Police seize bulk of smuggled wine

Police in Ho Chi Minh City’s district 1 yesterday said that they have seized 500 bottles of wine without receipt in a car.

While patrolling on Thursday, policemen of the Police Agency on Economic and Corruption Crimes (C46) under the Ministry of Public Security found a Toyota vehicle with red plate travelling in district 1 suspicious; therefore, they stopped the vehicle.

Driver Pham Van Viet showed document of the vehicle but not with the red plate. They discovered five containers of Chivas Regel Aged 12 year each container with two bottles of wine; 20 containers of Johorie wine each container with 12 bottles of wine and 20 containers of Kakhia Coffe Liqucur wine each container with 12 bottles of wine. The vehicle was carrying 490 bottles of wine totally.

The driver couldn’t show any document relating to the wine.

From driver’s statement, police officers raided the warehouses in Thu Duc District, finding 4,220 foreign-made bottles of wine; 100 air conditioners and nearly 12 containers of nutritional supplements and various confectionery in Thu Duc. The owner of the ware houses couldn’t present any document relating to the origin of commodities.

Continuing raiding the warehouse in Cao Lo Street in district 8 of Le Nguyen Sai Gon Company, policemen confiscated 83 containers of wine, cosmetic products and toys because there was no document was shown.

Police decided to further investigate the case.

Training course to be run to prevent accident in schools

The Department of Education and Training in Ho Chi Minh City has announced to run a training course to prevent accidents in schools.

With the aim to supply teachers and students with knowlege of how to avoid accidents in schools, the department will offer the course of accident and drown prevention to leaders of education bureaus and school managers.

The training course includes teaching swimming and first aid. Additionally, the department has warned schools against letting students swim in unclean places and dangerous waterfalls.

German language added in entrance exam into senior high schools in HCMC

Students who will take part in this year high school entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City have three options for foreign language tests including English, Japanese and German whereas their peers had two options of English and Japanese last year, said a representative of the city Department of Education and Training . 

Students will take tests of three subjects comprising of Math, Literature and one of the three foreign languages, said Nguyen Minh Hoang from the Department.

When it comes to the direct admission regulation, HCMC continues considering direct admission for those who win the national science and sport competitions and students with disabilities.

HCMC students get subsidy on bus fare

Deputy Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee yesterday decided to subsidize students and each will get support of nearly VND3,000, said the committee office.

Specifically, students will get subsidy of VND2,830 per student one way in travelling in the city's districts while their peers in Can Gio outlying district will be eligible for support of VND3,537 each.

The People’s Committee asked the Director of Department of Transport, the Department of Education and Training and district administrations and schools to be responsible for implementing the decision. Finance and subsidy policies in transport sector will be carried out as per the present regulations.

One more kid donates corneas

Parents of a 4-year-old boy in the northern province of Phu Tho had agreed to donate their kid’s corneas after his death and doctors carried out surgeries to transplant his corneas for two other patients, said Director of Eye Bank of the National Eye Hospital Nguyen Huu Hoang yesterday.

The boy who died after an unexpected accident on his 4th birthday.

Before him, 7-year-old Hai An in Hanoi and 12-year-old Van Nhi also gave away their cornea to help others.

On the same day, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien arrived at the Viet-Duc ( Vietnam- German) Hospital sent her thank-you to Duong Hong Quy’s relatives who had donated his organs to save many patients in critical condition.

Big fine to food businesses for breaches to food safety regulation

The food safety management board in Ho Chi Minh City collected nearly VND17 billion ($733,043) fine in 2018, showing food safety is still a concerned problem, said Deputy Chief of the food safety inspectorate department Duong Phat Chieu at a meeting to review its task in 2018 yesterday.

Inspectors check food material at a business (Photo: SGGP)

This is a great reminder that food safety is serious and there are big problems for businesses if they do not abide by the laws.

In 2018 food safety inspectors paid unscheduled visits to 41,032 businesses, discovering 11,395 violations and punishing 2,790 of them with total fine of nearly VND17 billion.

Some businesses were convicted and fined hundreds of millions of Vietnam dong ; specifically, Hotel Student company was ordered to pay more than VND114 million for charges relating to failures in hygiene.

Moreover, the company was forced to destroy one ton of materials and commodities without clear indication of origin and 13 finished products in 220 containers.

During food hygiene inspection month, inspectors found three businesses to make pork bologna fail food safety requirements, inspectors ordered a fine of nearly VND184 million and the destruction of over 30,000 kilogram of animal products.

Head of the HCM City Food Safety Management Board Pham Khanh Phong Lan said that the board has set up food safety inspection teams in the festive season, aiming to curb food safety violations and poisoning cases.

Inspectors will cooperate with farmer and woman associations to increase information of food safety in districts and handicraft villages.

Sixty measles cases reported in first week of 2019 in HCMC

The Preventive Medicine Department in Ho Chi Minh City said in the first week of 2019, HCMC reported 625 dengue cases, up 127 percent against the same period last year and 60 hand-foot-and mouth cases, a year-on-year increase of 88 percent.

Worse, the city recorded 60 cases of measles last week while there had been no measles cases in January 2018.

Head of the center’s Infectious Disease ward Dr. Le Hong Nga said that 24 districts have reported measles cases with most cases in districts 8, 12, Thu Duc, Binh Tan.

Dr. Nga warned people to kill mosquito and its larva as well as wash hand regularly with soap to prevent hand-foot-and mouth disease and infectious diseases.

