Work starts on expanding Da Nhim hydropower plant in Ninh Thuan

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai issued order to start work on expanding Da Nhim hydropower plant in Ninh Son district, the central province of Ninh Thuan on December 12.

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy PM Hai asked the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), its affiliates Power Generation Corporation 1 and Da Nhim – Ham Thuan – Da Mi hydropower company to experimentally operating the plant as scheduled in the first quarter of 2018.

The plant will be equipped with another turbine capable of generating 80MW of electricity.

Once completed, it will have higher capacity, from 160MW to 240MW, and supply 99 million kWh to the national power grid per year.

Approved by the two governments in 2013 when Vietnam and Japan celebrated the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, the expansion project costs more than 1.9 trillion VND (86.3 million USD), 85 percent of which is sourced from the Japanese government’s official development assistance and the remaining from the investor Da Nhim – Ham Thuan – Da Mi hydropower company.

Construction on the Da Nhim hydropower plant started in 1961 and was completed in 1964.

Over the course of more than five decades, the plant has become a symbol of solid ties between Vietnam and Japan, Counsellor of the Japanese embassy in Vietnam Yoshito Nakajima said in his speech at the ceremony.

Foreign diplomats to tour Son Doong Cave

More than 28 foreign diplomats from North America, Europe, Latin America and Africa will participate in a tour of Son Doong Cave, organized by the Quang Binh Provincial People’s Committee.

The announcement came on December 11 at a meeting of the organizing board at which they also announced the diplomats will prepare for the event by undergoing a rigorous training course to improve their physical fitness and caving skills.

The event – sponsored by the Secretariat of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, Oxalis Adventure Tours, and US Embassy – will be scheduled at a later date for early 2016.

International friendships make the world a better place

International Friendship Day (December 12) in Ho Chi Minh City was a day of community family fun, diversity, culture, entertainment, education, diversity and volunteerism. 

“International friendships expose us to the fascinating differences and surprising likenesses of the global human race,” said Chairman Le Hung Quoc of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) HCM City in a speech at the event.

One of their greatest benefits is that they open our eyes to all the adventures we can have and the many wonderful people around the globe we can have them with Quoc said— and they teach us new things about ourselves and make us feel more connected with the world.

The fun filled day held at Crescent Park in District 7 on December 12 was organized by the VUFO in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, International Alumni Network and a host of HCM City Municipal Departments.

Quality of river water improves

This year's water quality index at three main rivers in Southern Viet Nam has improved since 2013 and 2014, the conference "Rivers and Challenges" reported yesterday in Ha Noi.

The water quality index of the Dong Nai, Sai Gon and Vam Co rivers has improved considerably, said Tran Thi Le Anh, from the General Department of Environment, at the conference jointly organised by Viet Nam Rivers Network and the ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources and Environment.

However, Anh said, tests revealed the increase of organic substance pollution in some areas and solid pollution at Thac Mo lake (Dong Nai River) and in the middle stream area of Vam Co River.

Tests also revealed an increase of microorganism pollution in the middle stream area of Sai Gon River. Microbiological water pollution is usually a natural form of water pollution caused by microorganisms. Scientists and environmental managers at the conference raised red flags over water environment management in river valleys.

At the conference, a research group of the Ha Noi-based Centre for Sustainable Development of Water Resources and Adaptation to Climate Change (CEWAREC) reported that the Hong River section that crosses Ha Noi had changed considerably in recent years with the construction of new urban areas along both banks of the river.

The group's survey was carried out from June to October 2015 in the two districts of Dong Anh and Long Bien.

Doctor of Environment Dao Trong Tu from CEWAREC said, "Via field work and data surveys, we witnessed that the transgression of residential houses along the two riversides and illegal sand exploitation makes the river section crossing the city worse."

The main cause of riverside erosion could be attributed to a change in the stream flow during flood season, causing it to collide with concrete and stone blocks of illegally-built residential districts, Tu said.

Hai Boi Commune (Dong Anh District) and Ngoc Thuy-Bo De Ward (Long Bien District) have been seriously impacted by riverside erosion.

