Vietnamese embassy visits two injured in RoK factory explosion

Do Quoc Hung is receiving treatment at Hallym University’s Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital.

Representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy and the Management Committee of Vietnamese Workers in the Republic of Korea, and the Employment Permit System (EPS) office on November 12 visited two Vietnamese labourers who had been seriously injured in the explosion of the fluoropolymer factory in Wonju city on November 10.

The two injured are Do Quoc Hung, born on December 10, 1987, and Vuong Dac Khai, born on July 21, 1997. After the explosion, they were moved to the Hallym University’s Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital in Seoul to treat their scalds.

Meanwhile, two victims were also found dead following the incident. These were Chu Van Duong, born on May 30, 1987, and Tang Van Khanh, born on January 23, 1990, both from the northern province of Lang Son.

The four were all legal workers who had travelled to the RoK to work at the Foosung Precision Industry Company’s plant under an EPS contract.

Representatives from the embassy, labour management board, and the EPS office discussed measures to support the injured, as well as carried out procedures to bring the bodies of the deceased home. 

Prevciously on November 10, right after hearing the explosion, the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs, asked the labour management board in the RoK to provide a report on the incident and asked the Vietnamese embassy for guidance on working with the EPS office and competent authorities to help the labourers with their treatment.

Meanwhile, the board met with relevant sides to deal with procedures for the deceased workers.

The RoK’s Yonhap News Agency reported that the incident took place at around 9:45am (RoK time), sending out plumes of black smoke from the plant of the Foosung Precision Industry Co., which makes fluoropolymer lined tanks, pipes, and valves. The cause was likely due to a short-circuit during welding. The plant had only four workers, all of whom were Vietnamese nationals. 

Vietnam hosts health sector’s 11th Asia-Pacific Future Trends Forum

Leading policymakers, scientists, and experts from Asia’s health sector and representatives from the World Bank gather at the 11th Asia-Pacific Future Trends Forum in Hanoi (Source: sggp.org)

Leading policymakers, scientists, and experts from Asia’s health sector joined representatives from the World Bank at the 11th Asia-Pacific Future Trends Forum in Hanoi on November 12 to discuss global trends on health-related policies and to seek solutions to current challenges facing the sector.

The two-day event is jointly held by the Vietnam Medical Association (VMA) and the Switzerland-based Novartis Group.

Addressing the forum, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Viet Tien said that Vietnam is striving to follow the trend of prophylactic medicine in preventative treatment, as well as improving the early detection and timely treatment of diseases.

To that end, the country needs to draw up detailed and specific strategies with a thorough understanding of future health patterns, as well as gain support from both local and foreign policymakers, experts, and organisations, Tien added.

Nguyen Thi Xuyen, Chairperson of the Medical Association of Southeast Asian Nations (MASEAN) for the 2018-2020 tenure and VMA President, stated that the forum offers a chance for delegates to meet, share experience, and learn from global trends on health care policies towards the target of building a sustainable and effective health care system. This goal hopes to improve the quality of health care services not only in Vietnam, but other nations in Asia as well, thus intensifying health cooperation in the region.

At the event, representatives from numerous Asian nations, including the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, delivered speeches on the demand for an effective, operational health care system and challenges related to infectious and non-infectious diseases facing countries with an increasing growth rate and rapidly aging population in Asia.

They are also expected to discuss how to support relevant ministries and sectors towards building sustainable health care systems in Asian nations, and how to combine digital and traditional solutions in health care services so as to bring about outstanding benefits for patients. 

Nearly 116,700 Vietnamese workers sent abroad in 10 months

Vietnam sent 116,675 workers, including 41,636 females, to foreign countries and territories in the first 10 months of this year, exceeding the yearly plan by 6.07 percent.

According to the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, 14,548 labourers, including 4,978 women, were sent to work abroad in October.

Japan received the largest number of Vietnamese guest workers during the month, with 8,078 people; followed by Taiwan (China), with 5,373; the Republic of Korea, 522; Saudi Arabia, 120; and Algeria, 102.

Last year, over 134,700 workers, including 53,340 females, went to work abroad. The figure exceeded the annual plan set for 2017 by 28.3 percent. This is also the fourth consecutive year that the number of workers sent overseas has surpassed the 100,000 benchmark.