She advised parents to take their kids to medical clinics for immunization as per schedule and the Health Ministry’s guidance.

Expert from Ministry affirms no halt of vaccine ComBe Five

Head of the National Institution of Hygiene and Epidemiology Professor Dang Duc Anh yesterday affirmed that administration of vaccine ComBe Five would continue as per schedule countryside.

The head made the statement at a press brief on immunization reaction after a shot of vaccine ComBe Five since there have been reports of hospitalization of kids somewhere.

Professor Dang Duc Anh said vaccine ComBe Five, an India-produced vaccine, was included in the National Expanded Immunization Program from November 2018 to replace the Korean-made "five in one" Quinvaxem in preventing five common, potentially fatal diseases—diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and haemophilus influenza type B — in infants.

Till January 6, vaccine ComBe Five has been administered on 101,862 infants in 19 provinces across the country.

Localities reported rates of normal adverse vaccine reactions like mild fever, pain, redness, tenderness, or swelling at injection site, uneasiness is 1.73 percent while the rate of prolonged high fever and crying is 0.05 percent. Yet all are in stable condition after treatment.

Following the information of discontinuance of the vaccine, Professor Anh affirmed the new was misleading because it has been approved by the World Health Organization and has been used in more than 43 countries, with over 400 million doses administered to date.

Upon the deaths of two infants in the northern province of Nam Dinh after vaccination, Professor Anh said that the two experienced vaccine reaction after 36 hours. The scientific council arrived at the conclusion that the deaths were not caused by the vaccine yet its causes was not clear.

Professor Anh noted parents must keep their children to stay at medical clinics in 30 minutes after vaccinatiion. Parents must take their kids to nearby medical institutions immediately if babies have abnormal symptoms like high fever over 39 Celsius degree, convulsion fits, bouts of non-stop crying, pale look, irritability.

The Institute has provided the vaccine to 63 cities and provinces along with guidance of immunization guidance in which focus on safety vaccination procedure especially examination and consultation before and after injection.

All kids will get the vaccine shot in the end of January.

Health watchdog requests enough medicine in festive season

The Vietnam Administration of Drug under the Ministry of Health sent its request to local preventive medicine centers and hospitals asking to have drug reserve plan for treatment in the Tet holiday (the Lunar New Year) and festive season when outbreaks of diseases usually occur.

Hospitals and health institutions should have enough medicine for treatment and prevention of diseases such as type A influenza, a contagious viral infection that can have life-threatening complications if left untreated, hand-foot- and mouth, dengue, measles, rubella, diarrhea caused by virus Rota, respiratory and digestive problems.
Hospitals and drug businesses should have plan to reserve medicine and adopt measures against high price in the special season. Health inspectors and related agencies should pay more unscheduled visits to discover fake and substandard medicine.

70-day-old infant dies after getting shot of vaccine ComBe Five

Health officials in Hanoi are working to clarify the death of a 70-day-old infant in Thach That District in Hanoi after getting a shot of vaccine ComBe Five, said Director of the General Hospital in Thach That District Dr. Vuong Trung Kien yesterday.

Before, infant Kieu Hai Yen was taken to the medical clinic in Can Kiem Commune on January 9 for vaccination.

After examining his health which is in good condition, medical workers administered a shot of vaccine ComBe Five as well as gave consultation how to take care of him to parents.

However, the infant suffered high fever later though he took medicine to reduce fever. Next morning when he turned pale, his parents took him to the hospital for emergency treatment but it was late. He was pronounced dead later.

Cold weather conducive to outbreaks of measles

Medical experts warned that unpredictable weather and increasing travelling during Tet holidays (the Lunar New Year) will be conducive to outbreaks of measles.

Lately, cases of measles amongst adults and children have jumped drastically; worse, the disease attacking pregnant women and people with chronic disease will easily cause serious complication.

From the beginning of the year, Hanoi- based Bach Mai Hospital’s Department of Infectious Disease Ward has admitted a few cases of measles.

Head of the ward Dr. Do Duy Cuong said that last year, there were only 50 cases of measles, but there were five to seven cases a week within two first weeks of this year .

Most of cases are living in Hanoi and neighboring northern provinces such as Ha Nam, Hung Yen, Bac Giang and patients were female in the age of 25 - 40.

Terribly, some of them were unvaccinated pregnant women. Accordingly, they had to stay in the infirmary to have timely treatment if having complications. Most patients contracted the disease through contacting between healthy persons with ill persons, said Dr. Do Duy Cuong.

Head of the Ho Chi Minh City-based Tropical Disease Hospital’s Medical ward Dr. Huynh Thi Thuy Hoa said from the beginning of the year, the hospital has received 65 cases of measles excluding outpatients; medical workers warned of an increase of measles patients.

Meantime, medical workers of the Children Hospital No.2 are treating 61 measles patients including five in serious condition and using the ventilator. Head of the Infectious Disease ward Dr. Do Chau Viet, said 70 percent of kid patients in the ward are hailing from southern provinces.

The youngest patient is around four months old. Worse, they have heart disease, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Preventive Medicine Center’s statistics, in the first week of the year, there was overwhelming surge of dengue, hand-foot-and-mouth and measles cases in kids but there was no report of death.

Specifically, in the first week, 60 cases of measles were reported whereas no cases of measles had been reported in the same period last year. Presently, 24/24 districts have cases of measles with most cases in districts 8, 12, Thu Duc and Binh Tan.