Tu said efforts must be enhanced to inform communities along Hong River banks about river protection and sustainable development.

"The city authorities need to have a comprehensive analysis about the influence of human activities to Hong River's water quality," Tu said.

Lao officials visit relic site in Hoa Binh

A delegation of Lao officials visited a relic that witnessed the preparatory meeting of the second Congress of the Lao People’s Party (now the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party) in the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh on December 12.

The delegation was led by Vilayvong Bouddakham, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union and Vice President of the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association.

During the tour, they learned about the support that the provincial authorities and people offered to their Lao fellows during the war from March-December 1971, including training in Party and political work, and mass mobilisation.

During the preparatory meeting, the Congress agreed to change the name of the Lao People’s Party to the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party.

With such historical value, the relic has been recognised as the national historic site by the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The tour is part of an activity from December 10-17 to highlight the footprints of Laos’ late President Kaysone Phomvihane in Vietnam.

Workshop looks to raise awareness of ASEAN Community

It is high time to build specific programmes to raise public awareness of opportunities and challenges from the formation of the ASEAN Community, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said at a workshop in Hanoi on December 11.

He said the establishment of the ASEAN Community at the end of this year will mark a significant new development of the association, demonstrating the common perception and joint actions of member countries on the necessity of increasing connectivity to optimise opportunities and overcome challenges.

The event is expected to bring enormous benefits for Vietnam, the Deputy PM said.

Regarding politics and security, Vietnam will have excellent opportunities to reinforce the peaceful and friendly relations with other member nations.

On the economic front, Vietnam would be able to expand goods and services markets, attracting more foreign investment, improving economic institutions, and join the global distribution and production chains.

As regards social and cultural affairs, Vietnam could pursue higher standards in the field such as promoting human rights and enriching cultural identities, he said.

However, a number of challenges are facing Vietnam, especially in terms of economics, in implementing the 2025 ASEAN Community Vision due to the development gap, Minh said.

He noted that most Vietnamese businesses are operating at small scale with backward technology compared to ASEAN-4 comprising of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, and domestic entrepreneurs have little experience in international competition.

Once the ASEAN Community takes shape at the end of this year, Vietnamese firms would encounter heavy competitive pressure from goods and services of other ASEAN countries, he said, warning that some businesses might have to narrow production or even declare bankruptcy.

Therefore, it is imperative to build and complete action programmes to enhance awareness of ministries, sectors, localities and people about the opportunities and challenges from the inception of the ASEAN Community, Minh concluded.

Discussions at the workshop were focused on specific measures to educate both officials and the public on the ASEAN Community, plans of actions for ministries, sectors, organisations and localities for each ASEAN Community pillar and to implement the ASEAN Vision, and other preparations.

National Buddhism preaching conference takes place in Quang Ninh

A national conference on Buddha Dharma propagation was held at the complex of Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape in northern Quang Ninh province on December 11.

A ceremony was also held to commemorate the 707th death anniversary of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong, the third King of the Tran Dynasty (1226-1400) and founder of the Truc Lam Zen Buddhist Sect, who attained Nirvana in 1308.

These events were organised by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) Central Committee of Dharma Popularisation and Quang Ninh province’s VBS Executive Board.

The conference aimed to make a comprehensive assessment of the spreading of Buddhism by founders of Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist Sect throughout history and review the achievements of the VBS over the past years.

A road map for the dissemination of Buddha Dharma was also outlined for Vietnamese Buddhists to follow and uphold the spirit and good cause of Buddhism.

Duong Ngoc Tan, Deputy Head of the Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs, said the event is also a get-together for Buddhism followers to meet and pay tribute to ancestors and Buddhism founders.

A series of side events are scheduled during the two-day events, including a seminar on Truc Lam Zen Buddhist Sect, a requiem for heroes who died in the Bach Dang battle at Tran Hung Dao Temple, a praying ceremoony for national peace and happiness and the casting of 108 statues of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong.

King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong was given the title of crown prince at the age of 16 by his father, King Tran Thanh Tong in 1274. He ascended to the throne five years later.