Taiwan topped the list of countries and territories hiring Vietnamese guest workers with 67,000 people in 2017, nearly half of the total number. By the end of 2017, the number of Vietnamese workers working in Taiwan stood at 206,184, with 87 percent employed in industrial manufacturing and 13 percent in social services. 

Japan came second with 54,504 workers from Vietnam in 2017, up 36.47 percent from 2016, bringing the total number of Vietnamese labourers in Japan to over 100,000, the highest among 15 countries sending workers to Japan. 

This year, Japan is the most attractive market as it allows Vietnamese labourers to return to work for a second time in many sectors. Higher wages were also offered while Vietnamese are permitted to extend their working time to five years.

Currently, a personnel project is training about 1,000 highly competent workers for the German market. After training, they will spend three years working in the European country before coming back to serve their home country.    

As planned, by the end of November this year, Vietnam will sign a cooperation programme with Bulgaria and Rumania on training highly skilled human resources.

Vietnam is focusing on high-skilled workers and high-tech sectors, and the workforce will return to make contributions to the country’s development.-

Dengue fever breaks out in Quảng Nam

A doctor examines a dengue fever patient in the central province of Quảng Nam. — Photo vov.vn

Dengue fever is spreading in different districts in the central province of Quảng Nam and, so far this year, more than 2,480 cases have been reported, according to the provincial Preventive Medicine Centre.

Phú Ninh District is one of the districts with the highest number of cases. The disease appeared in the district at the end of August, and now nearly 100 cases have been reported. Tam An Commune alone has seen 68 cases.

Huỳnh Tuấn Nhật, chairman of the Tam An Commune People’s Committee, said that local medical workers’ capacity from the district to grassroots levels was limited so they could not give proper advice to local authorities on how to control the disease.

Workers from the local medical sector sprayed anti-mosquito substances in Tam An Commune twice over the past two months, but the measure has not proved effective, the Voice of Vietnam e-newspaper reported. At the beginning of this month, medical workers re-sprayed the substance in the commune.

Lê Văn Ninh, deputy chairman of the Phú Ninh District People’s Committee, said that the committee discussed with leaders of localities and medical stations about plans to control the disease. The plan was then communicated to medical stations.

Nguyễn Văn Văn, deputy director of the Quảng Nam Department of Health, said that the number of patients rose in several districts because local authorities were not thorough in preventing the disease. Residents had not been made aware of disease prevention. When the first case appeared, it was diagnosed as a regular fever and was not treated properly.

The department asked the provincial Preventive Medicine Centre to ensure resources and workers to cope with the epidemic and spray anti-mosquito substances regularly.

Leaders of the department went to different districts including Phú Ninh and Tây Giang districts and Điện Bàn Town to coordinate with local authorities in preventing the disease. 

Quảng Trị Police arrest 2 for smuggling fireworks

The smuggled fireworks at the border guard command’s station in the central province of Quảng Trị. — Photo zing.vn

The Border Guard Command in the central province of Quảng Trị announced on Monday that it has arrested two suspects for illegally transporting 264kg of fireworks.

The suspects, Nguyễn Quang Thái, 31, and Đặng Sỹ Phi Hùng, 28, were arrested when driving a Fortuner car on Saturday in Klu Village, Đakrông District. The fireworks were contained in cardboard boxes.

The suspects admitted to the police that they illegally transported the fireworks from Laos to Việt Nam to sell in the domestic market.

The case is under investigation.

Previously, police from the province’s Hướng Hóa District detained one man for illegally transporting about 380kg of fireworks on Friday. The man was caught driving a vehicle with fake registration plates.

Colonel Lê Văn Phương, head of the command, said several months before Tết (Lunar New Year) was believed to be the peak time for smuggling fireworks.

He said the province had already seized nearly one tonne of smuggled fireworks so far this year.

High profit from smuggling fireworks was blamed for the situation, he said.

The command has co-operated with Laos’ authorised agencies to clamp down on the problem, he added.

The coming Tết holidays last between February 4 and 8, 2019. 

HCMC hospital provides two-wheeled ambulance service

The Saigon General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday Introduced the motorcycle ambulance service to meet demand of city dwellers in district 1, in narrow alleys, crowded streets where many tourists live.

The hospital embarked on the project, the first of its type in Vietnam, after piloting two months to test its effectiveness, said hospital Deputy Director Nguyen Khac Vui.