Following the complicated development of measles, medical workers said measles is normally a bening disease of children; therefore, patients can stay in local clinics for one week.

However, if a kid with another disease contract measles or complications induced by measles infection, he/she must be treated in big hospital because measles causes encephalitis in both adults and children with measles infection.

Dr. Huynh Thi Thuy Hoa pointed out some people disregarded the disease as they refused to vaccinate or continue contacting with people around without applying preventative measures whereas others made it serious.

She advised people to have good behaviors to the disease. They should have shot of vaccine and go to medical facilities for examination. Pregnant women and people with chronic disease should go to infirmaries as soon as possible.

Along with the rise in measles cases, the Department of Medical Preventative also warned of some contagious diseases including influenza type A in poultry in come localities.

HCMC’s budget revenue beyond estimates in 2018

State budget revenue in HCMC reached VND378,543 billion (US$16.33 billion) in 2018, accounting for 100.47 percent of estimates and increasing 8.65 percent over the same period last year, reported director of the city Department of Finance Phan Thi Thang yesterday.

She was reporting at a conference hosted by the State Treasury in HCMC and attended by City Party Chief Nguyen Thien Nhan and People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong.

Of the total, domestic revenue was VND244,772 billion accounting for 96.54 percent estimates, crude oil was VND24,305 billion making up 193.36 percent, export import activities VND108,367 billion accounting for 100.34 percent.

The city’s spending reached VND72,627 billion, accounting for 83.61 percent of estimates.

Stating at the conference, chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said that in 2018 the central Government assigned the city to achieve a high revenue estimates, which was 17.47 percent higher than 2017. In the end the city has fulfilled the mission thanks to businesses and residents’ efforts to overcome difficulties and stablize production and trading.

In 2019, the central government wants the city to obtain a year on year increase of 7.98 percent in budget revenue to reach VND399,125 billion. Hence, relevant agencies should focus on implementing key solutions to obtain the target.

He hoped that businesses would pay more attention to improving production and management ability and further affirming Vietnamese brand names to contribute more strongly to the city’s growth.

On this occasion, the city People’s Committee granted certificates of merit to 24 districts and 37 businesses for excellently fulfilling their budget revenue missions.

Among the awardees are 13 businesses with tax payment topping VND1 trillion and 24 enterprises paying from VND500 billion to VND1 trillion in taxes.

HCMC urban railway management board has new head

Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong this morning gave Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong who is chairman of the city Department of Transport a decision to mobilize him to be head of the Management Board of Urban Railway (MAUR).

Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong gives Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong (L) the decision to appoint him to head of Urban Railway Management Board

That is a new but old position to Mr. Cuong because he used to be head of the board before being appointed to director of the Department of Transport. Mr. Cuong now replaces Mr. Le Nguyen Minh Quang as head of the board.

At the decision giving ceremony, chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong stressed that metro routes play significant role in meeting travel demand of residents and cargo transport demand in the city. They will contribute in forming a modern traffic system in the city.

Talking about Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line, chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said that that is a national important project playing a very important role to the relationship between Vietnam and Japan. For the last past, HCMC People’s Committee has focused on implementing the first metro line to put it into operation by 2020.

So far, the work progress has reached 61 percent with the great contribution by the entire staff, cadres and workers at MAUR including Mr. Le Nguyen Minh Quang, he affirmed.

He thanked Mr. Cuong for being willing to receive the new mission, hoping that Mr. Cuong will efficiently manage MARU to ensure the progress of metro projects, especially Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien, to meet city residents’ expectation and contribute in improving the relationship between Vietnam and Japan.

Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong, born in 1975, is a bridge and road engineer, master of engineering and master of public administration. For a long time, he worked at the Department of Transport at different positions from low to high.

He was appointed to deputy director of the department by the city People’s Committee at the end in 2009, head of MAUR in August 2014 and director of the Transport Department a year later.

During a year working as head of MAUR before, he organized construction of the first underground stretch of the first metro line, making of girders for the above ground stretch and organize opinion collection from residents and scientists about the train design for the project.

He together with members in the board promoted investment in the second metro line and other routes.

During the time of working as head of the Transport Department, he made lot of contributions to the transport industry such as the launching of the first public waterway transport route.

Aside from that, he has guided construction of many important works and implementation of many solutions to tackle traffic jam in the city including the areas in My Thuy intersection, District 2 and Tan Son Nhat Airport in Tan Binh. Solving traffic jam in Tan Son Nhat Airport and city entrance gateways is chosen to be one of ten outstanding events of the city in 2018.

He and inferiors has built and put into operation the city traffic portal at website giaothong.hochiminhcity.gov.vn and applications in mobile devices to provide information about infrastructure problems and traffic conditions for residents in a timely manner.

Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong is estimated to be open to the press with the model of “press coffee” organized monthly for the agency’s leaders together with traffic reporters to have breakfast and coffee and share information which reporters interest in.

Currently the public is paying much attention to MAUR after Mr. Le Nguyen Minh Quang together with many major officials and staff of the board quit their jobs.

Mr. Hoang Nhu Cuong, secretary of the board’s Party Committee and deputy head of the board, has gone abroad for personal business without permission by authorized agencies.

HCMC Inspectorate Agency and State Audit Office of Vietnam have determined many wrongdoings in the first metro line project.