During his 15-year reign from 1279 to 1294, he defeated Mongol invaders twice.

After his abdication in 1299, the former king left his palace to become a monk. He spent the rest of his life on Yen Tu Mountain (Quang Ninh province) practicing and spreading Buddhism. He founded the Truc Lam School of Zen and worked to unify different Vietnamese Buddhist sects into Vietnamese Zen Buddhism.

Genetic testing centre to help identify unnamed martyrs

A genetic testing centre made debut in Hanoi on December 11 with the task of serving the identification of martyr remains.

The centre under the Military Forensic Institute has a total investment of over 47 billion VND (2.09 million USD) with cutting-edge facilities and skilled staff. It is designed to identify 4,000 samples of remains a year.

Vietnam has nearly 1.2 million soldiers who fell down in the wars defending the country and in international missions.

More than 900,000 sets of remains of the soldiers have been buried at 3,077 cemeteries nationwide. Among them, over 300,000 sets have not been identified.

On January 14, 2013, the Prime Minister approved a project for identifying unnamed martyrs. Accordingly, the Military Medical Department and the Military Forensic Institute under the Ministry of National Defence have upgraded the institute’s lab for the purpose.

This is one of the first facilities of its kind to become operational under the project.

Ninh Thuan gives 210 tonnes of seeds drought-affected farmers

Authorities in central Ninh Thuan province are distributing 210 tonnes of rice and maize seeds to local farmers who were affected by severe drought this year.

Phan Quang Thuu, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said the seeds are sourced from the national reserves, and are expected to help the farmer recover in 2015-2016 Winter-Spring crops.

Mountainous Bac Ai district received the largest amount with 115.4 tonnes of rice seeds and 2 tonnes of maize seeds, followed by Thuan Nam, Ninh Phuoc and Ninh Son districts.

The province plans to finish the distribution by December 16 and vowed to ensure the seeds will reach those in need.

In 2014, the Government provided local farmers in Ninh Thuan with 200 tonnes of rice seeds and 30 tonnes of maize seeds.

Documentary on Vietnamese AO victim screened in US

“Chau, Beyond The Lines”, a documentary film featuring the consequence of Orange/Dioxin in Vietnam was screened in New York on December 11, helping American nationals get insights into the pain of Vietnamese AO victims.

The 34-minute film directed by Courtney Marsh, tells about about Le Minh Chau, a 24-year-old Vietnamese man with disabilities caused by Agent Orange, who pursues his dream of becoming a painter.

Produced from 2007-2014, the documentary has been nominated for the Best Documentary Short Film at the Oscar 2016 along with nine other entries. It was also honoured at the 2015 Austin Film Festival and the US Film Festival in 2015.

According to Marsh, she planned to make a film on the AO topic from 2007 when she came to Vietnam for her practice tour of documentary making.

She said she met Chau in Hoa Binh Village in Ho Chi Minh City, which shelters children with disabilities as after- effects of the chemical sprayed by US troops during the war , and immediately after that she decided to do the film.

Marsh said her film is a global story, expressing her hope that the film will help promote support for Vietnamese AO victims.

After the screening, audiences signed in an open letter prepared by the Ford Foundation's Special Initiative on AO / Dioxin of the US, which will be addressed to the US Congress to call for the cleanup of Agent Orange in Vietnam.

About 80 million litres of toxic chemicals, mainly Agent Orange containing dioxin, were sprayed over the south of Vietnam during the war in Vietnam.

Nearly 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to dioxin and about three million suffer from resulting health problems until today.-

Breeding cow programme helps poor households in border localities

As many as 24,000 breeding cows worth 360 billion VND were presented to poor households in 11 border provinces nationwide under a programme initiated in June 2014.

The programme received praises from President Truong Tan Sang at a conference to review the programme, held in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang on December 11.

He urged Ministries, sectors and localities to continue supporting the needy in border areas, contributing to narrowing the development gap among localities and improving living conditions for people.

The programme “Breeding cows help the poor in border areas”, initiated by the military-run telecom group Viettel, is to help with poverty reduction in border provinces across the country.