The hospital uses two scooters invested under PPP cooperation, carrying first-aid kits, sedatives, intravenous fluids, medicine to suppress abnormal cardiac rhythms, and emergency care equipment.

The vehicles are expected to help medical workers to provide early assistance to patients or traffic accident victims who live in alleys which are inaccessible by standard ambulances or when there is serious traffic gridlock in the downtown areas.

Coordinating board of Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Laos debuts

A praying ceremony for peace at Phat Tich pagoda in Laos 

The coordinating board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) in Laos made its debut during a ceremony held at Phat Tich pagoda in Vientiane on November 11.

The establishment of the board was approved by the Lao Buddhist Fellowship Organisation (LBFO), the Lao Front for National Construction, and the Department of Ethnic Issues and Religious Affairs under the Lao Ministry of Home Affairs. The move was also agreed by the VBS, the Embassy of Vietnam in Laos and the Vietnamese Government Committee for Religious Affairs.

The board is designated to assist the VBS and the Lao Buddhist Fellowship Organisation in managing Vietnamese monks and followers living in Laos.

The ceremony was attended by President of the Executive Council of the VBS Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung, Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Ngo Sach Thuc, representatives from the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, along with Vice President of the LBFO Most Venerable Maha Veth Masenay, and overseas Vietnamese in Laos. 

Addressing the event, Most Venerable Thich Minh Quang, head of the coordinating board and the Phat Tich pagoda, thanked the governments of Vietnam and Laos for supporting the establishment of the board in Laos. 

The move will strengthen the close cooperation between the VBS and the LBFO, thus contributing to the Vietnam-Laos special relations, he noted. 

The board will work to share experiences in educational and religious affairs of the nations, Quang said, adding that the founding of the board marks the development and role of Vietnamese Buddhism among the Vietnamese community in Laos.

It is estimated that approximately 100,000 Vietnamese people are residing, studying and working in Laos, most of them follow Buddhism. Many see Vietnamese pagodas in Laos as common houses not only for religious practices but also for meeting each other.

Laos is now home to 13 Vietnamese Buddhist pagodas, including three pagodas and one monastery in Vientiane.

Growing solidarity, friendship on borders of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia

The Central Highlands province of Kon Tum and three provinces of Laos and Cambodia do not only share boundaries with each other along edges of the Annamese Mountains but also boast growing bonds in recent years.

Life of locals in Kon Tum, Attapeu and Sekong of Laos and Ratanakiri of Cambodia are becoming better and better thanks to their greater solidarity, friendship and a variety of joint activities. Over the last five years, Kon Tum has helped its neighbour provinces build schools, hospitals and other social projects.

Kon Tum has supported Sekong to improve the life of the people in the Lao province while Sekong’s Department of Education and Sports has provided training and education for thee governmental workers and 26 students from Kon Tum, said Governor of Sekong Khamphoi Butdavieng. 

Twinning relations have been set up between Dak Ung village in Dak Nhoong commune, Dak Glei district of Kon Tum and Brongnoi and Sekamang villages, Dak Chung district of Sekong as well as Dak Glei and Dak Chung districts, further enriching the friendship between the two provinces, the governor noted.

Kon Tum has given shelters for 300 Lao people from 61 families to settle and live in Dak Ba village, Dak Duc commune, Ngoc Hoi district since 2012. 

Kon Tum and Sekong have cooperated in security and defence affairs and carried out joint operations to supervise their shared border. The Vietnamese province has provided free medical checkups and medicines for needy people and presented scholarships for disadvantaged students in Sekong. They have also worked together in census and dealing with unplanned migration in respect of the two countries’ policies and laws.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese investors have been facilitated to do business in Lao and Cambodian provinces. Three firms from Kon Tum have gained permits for four investment projects in Cambodia’s northeastern localities with a total registered capital of more than 1.03 trillion VND (44.1 million USD) whereas two others are operating two investment and joint venture projects, worth about 747 billion VND (32 million USD), in southern Lao provinces.

In addition, Kon Tum has received enthusiastic support from the three Lao and Cambodian provinces to search for and repatriate remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers killed in duty during the wars. Thanks to the support, remains of 1,259 soldiers, of which 872 were found in Laos and the rest in Cambodia, have been returned to Vietnam.

The cooperation has contributed greatly to preserving and promoting the long-standing solidarity and friendship between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, said Chairman of the Kon Tum People’s Committee Nguyen Van Hoa. It is such priceless asset that today’s generation must treasure and protect to build a border of peace, cooperation and prosperity, he added. 