Urban flood prevention plan relaunched in HCMC

The Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) People’s Committee has asked related agencies to complete necessary procedures in order to relaunch the project ‘Urban Flood Prevention in HCMC due to High Tide, Considering Climate Change’, said director of Trung Nam BT 1547 Co., Ltd Nguyen Tam Tien yesterday.

The HCMC Center for Urban Flood Prevention is requested to inspect and sign for confirmation of done workload documents for the project's loan disbursement. 

At the moment, Trung Nam BT 1547 Co., Ltd is finishing its preparation for the relaunch of the project right after Tet Holiday. It is expected that the project will complete at the end of this year. 

Still the needed space  for the project in District 7, District 8, and Binh Chanh has yet been available. Therefore, to ensure the schedule, the company has to hire necessary land from citizens, costing around VND10 billion (approx. $431,133). 

Answering the question regarding the quality of this project due to long construction halt, especially tide control sewers, the company representative stated that before the delay, most of the foundation parts had already been finished with ensured safety operation. Right now, 72 percent of the total workload is done, and the rest will be completed after the Lunar New Year.

Reports show that the delay wastes VND200 billion ($8.6 million) while the national budget is heavily affected by loan interest. 

Mr. Nguyen Tam Tien shared that the HCMC People’s Committee has had an independent third party to re-inspect the steel quality at all sewers to control tides. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will be in charge of this designation.

The project ‘Urban Flood Prevention in HCMC due to High Tide, Considering Climate Change’ (the first phase) costs nearly VND10,000 billion ($431 million). It was temporarily terminated at the end of April 2018. According to the Building – Transfer contract (BT contract), it is supposed to complete in June 2019.

Cat Lai seaport in danger of cargo congestion ahead of Tet Holiday

Goods volume increase and scrap container stagnancy have posed a threat of cargo congestion at Cat Lai seaport in HCMC ahead of Tet Holiday.

HCMC Customs Department on January reported that the volume of goods through the port has been much higher than normal.

Meantime, containers of scrap subject to import ban list are still being handled. Transport of these containers out from the port has been difficult because it will affect commodity circulation there.

Previously, the HCMC Customs Agency planned to examine 2,500 scrap containers stagnant at Cat Lai and Hiep Phuoc seaports.

So far, the agency has inspected 400 out of the 2,500 containers. Aside from that, about 110 containers of import goods are under special surveillance by authorized agencies and unable to pass customs clearance.

According to Saigon Newport Corporation, nearly 3,000 containers of goods have been left unown at Cat Lai seaport. Few hundreds of these have been opened for check according to regulation. The remaining ones have still been at the port, causing cargo congestion and limiting businesses’ ability of receiving goods.

All households in controversial vegetable garden have houses in other places

The representative of Tan Binh district People’s Committee yesterday affirmed that 134 households exploiting 4.8 hectares of vegetable garden land in Ward 6, Tan Binh district have other houses outside the area.

Their illegal construction works in the agricultural land, planned for public works, were used for rent or catering business. The area had been a place for crimes such as gambling, drug addiction. Hence, the district’s handling of illegal construction and land encroachment on January 4 and 8 were not “forcing residents out to street.”

To those living in removed rental rooms, the district has given VND3 million in rent a month and a financial aid of VND2 million each household. Tan Binh district will provide them extra assistance.

According to Tan Binh district People’s Committee, construction violations in the area quickly spread last year. Within about one year from January 1, 2018 later on, local authorities spotted 42 unlicensed works there, equal to the total number in the previous ten years.

Analyzing reason for the issue, the committee’s representative said that the district had met difficulties in handling violating works, for instance fast construction pace. Still he admitted that the bad management has contributed to the long lasting violation.

The ward and the district officials took responsibility for the issue, said the representative.

The district People’s Committee said that the coercive dismantlement of illegal construction works in the vegetable garden area aims at preventing the violation from quickly spreading in agricultural land and reducing social evils such as gambling and drug addiction in the area.

Da Nang spends $1.8 million for social welfare brackets

The Department of Labor, Invalid and Social Affairs in the central city of Da Nang yesterday said that in the upcoming Tet Holiday (the Lunar New Year), it allocated VND44 billion (US$1.8 million) for granting over 90,000 social welfare brackets.

As per the city’s plan’s, passed-away or sick senior revolutionary persons , families of political prisoners who were sentenced to death by the Republic of Vietnam before 1975 and typical social welfare families will receive VND2,5 million per person.

The city will hand out VND1,4 million to social welfare beneficiaries who are enjoying monthly allowance including exceptionally impoverished social welfare families, those who were serving in the pre-uprising, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, Hero of the people's armed forces and Labor Heroic, wounded soldiers, those who took part in the revolution and infected with toxic chemicals.

Those who supported soldiers in the war-time and their relatives will be given VND550,000 to VND1,750, 000 per person.

On this occasion, Da Nang authority will visit social houses in the city and Quang Nam Province to hand out gifts worth VND3 million to VND5 million a household.

In addition to, low-income families still working will receive financial support of VND600,000 each household whereas destitute households without working will be given VND1 million; demobilized soldiers with mental health or untreatable diseases will be presented VND300,000 person.

Moreover, hard laborers and scrap pickers will also receive VND500,000 per person.

Landslide causes damage worth of nearly VND 11 bln for Dong Thap Province

According to the Dong Thap province’s Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue, serious landslides have occurred in 20 communes, wards and towns of the Mekong delta province from the beginning of 2018 up to now. 