As part of the programme’s activities, Viettel offered 22,000 mobile phones with prepaid cards to beneficiaries and 15,000 tonnes of cement to poor families in border areas to help them upgrade their houses and breeding facilities.

On the occasion, the programme’s Steering Committee presented certificates of merit for 14 units and 15 individuals in recognition of their contribution to the programme.

Deputy PM urges more drastic anti-smuggling measures

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has urged relevant agencies to take tougher measures to curb smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit, especially in the time running to the Lunar New Year.

At a meeting on December 11 reviewing the performance of the National Steering Committee on fighting smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit in 2015, the Deputy PM, who is also head of the committee, said relevant agencies and forces have made great efforts with better coordination since early this year, gaining positive outcomes.

However, he pointed out outstanding shortcomings like the slow handling of some cases and loopholes in State management of certain fields.

The deputy PM stressed the need to intensify investigation work and increase punishment of violations in this sphere.

According to the committee’s report, as of mid-November, 187,000 cases of smuggling, trade frauds and counterfeit trading were detected, up 6.47 percent from 2014, of which 19,360 cases were caught by the Customs and 2,295 cases by the border guard force.

Some of the serious cases include the smuggling of 31.6 kilograms of cocaine, the smuggling of 94 handguns in HCM City or the smuggling of 142 kilograms of rhinoceros horns, four tonnes of pangolin scales and 3.8 tonnes of ivory in Tien Sa Port, Da Nang.

Goods like drug, alcohol, tobacco, cosmetics, and home appliances were often smuggled through the border and border gates while gas, oil, coal, and wood were usually illegally transported by sea.

Relevant forces at airports often discovered cases relating to the smuggling of weapons, banned materials, wildlife animal products and products of high value.

Deputy Minister of Public Security Senior Lieutenant General Le Quy Vuong said the ministry’s division in charge of fighting smuggling will step up its efforts in 2016.

Deputy PM urges agricultural restructuring in southwest region

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh requested the southwestern region to accelerate agricultural restructuring while chairing a meeting of the Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region in Can Tho city on December 11.

Regional authorities should adjust production plans on the basis of market demand and increase connectivity among localities in the region and beyond, he said, adding that ministries and agencies should provide the latest market information to local businesses, helping them expand market and develop farm produce trademarks.

He urged localities to promote the application of scientific and technological advances, build a new cooperative model connecting businesses and farmers, and ramp up transport and economic infrastructure in support of agriculture.

Agencies concerned, particularly the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, were asked to pay more attention to dealing with issues related to climate change.

Localities should speed up the progress of new rural development in tandem with sustainable poverty reduction, while rallying resources to provide better care for the poor as the New Year is coming, the Deputy PM said.

According to the steering committee, the regional economy will grow by an estimated 7.8 percent this year with agro-forestry-fisheries accounting for 33 percent.

The rice output would be 25.7 million tonnes, up 430,000 tonnes from 2014. As of November 2015, the region exported 6.24 million tonnes of rice and earned 2.65 billion USD, up 3.6 percent in volume and down 5 percent in value.

The total seafood production reached 3.8 million tonnes, a 6.5 percent increase annually.

In the new rural development drive, four districts and towns have been recognised as new-style rural areas and 233 out of the total 1,260 communes have met all 19 criteria for the status.

Progresses have also been seen in industry, trade and services, and the national defence-security and social order have been maintained.

Next year, the region strives to increase its gross domestic product by 7.8 percent and collect more than 50.3 trillion VND (2.28 billion USD) for the State budget, a 7.7 percent rise from 2015.

Campaign against sexual violence ends

The closing workshop of the "Elimination of Sexual Violence against Women and Girls" campaign, which aims to raise public awareness about sexual violence, was organised today in Ha Noi.

The campaign calls on the public, particularly men and boys, to take action against sexual violence, including sexual harassment.

The campaign was organised by the four ministries of culture, sports and tourism; labour, invalids and social affairs; health; and public security, besides the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour, the Farmers' Union and the Women's Union in collaboration with the United Nations in Viet Nam.