Lam Dong moves to help the poor, dioxin victims have warm Tet

Tet gifts granted to disadvantaged students in Lam Dong in the beginning of this year (Source: baolamdong.vn)

The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is implementing a campaign to raise funds to support poor people and Agent Orange/dioxin victims on the occasion of the upcoming lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

Specifically, the locality strives to mobilise money to buy 46,000 gifts worth 300,000-500,000 VND (12.8-21.3 USD).

The provincial Red Cross is coordinating with the Vietnam Fatherland Front in guiding cities and districts to carry out the campaign.

Beneficiaries of the campaign will be poor households, those living in difficult circumstances, dioxin victims, families of those who rendered service to the nation, and locals affected by natural resources.

Along with Tet gifts, the province also plans to help repair or build homes, grant health insurance cards, provide free health check-ups and present cows to beneficiaries.

The implementation of the campaign will be complete before November 15.

Hundreds of smuggled watches seized in HCM City

Customs officers in HCM City have seized over 500 luxury watches and cigarettes on November 8.

The Market Surveillance Agency in HCM City sent inspection teams to various stores in the area and Market Management Team 29 inspected a store on Le Thi Rieng Street and found over 500 watches from many famous brands such as Rolex, Montblanc and Hublot which might be smuggled goods as the owners were unable to provide required papers. Each of the watches was being sold for tens of millions of VND.

The store has been in operation since 2014. The authorities will invite representatives of the brands to verify the authenticity of the watches and propose suitable solutions.

Also on the same day, they collaborated with the police in Dakao Ward and District 1 to inspect a local company. They seized over 400 smuggled cigarette packages from Japan, Italy and South Korea.

Man arrested for trying to rob ATM customer by chilli powder

A man was arrested for trying to rob the other man who was withdrawing cash from an ATM machine in district 12 in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to the district police, while driving a motorbike in the street on November 7 , Cuong discovered a man at an ATM post who was withdrawing cash. The man planned to rob cash at the ATM, so he waited until the man finished withdrawing cash.

The man left the ATM with VND10 million ($429), Cuong soon threw chilli powder into his eyes to rob the money. However, the man shouted for help , struggling with the robber; consequently, the robber was arrested by residents near the ATM.

At the police station, Cuong confessed to rob the man by chilli powder.

Waste quickly increases amid short, outdated treatment facilities

Garbage in Hung Vuong street, District 5, HCMC

While the volume of waste from production and household activities is quickly increasing, treatment infrastructures are outdated and severely short of demand in Vietnam, said environmental experts at forum in HCMC recently.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, standing deputy head of Vietnam Urban Environment and Industrial Park Association, said that Vietnam has about 12.8 million tons of waste a year with the growth rate approximating 12 percent.

Still, only 85.5 percent of waste in urban areas and 45.5 percent in rural areas are collected and treated.

A large number of businesses outside industrial parks and export processing zones have not signed contracts with waste collection, transport and treatment firms. That has caused waste dumped indiscriminately in the environment.

In addition, most of the collected volume has been buried. The country has 660 landfill sites with the total area of over one hectare. Only 25 percent of these are hygienic.

Danang pitches itself to international cruise agents

The Central City of Danang will host an international conference on cruise tourism development on November 15 with the aim of promoting the central coastal city to international cruise lines and cruise travel agents as an attractive cruise destination.

At a press conference last week, the municipal Department of Tourism said the event will provide information about local tourism products on offer, policies and development plans for the city’s cruise tourism industry over the coming years.

The event will offer an excellent chance for Danang to attract more business from cruise tourists in the future.

The conference is expected to draw between 80 to 100 delegates, including 20 foreigners, 20 domestic delegates and 50 local guests who are leaders of Danang City, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Vietnam Tourism Association, Danang tourism associations and Danang Port.

Representatives of cruise and travel agents such as Saigontourist, Destination Asia Vietnam, Tan Hong OTC, APL, Evergreen, and OOCL and those from foreign cruise lines operating in Vietnam including Genting Dream Hongkong, Henna, Costa Classia, and Super Star Aquarius will also attend the event.

It will also serve as a place for local businesses to set up partnerships with international cruise lines and travel agents in order to boost the development of cruise tourism industry of Danang in the future.