It was estimated that the total property losses from landslides was nearly VND 11 billion US$ 470.000).

The natural disaster swallowed about 25 kilometers of length and 5 hectares of land. 

Currently, there are nearly 6,000 households in landslide areas.

Amid the bad condition, the People’s Committee of Dong Thap province suggested support from the  Government to evacuate local people to safer places with a total capital of VND 657 billion. 

The Dong Thap province’s Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said that water level on rivers is rising rapidly so the authorities had to dispose rescuers and place warning signs in the dangerous areas.

Currently, the functional forces are  evacuating the local people in the dangerous areas of Chau Thanh, Hong Ngu districts and Cao Lanh city.

Mekong Delta promptly prepares agricultural products for Tet Holiday

Farmers and cooperatives in the Mekong Delta have been operating at their full capacity to produce dried products and fruits in preparation for the coming Tet holiday.

Households making dried banana in Tran Hoi commune, Tran Van Thoi district, Ca Mau province said that a little affected by the first storm in 2019, they have briefly resumed operation. This year, traders have paid high setting farmers’ mind at rest to speed up production.

Mr. Tran Duy Thanh from the commune said that three generations of his family have made dried banana. His family sells about 10 tons, priced VND15,000-20,000 a kilogram, a month. The price usually increases near Tet Holiday.

Dried shrimp has also been good selling in Ca Mau province. Dried shrimp cooperatives in Rach Goc village in Ngoc Hien district are operating at their full capacity. Dried shrimp named after the village Rach Goc has been granted with collective trademark since 2011.

Mr. Bui Van Chuong, director of Tan Phat Loi dried shrimp cooperative, said that the village’s products have been shelved in many supermarkets across the country. Peak production time starts a month before Tet Holiday so cooperative members have worked day and night.

Coastal villages making dried fish products such as Song Doc, Cai Doi Vam and Rach Tau have also stepped up production. Production establishments have continuously increased capacity providing jobs for locals and increasing their income.

Mr. Le Minh Duc, owner of an establishment in Tran Van Thoi town, Tran Van Thoi district, said that his establishment sells about two tons of dried fish a year mainly in Tet holiday. Currently the number of orders has been high.

Besides dried products, farmers in the Mekong Delta have concentrated on taking care of their fruit orchards to harvest in time for Tet sale.

Mr. Luu Van Tin, director of Lai Vung red mandarin cooperative, said that red mandarin is harvested once a year in Tet holiday. At present, farmers are focusing on care of the orchard.

Meantime, farmers in Soc Trang, Vinh Long and Ben Tre provinces have focused on their Tet pomelo crop.

Mr. Dang Van Nam from Ke Sach district, Soc Trang province said that traders from HCMC, the northern region and the Mekong Delta have ordered large volume. The fruit’s peak harvest time is about 1-2 week before Tet.

Mr. Dam Van Hung, owner of Huong Mien Tay green peel pomelo company in Ben Tre province, said that pomelo price has jumped from VND30,000 to VND42,000 a kilogram in recent days. It is forecast to further hike near Tet holidays to reach VND50,000-60,000 a kilogram. 

Pomelo export to China, Singapore and Europe have been on the rise.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thuc, deputy director of Hoa Loc mango cooperative in Cai Be district, Tien Giang province, said that Hoa Loc mango price has surged to VND80,000-85,000 a kilogram. It is expected to jump by VND20,000-40,000 a kilogram because of yearend output drop and high consumption demand.

Joining hands to ease the pain of Agent Orange

Over recent years, the Party, the State and Vietnamese people have always paid special attention to the victims of Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin. Since 2005, the Government has issued and perfected many regimes and policies to improve the lives of victims. Every year, the State spends a large amount of money to care for the health of victims. Separate subsidies for the AO victims every year amount to thousands of billion VND.

At present, there are more than 200,000 people infected with Agent Orange, those participating in the resistance war and their offspring, who are enjoying the policy for people who rendered meritorious services to the revolution; more than 50% of households with disabled people and AO victims have been provided with free medical check-ups and treatment or free health insurance.

Under the Party's guidelines as well as the State's policies, especially after the Directive No. 43-CT / TW dated May 14, 2015, of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat on strengthening the leadership of The Party in resolving the tragic impacts the toxic chemical and the Government's National Action Programme on overcoming the consequences of toxic chemicals used by the US during the Vietnam war, all levels of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) have made efforts to overcome difficulties and have actively coordinated with relevant agencies to advise and propose to the Party and State regarding policies and regimes for the AO victims. The VAVA also promoted propaganda work in many forms. Meanwhile, the emulation movement "For the Vietnamese AO victims" has been widely deployed, attracting many people’s participation and support. The Association’s levels have actively propagated and mobilised social resources to care for and help the AO victims associating with the movement "For Vietnamese AO victims" with movements, anniversaries, holidays and Tet Festivals. From 2013 to 2018, the Association mobilised organisations and individuals, inside and outside the country, to raise a fund of more than VND 1,139 billion. The fund aims to build nurturing, rehabilitation and vocational training centres, as well as to visit and give gifts, helping to improve the lives and health of many victims.