Under the campaign, a series of activities was held from November 9 to December 1, which included policy dialogues, workshops, concerts and competitions, besides street dance and social media activities in 11 cities and provinces nation-wide.

Ritsu Nacken, United Nations Population Fund deputy representative in Viet Nam, said, "Today, we close 16 days of activism, but we open the door to new opportunities for stronger co-operation in addressing violence against women and girls. In a way, this closing workshop is not about ending, but a new beginning."

"Each of us must keep the ‘fire' and commitment to this issue in ourselves, and continue to be a strong advocate for the rights of women and girls," she said.

We must do so because stopping violence against women and girls was not just beneficial for them, but helped the entire family, communities and countries, and contributed to a more peaceful and inclusive society, which was a necessary foundation for a prosperous country, she said.

Addressing the closing event, Huynh Vinh Ai, deputy minister of culture, sports and tourism, the leading agency that addresses violence against women and girls in Viet Nam, said, "Preventing and ending sexual violence against women and girls, either in the society or within the family, is a great concern of all countries."

Sexual violence was a violation of human rights and dignity, and a violation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) that Viet Nam has signed, he said.

The National Study on Domestic Violence against Women, released by the General Statistics Office and the United Nations in Viet Nam in 2010, showed that 58 per cent of ever-married women had experienced at least one form of violence, including physical, mental or sexual, at some point in their lives. Approximately 50 per cent of the victims did not tell anyone about the violence they endured, and 87 per cent did not seek help from public services.

Violence against women and girls not only has serious impact on the physical and spiritual well-being of victims, but also has enormous socio-economic costs. A recent UN study showed that the cost of gender-based violence against women in Viet Nam, in out-of-pocket expenditures and lost earnings, represented nearly 1.5 per cent of the national GDP in 2012.

Fraudsters get more jail time

Fourteen out of 27 defendants in the famous corporate fraud case of the Phuong Nam Seafood Company received more jail time on top of their initial sentences, a five-day appeals court ruled yesterday.

The appeals court maintained the first court's ruling that Phuong Nam Seafood Company's vice director Trinh Thi Hong Phuong and chief accountant Lam Minh Man had committed fraud while 25 others, who were former bank employees, had committed gross management misconduct and violated numerous financial regulations.

The appeals court decided that some defendants should face longer jail time because the first ruling was too lenient and might not suffice to serve as a deterrent. Fourteen defendants in the case will serve an additional one to three years of jail time as a result.

Trinh Thi Hong Phuong and Lam Minh Man will stand in a separate trial with the Phuong Nam's Chairman Lam Ngoc Khuan as the lead defendant.

Lam Ngoc Khuan and his daughter Lam Ngoc Han allegedly forged 19 financial reports, which falsified their company's financial performance, to acquire VND784 billion (US$34.5 million) from various banks before fleeing the country two years ago, making history as the largest fraud ever committed in the Mekong Delta.

Farmers complete training for sustainable plant harvesting

More than 50 local Forest Protection Department staff, forestry officers and village heads in districts in the northern province of Bac Kan have received training in Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), which will lead to sustainable harvesting of medicinal and aromatic plants.

The two four-day training sessions improved the implementation of community development projects in nine local communes in the districts of Ngan Son, Na Ri, Cho Don and Ba Be. The projects focus on the sustainable harvesting of wild medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs).

Vietnamese conservation NGO GreenViet conducted the training sessions, which were attended by local officers and village heads.

They now know how to apply ABCD, an innovative development strategy focusing on identifying and mobilising community assets at their local project sites.

The ABCD strategy will allow community members to take advantage of new economic opportunities without being dependent on outside organisations.

The beneficiary communities are part of a project that was begun in 2011 by TRAFFIC and the Bac Kan Forest Protection Department (FPD) to improve livelihoods and conserve biodiversity by using sustainable wild plant harvesting techniques.

The project, initially funded by the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF), and further by the Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund (KNCF), has provided training, tools and connections for local collectors.

This has helped them harvest medicinal plants sustainably, ensuring a premium-paying market for their goods.

