats in the State apparatus, she noted. Their modest participation in elected agencies was attributable to a lack of gender awareness and other societal factors.

Public communication should focus on Party and State policies on boosting women's involvement in leadership and management activities, and the Law on the election of NA and People's Council deputies, which stipulates that at least 35 per cent of official candidates for positions in the NA and People's Councils must be women.

Women's contributions to national development also need to be popularised, the Party official added.

Sharing the view, UN Resident Co-ordinator in Viet Nam Pratibha Mehta said one of the reasons for women's limited political participation was that some potential female candidates were not well-known.

A 2015 study in Viet Nam showed that only 22 per cent of news on newspapers, televisions and radios are about women's issues. The rate was just 18 per cent on websites.

Disseminating information can highlight the image of female leaders and create positive changes. Media outlets should showcase women's contributions and ensure equal coverage of both genders during elections, Mehta said.

HCM needs $22.5m for projects

HCM City needs an investment of VND495 billion (US$22.5 million) to build 27 environmental measurement systems and 200 semi-automatic environmental measurement points.

During a working session with the People's Council on Thursday, officials from the city's Department of Natural Resources and Environment said that environmental measurement systems in the city were out of date.

Nguyen Van Phuoc, director of the department, said that in order to guarantee environmental quality, 14 criteria should be met. However, due to the limited facility, the department has focused on four criteria including surface water, ground water, and air and environment quality near waste treatment areas.

"The system to treat wasted air has not met the standard as required," Phuoc said, adding nine automatic air measurement systems supported by Norwegian and Danish government in 2003.

Since 2012, the city has been using a semi-automatic measurement system in 16 locations around the city. However, measurement results have not been reliable.

Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, the chairwoman of HCM City's People's Council, said it was unacceptable to not provide environmental information to the public and to have such systems go unrepaired for the past five years.

The investment in new systems is necessary for the city's residents, Tam said.

HCM City needs 26,000 new employees

Demand for labourers in March rose 20 per cent over the previous month, with 26,000 new employees needed, according to the HCM City Centre for Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labour Market Information.

Demand for manual workers and workers with primary vocational training will account for 35 per cent of the total labour demand next month, said Tran Anh Tuan, deputy director of the centre.

Workers with secondary vocational training account for 35 per cent of demand and college and university graduates the remaining 30 per cent.

Most vacancies will be in information technology (IT), engineering, electronics, architecture, textiles, footwear, finance, tourism and hospitality.

Many Vietnamese customers have been increasingly worried about the safety of baby powder made by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) following a recent court ruling holding the company responsible for the cancer death of a woman in the United States.

Several parents have expressed concern that their children’s health might be affected by the baby care products and decided to stop using them until further information is released.

Ngoc Tinh, a mother of two small children in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, said that she had bought many products from the company for her kids, including baby powder, shampoo, baby oil and others, adding that she herself had also used several shower gel products made by the manufacturer.

Ever since foreign media reported that products of J&J contain talcum powder, considered a potential cancer-causing substance, Tinh said that she has stopped using the company’s products.

These goods have not only been purchased for personal use but also as gifts for family members and friends on special occasions, she added.

“I hope the fatal case of the woman in the United States is only due to long-term use. Some side effects might have been intentionally hidden by the manufacturer,” Thanh Mai, who is living in Binh Thanh District, said.

Despite the recent incident and concern of domestic consumers, the baby powder products are still being sold at shops and supermarkets across the country, according to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters.

Many buyers have raised questions over the safety and quality of such products before making a purchase, an employee of the Big C supermarket chain in Phu Nhuan District stated, adding that there has not been any official announcement from the manufacturer.

Local retailers and distributors have said that they are waiting for authorities’ decision on whether to continue or cease the sale of J&J merchandise.

The products remain available to Vietnamese customers as the company has submitted all legitimate documents proving that its goods meet all quality standards, Ho Quoc Nguyen, an official from Big C, explained.

A representative of J&J said in a letter sent to the company’s distributors that its baby care products are completely safe as they undergo strict and thorough inspection and quality assurance, and continue to be presented to markets.

An official announcement regarding the sale of products made by J&J is expected to be released on Monday, according to the Ministry of Health.

The ministry said that it would review all the research conducted by the Union for International Cancer Control and discuss with the manufacturer as well as experts in chemistry and pharmacy to reach a final conclusion.

J&J was ordered by a Missouri state jury in the US to pay US$72 million, including US$10 million of actual damages and US$62 million of punitive damages, to the family of Jacqueline Fox, whose death from ovarian cancer was linked to her use of the company's talc-based products for several decades, according to Reuters.

Fox, who lived in Alabama, claimed she used the company’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower for feminine hygiene for more than 35 years before being diagnosed three years ago with ovarian cancer. She died in October 2015 at age 62.

The company now faces claims that it failed for decades to warn consumers that its talc-based products could cause cancer, the British news agency reported, adding that about 1,000 cases have been filed in Missouri state court and another 200 in New Jersey.

Each production and business household in disadvantaged areas nationwide from March 15 is able to borrow up to VND50 million (US$2,170), instead of the maximum loan of VND30 million (US$1,300) regulated in current policy.

The new policy is in line with Decision No 306/QD-TTg on the adjustment of credit for productive business households in disadvantaged areas recently issued by the Prime Minister.

The decision also regulates that the Vietnam Bank for Social Policy, based on funding resources, investment demand and the borrowers’ ability to repay, can give out a loan of up to VND100 million (US$4,340).

As regulated in the decision, borrowers must have business plans or projects certified by the local Commune People’s Committees.

For those who want to borrow over VND50 million, the decision regulates that the borrower must contribute at least 20% of the total capital need for the business. The borrower also has to use the assets formed from the loan capital as a loan guarantee.

For loan guarantee terms, the borrower does not need loan guarantees if the loan size is VND50 million or below.

The borrower has to implement loan guarantees in accordance with regulations of the guarantee if the loan size is over VND50 million.

The decision is not applied to additional loans for contracts signed before March 15.

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