However, the performance quality of some associations is not high; advisory work, coordinating between levels, the government, the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee and related agencies has not been conducted regularly. The mobilisation of resources to support AO victims in some places are still passive, with a lack of perseverance; the form is not diverse; the results of resource mobilisation are limited. Although the war has been receding for more than forty years, Vietnam still has to witness millions of fellow citizens and comrades who have been suffering from severe and persistent consequences of Agent Orange / dioxin. Tens of thousands of victims died; many people are daily, every hour, living in disease. In addition, due to the procedures and documents not really being perfect, there are still cases who have not yet received the State's regimes and policies. As a result, joining hands to ease the pain of Agent Orange is the conscience and responsibility of both the political system and the social community.

In order to contribute to supporting AO victims, in the coming time, the Party committees, authorities, Fatherland Front branches at all levels, and localities continue to thoroughly grasp and organise the implementation of the Secretariat’s Instruction No. 43 and the Government's National Action Programme on overcoming the consequences of toxic chemicals used by the US during the Vietnam war, while paying more attention to implementing policies for AO victims. It is necessary to pay attention to leading, directing, coordinating and creating favorable conditions for all levels of the VAVA to fulfill the tasks assigned by the Party and the State. In order to effectively implement the movement "Action for Vietnamese AO victims" launched by the VFF Central Committee, the VAVA should identify key contents and practical solutions. It is necessary to promote propaganda works and mobilise people in the country, overseas Vietnamese in foreign countries, and international friends to better understand the AO disaster in Vietnam and about the work of overcoming consequences of chemicals sprayed in Vietnam. It is necessary to build and consolidate the organisation of the VAVA and to renew the content and the operation methods to connect with AO victims. It is necessary to implement well the role of counseling, criticism and social assessment of policies and regimes for the AO victims. It is necessary to further improve the effectiveness of mobilising social resources, taking care of and helping AO victims, providing timely gratitude and encouragement, and spreading the “golden hearts for the AO victims”. In addition, it is necessary to persevere the campaign and struggle for justice for the AO victims through forms and measures in line with the foreign policy and guidelines of Vietnam’s Party and State.

On the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2019, all levels of the VAVA need to advise the local Party committees, authorities, unions and Fatherland Front to take care of, visit and give gifts to the AO victims, helping them and their families to have a happier and warmer Tet.

Work starts on 700-bed general hospital in Tra Vinh province

Delegates at the ground-breaking ceremony 

A ceremony was held in Tra Vinh province on January 14 to start the construction of the 700-bed provincial General Hospital.

Covering more than 57,000 square metres in Ward 7 of Tra Vinh city, the project has a total investment of VND1.6 trillion (US$68.8 million), including VND1.4 trillion from the State budget and the remaining VND 200 billion from the local budget.

The nine-storey hospital is designed to be equipped with high technology and the most modern medical equipment. It is expected to become operational in 2020.

According to Dr. Cao My Phuong, Director of the provincial Department of Health, the project is a significant construction aiming to meet the increasing demand for treatment of residents in the province.

The hospital is being built to replace the old 500-bed hospital, which has suffered from overloading during recent years.

The new facility is also expected to facilitate scientific research for doctors in the province and serve as a place for internships for medical students of Tra Vinh University.

Tan Binh district removes 110 illegal construction works

The People’s Committee of Tan Binh district in HCMC has applied coercive site clearance to about 110 illegal construction works and land encroachment in a 4.8 hectares land plot, called vegetable garden, in Ward 6.

In the afternoon on January 9, Sai Gon Giai Phong reporters recorded that most of the construction works had been dismantled, seeing lot of galvanised corrugated sheets very new.

A leader of Tan Binh said that the district authorities have implemented two times of deconstruction on January 4 and January 8 to 110 works that were built without license in the area planned for schools and park.

Of the dismantled ones, some were built before 2015 and as many as 42 were built in 2018. A number of works have been traded and transferred with unnotarized and unlawful papers.

The People’s Committee of Tan Binh district said that construction violation in the vegetable garden has complicatedly taken place for many years. The site clearance process has been implemented in the right order and procedure and all relevant decisions have been posted at the violating works.

After giving households site clearance decisions, they have carried their belongings out on their self-awareness.  The district has assisted residents by transporting their belongings, giving those in need VND3 million a month to pay rent and providing each household VND2 million in financial aid. The district will give them more assistance in the upcoming time.

During the site clearance process, authorized agencies took some extremists to the district’s Police Department headquarters to work and let them out on the same day.

In response to reporters’ queries about management irresponsibility resulting in the illegal construction works, the representative said that the district had considered responsibilities of relevant individuals and teams.

The representative also explained difficulties. For instance, residents transported building materials by motorbikes and built their works at nights. In addition, they had not cooperated with authorized agencies in handling violations.

“The coercive dismantlement of the violating works aims at ensuring the strictness of the law and preventing plan breaking. The district has cleared unlicensed works, not coercively reclaimed land as per rumors spreading on social networks,” the representative said.

The vegetable garden has 110 illegal construction works for rent and catering business. The total area of unlicensed construction works and vegetable planting approximates 4.8 hectares.

Authorized agencies affirmed that they have reviewed and determined that 4.8 hectares of the vegetable garden are public land encroached by residents. After site clearance, the district has required relevant sides to ensure urban hygiene and good looking and let residents continue managing the land.

Construction in the area will comprise a nursery school, primary and secondary schools and a 10,000 square meters park. They are all public works. So there has been no land reclamation for trade as per public discussion, stressed the representative of Tan Binh district People’s Committee.