One of the project's goals is for sustainably-sourced, wild-collected and semi-processed products to be the first in Viet Nam to meet FairWild certification.

This is an internationally-recognized standard for legal and sustainable sourcing and benefit sharing from wild plant resources.

The two training sessions mark the start of a new phase of the TRAFFIC and Bac Kan FPD project, launched at the beginning of October this year and funded by the Darwin Initiative.

Continuing to build on the work started in 2011, the first objective of this three-year project was to enhance the collecting cooperatives' capacity at the project sites.

The interactive training provided opportunities for the participants to uncover and understand the strengths and assets already existing in their communities.

Local assets, categorised as individuals, associations, institutions, and physical, financial and cultural assets and connections, were reviewed and analysed in relation to MAPs conservation and livelihood development efforts.

"What's new and exciting about ABCD is that the participants begin to use what is already in the community. It's the combination of these assets, regional development trends and community expectations and goals that creates new development opportunities," Nguyen Thi Mai, Programme Officer for TRAFFIC in Viet Nam, said.

Using connections and opportunities created by the ABCD model, local collectors will be able to build collecting co-operatives, mobilise their own assets to practise sustainable harvesting techniques, and improve their processing skills.

They will also be able to improve their market access by building stronger relationships with pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies.

This month, the Bac Kan FPD and TRAFFIC will begin applying the ABCD methodology through on-the-ground activities in project sites, where it will allow more effective and efficient project implementation over the next two and a half years of the project.  

New Climate Innovation Centre opens

A new business hub supporting local clean-tech enterprises was launched yesterday with a budget of US$4.2 million.

The Vietnam Climate Innovation Centre (VCIC) aims to assist 48 clean-tech businesses within its first three years of operations, expanding access to new and improved climate-smart products and services to over 1,700 households.

The centre will provide financing, mentorship and advisory services to a number of local clean-tech entrepreneurs working in key sectors - energy efficiency, information, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and water management.

The VCIC, which is an initiative of the World Bank Group's Climate Technology programme, is supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the United Kingdom Department for International Development.

Viet Nam is one of the five countries most vulnerable to climate change and the government sees clean technologies as key to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8 to 10 per cent between 2010 and 2020, and a further 1.5 to 2 per cent by 2050.

RoK group invests in solar power projects in Dak Nong

The Shinsung Group from the Republic of Korea (RoK) kicked off two solar power projects worth a total of nearly 2.4 trillion VND (about 110 million USD) in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong on December 11.

Accordingly, a solar power plant will be built in Dak Song district and the other plant producing solar modules will be constructed in Dak R’lap district.

The kick-start was made during a Dak Nong - RoK investment promotion conference held the same day with the participation of about 150 local businesses and 50 RoK enterprises operating in trade, industry, mechanics, and agriculture.

According to the RoK businesses, Dak Nong has potential not only in agriculture but also mineral industry.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Bon said that the province is focusing on attracting investment in key industries, such as alumina refining, agri-forestry processing, and high-tech agriculture.

So far, the province has lured as many as 49 investment projects with a total capital of 55 trillion VND (2.4 billion USD), he added.

Shinsung is the first RoK enterprise to pump money into Dak Nong.

Ministry to offer preferential farming loans

Farm owners will soon be able to borrow more capital to invest in their businesses, said Dr Le Duc Thinh, Deputy Director of the Economic Co-operation and Rural Development Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

"This is a remarkable policy in the draft decision of the Prime Minister to encourage the development of the farming sector," Thinh told Nong Thon Ngay Nay (Countryside Today) newspaper.

According to the draft decision, farming households will be loaned up to VND10 billion (US$454,000) and may also receive support with environmental investment, trade promotion, science and technology, farm restructuring and other assistance.

It is expected that the final decision will be issued this year.

According to head of the provincial Rural Development Department, Nguyen Van Toan, the farmers still face difficulties in accessing bank loans and that even when they do, the funds are not large enough, affecting their production.

Similarly in Ha Noi, farmers' demand for animal husbandry certificates is high but only 247 out of over 3,180 farming households have been granted these certificates, reports Countryside Today.