Currently, relevant agencies are building the financial plan in preparation for investment and construction of the school complex.

The district People’s Committee has worked with agencies to submit to the city People’s Committee assistance and supporting policies to residents after clearance of the vegetable garden.

All relevant information will be publicly posted at Ward 6 People’s Committee and quarters’ headquarters for residents to give opinions before being officially approved.

 “We hope that residents in and surrounding the vegetable garden will work with local authorities to survey and enumerate area as well as give opinions about assistance measure to each case. Basing on residents’ will, the district authorities will submit suitable measures to the authorized agencies for approval”, said the representative.

HCMC has one more satellite emergency clinic

The General Hospital in Cu Chi District in Ho Chi Minh opened its satellite clinic to provide emergency treatment, the 28th of its kinds in the city.

Located in road No.8, village No.12 in Tan Thanh Dong Commune, the clinic provides medical services for inhabitants in six commune Tan Thanh Tay, Tan Thanh Dong, Trung An, Hoa Phu, Binh My, and Phu Hoa Dong.

The clinic was upgraded from the preventive medicine center to serve dwellers and workers of three industrial parks including Tan Quy, Trung An, and Dong Nam.

It is well equipped with modern devices for treatment of emergency treatment, surgery, maternity, pediatrics, ear-nose-throat, eye, skin, traditional medicine, rehabilitation, testing, scan, X-ray.

Presently, 16 medical workers take turn to examine patients and provide emergency treatment everyday.

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health Dr. Tang Chi Thuong said that being as a small infirmary, the clinic will help provide better medical service to the area’s residents as per the governmental policy.

HCMC allocates $34 mln for gifts to Vietnamese heroic mother, wounded soldiers

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee approved to allocate VND800 billion ($34 million) for gifts to Vietnamese heroic mother, wounded soldiers, labor heroes and heroes of the people's armed forces on occasion of Tet holidays ( the Lunar New Year).

As per the plan, senior veterans, notable intellectuals, living Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, seriously wounded and war-invalids will receive gifts worth VND3.1 million each.

HCMC will support more for sick Vietnamese Heroic Mother and poor families of martyrs and wounded soldiers. Wounded soldiers, labor heroes and heroes of the people's armed forces will be presented a gift worth VND1,7 million each.

Around 260,000 top welfare beneficiaries will receive gifts worth VND1.3 million each.

The city will give gifts to families whose sons are stationing in Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, maritime platform DK1 and in UN peacekeeping force,

Some 148,000 administrators in districts will be gifted VND1.4 million each.

Moreover, approximately 15,700 poor and near-poor families will be given VND1.25 million each. Similarly, 130,000 people in social supporting houses, people with disabilities, and senior citizens over 80 years will be given VND1.15 million each.

Total spending of gifts for top welfare beneficiaries is around VND800 billion, an increase of VND35 billion compared to last year, taken from the state budget. Joining hand with the city authorities in taking care of special people is benefactors who contributed VND500 billion.

Therefore, total spending on Tet gifts for social welfare beneficiaries will be VND1,300 billion.

On Tet occasion, Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee and the Vietnam Fatherland Front in HCMC hold a gather with senior veterans, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers and notable intellectuals.

Additionally, 40 delegation groups will pay visits to old veterans in revolutionary base and families of young soldiers stationing in islands and families of martyrs, wounded soldiers, poor ethnic minority households and old people.

Health Minister advises parents to take kids to medical clinic for immunization

Vietnamese Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien advised parents to take their kids to nearby medical clinics for immunization because the rate of vaccination incident is low.

In her yesterday visit to two medical clinics in Phu Nghia and Ngoc Hoa Communes in Hanoi, the Health Minister pointed out that there was slight or serious reaction when people get vaccine or medicine.

However, parents should not abolish compulsory vaccinations because types of vaccines will protect their kids.

According to the Hanoi Department of Health, nearly 1,000 infants in Chuong My Commune got shots of vaccine ComBE Five and 16 percent of them had side effects from vaccination but all are stable now thanks to timely treatment.

Half of communes in 15 districts in Hanoi have administered the vaccine by January 8. Around 5,800 infants got shots of vaccine ComBe Five. Hundred and eighty of them had adverse side effects such as soreness, swelling, or redness at the injection site that the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health had warned before.

She advised parents to take kids to medical facilities for vaccination warning against the health risks associated with the abolition of compulsory vaccinations

Moreover, she affirmed the health sector will try its best to raise vaccination level in the population to prevent outbreaks of measles and whooping cough in the upcoming winter and warned to rush kids to hospitals for timely treatment if kids experience serious reactions.

Ms. Tien also requested to increase information of vaccination benefits to parents who should take children to infirmaries on immunization schedule.

A training course of immunization procedure including of examination of kids’ medical record and how to treat shock after vaccination will be held next week for medical workers.

HCMC education department holds science-tech competition for high schoolers

The Department of Education and Training in Ho Chi Minh City held a science-technology competition for junior and senior high schoolers to select best students for national competitions.

The final round of the annual competition yesterday took place in Le Hong Phong Senior High School for the gifted students.

Launched from August, 2018, the competition received 617 entries from 157 schools including 63 senior high schools and 94 junior high schools. Hundred and two best researches entered the final round and the organizer will then select thirty –three of them for the national competition.

Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training Nguyen Van Hieu said that this year has seen the growing number of good science-tech researches in junior high schools.

The competition is considered a useful playground for science lovers who put theory into practice creating useful products in life. Many products to provide assistance to people with disabilities in the competition also show humanity.

School promotes cooperation with enterprises in biotechnology

Ho Chi Minh City University of Science’s Biology - Biotechnology faculty will embark a project to improve cooperation between the faculty and the its partners, alumni in 2019.

Having received EUR10,000 from AUF, the project aims to create conversation between training facilities and institutes, schools, center and enterprises in the field of biology – biotechnology and relating fields.

Carried out in 12 months, the project includes four major tasks comprising of building periodic conversations between training school and companies and meeting between students and enterprises in employment fairs.

Moreover, the project will implement employment training programs with the participation of enterprise leaders along with interviews with alumni, representatives from human personnel departments of enterprises to better the biotechnology profession guidance book.

Research papers in international journals by VNU-HCM increase by 15percent

The Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) experienced a 15 percent increase of annual international research articles in 2018, reported the university yesterday. 

 Research papers in international journals by VNU-HCM increase by 15percent

To maintain and further this rate, VNU-HCM is now piloting a new center for molecular and nanoarchitecture research, known as the Center for Innovative Materials and Architectures (INOMAR). It is expected that this center will foster the publication of new global articles in such renowned and prestigious journals like SCI or SCIE, with the average growth rate of 15 percent per year.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Lam Quang Vinh, Head of the Department of Science and Technology in VNU-HCM, until November 2018, the university already published nearly 2,000 articles and conference reports in various fields, including more than 500 articles printed in international journals. 

Over 50 percent of those are ranked as Q1, higher than the mean national rate of 39 percent.

In 2018, VNU-HCM was honored to enter the list of Top 701 – 750 Leading Universities in the World, thanks to its 45 programs and 13 programs meeting the ASEAN University Network – Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) and other international criteria, respectively.

In the period from 2013 to September 2018, the revenues from technology transfer reached an average of VND200 billion per year (approx. $8.62 million).

At the moment, VNU-HCM is finishing the procedure to register for 2 inventions in the US, one of which belongs to the VNU-HCM University of Technology and the other the VNU-HCM University of Science. If successful, VNU-HCM will become one of the three intellectual rights and technology transfer centers in Vietnam

Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Duc Anh Vu, Head of the Department of University in VNU-HCM, shared that this year, his university has the acceptance rate of around 16,000 freshmen via 6 kinds of admission, consisting of (1) direct admission, with the priority to those meeting the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Training; (2) VNU-HCM admission policy; (3) results of the 2019 national high school graduation examination; (4) results of the scholastic ability assessment test organized by VNU-HCM for each major; (5) results of international tests; and (6) other admission policies in each particular member university (such as the scholastic ability test by the International University).

In 2019, VNU-HCM is planning to increase the number of majors for undergraduate programs to 197.

Teacher wins first prize of community initiative competition

A teacher in Phu Nhuan District won the First Prize of the community initiative competition held by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology.

The prize-giving ceremony was held yesterday at the department office. The competition aims to find out and respect initiatives for the community benefit.

After three year implementation, the organizer has received many good entries and support the researches to be applied into life. The organizer decided to give prizes to 14 projects.

With expectation to improve technology and biology teaching in schools, teacher Le Thien Phuc of Phu Nhuan Senior High School has sent his teaching project to the organizer. He was awarded the First Prize with the project.

Three projects including a student’s history book design, egg skin pealing machine and bamboo-made suntan jackets were given the Second Prize.

Director of the Department Nguyen Viet Dung said that the competition is the only one for the community who directly face problem in reality and find out solution for it.

The Department expects that the competition will encourage the spirit of creativity in the communities, he added.

Student assistance center organizes more supporting activities

The Student Assistance Center in Ho Chi Minh City said that it has mobilized more financial sources and find out seasonal jobs to support students in higher education institutions in the city on Tet Holiday (the Lunar New Year)

Students in central provinces are happy to return home in free buses (Photo: SGGP)

The center has connected with more than 100 companies to offer nearly 3,000 seasonal employment in the special holiday. Most seasonal jobs include shop assistants, cashiers, guards and cleaners.

Income fluctuates from VND17,000 - VND50,000 ($0.73 - $2.14) per hour or VND140,000 – VND300,000 a day up by 14 percent compared to the same period last year.

This time, the center will organize activities to take care poor student who will stay in dorms to welcome Tet holidays. Presently, its program “Chuyen xe mua xuan” (Spring bus) has had 3,000 gratis bus fares to take far-away destitute students to return home in the special holiday.

The center planned to present 2,000 gifts each worth VND700,000 to students who stay in HCMC during the longest public holidays.

Market managers seize unclear cosmetic products, apparel

The market managing staff of station No.29 on Jan. 10 detected a warehouse of fake cosmetic products and apparel of Dior, Gucci, and Versace in Pham Van Chi Street in district 6.

On the same day, the market staff of station No.27 seized 40 batches of commodities including clothes, cell phone without clear origin.

The batches were detected in carriage G232050 of train SE9 in Saigon railway station at 1 Nguyen Thong Street in district 3. Market staff and traffic policemen found out that nobody received the batches in the train SE9.

Pham Hoang Nhan, representative of Quang Anh Railway Transportation and Service Company who shipped the batches was summoned to work with the market managers because the batches had no invoice. Nhan said he would contact with the consignee who will show the invoice later.

Accordingly, the market managers confiscated all batches as per regulation.