Many reasons are cited for the poor progress of certificate issuance, one significant one being the lack of cooperation between district and commune procedures.

Farmers' knowledge of the certificate requirements is also lacking, causing delays.

Farmers are required to have land use certificates or land leases for farming, but many farmers lack land use certificates, said the report.

The ministry has many supportive policies for agriculture development, but, as of yet, there are no specific policies to support farms.

This draft decision, once officially passed, will be the first development and support policy to target farming households.

Former banker sentenced to death

Former general director of a leasing company Vu Quoc Hao was sentenced to 18 years in prison on December 10, leaving him with two death penalties and nearly half a century to spend behind bars from previous convictions.

In his fifth trial on December 10 in Ho Chi Minh City since he was arrested, Hao, 60, former head of the Financial Leasing Company No 2 (ALC II) – a subsidiary of Agribank – was charged with intentionally violating state regulations on economic management that caused serious consequences, in particular, a loss of nearly VND245 billion (US$10.8 million).

Hao was said to have ordered his staff to let Haiphong Maritime Technology Co., Ltd and Dai Phat Maritime Transport Co., Ltd lease two ships despite knowing beforehand that neither company had the financial capability to do so.

The leasing cost was more than VND94 billion (US$4.1 million) for each ship.

Both companies were owned by Le Hung Son, 48, who received a life sentence for not paying ALC II, while taking over VND118 billion (US$5.2 million) from his companies for personal use.

The court also ordered him to compensate the ALC II more than VND250 billion (US$11.1 million).

Hao's staff, including ALC II ex-deputy general director Nguyen Van Tai, ex-department head Pham Xuan Nghi, Ton Quang Viet and Hoang Thanh Son have been sentenced to between 6 to 16 years behind bars.

The mastermind Vu Quoc Hao had already been sentenced to death twice in cases involving other companies held last month and in September last year.

The total loss Hao and his accomplices caused for ALC II mounted up to more than VND700 billion (US$31.1 million).

VN asks S Korea to investigate murders

Viet Nam is closely co-operating with South Korea authorities to solve the alleged murder of a Vietnamese mother and daughter early this month, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang yesterday.

On Monday, the bodies of a Vietnamese woman, her South Korean ex-husband and their daughter were discovered in Seoul's Guro District. Preliminary investigation shows that the ex-husband allegedly killed the two and later committed suicide.

"We offer profound condolences to the families of the victims," said the Deputy Spokesperson in the ministry's regular press meeting yesterday.

The Vietnamese embassy in South Korea will provide assistance to the victims' families regarding funeral procedures, and has so far requested South Korea authorities to come up with preventive measures against the recurrence of similar incidents, Hang said.

Viet Nam, for its part, will continue its co-operation with the country to intensify management efforts to strictly handle violation cases in the international marriage cases.

Charcoal fire smoke kills baby

The smoke coming from a charcoal fire killed a one-year-old baby, while his parents fell unconscious in Dien Quang Commune in Dien Ban Town.

The commune's administration said the family had lit a fire in a stove under a bed to keep the bedroom warm on Tuesday night.

A relative of the family found the unconscious couple and the dead baby boy at noon on Wednesday.

The parents of the infant have been taken to hospital.

The administration said the bedroom was full of smoke when they broke into the house.

Local people in the central region often use firewood stoves at home during cold weather.

Tay Ninh Police seize 9000 smuggled cigarette packs

Police in the southeastern Tay Ninh Province caught a ship in Vam Co Dong River, which was smuggling 9,000 packs of cigarettes from Cambodia.

The captain of the ship sank the vessel and tried to escape, after being detected and chased by competent forces from Tay Ninh's Phuoc Chi Commune through Ba Bon channel in the adjacent Long An Province.

Tay Ninh Provincial Police salvaged the ship and its cargo, and seized 9,000 cigarette packets of Jet, a foreign brand.

The goods were identified to be of Cambodian origin, being smuggled into Việt Nam for profit.

Tay Ninh Police also discovered two boats that were transporting 9,600 packs of cigarettes on Monday. In the middle of September, they seized 8,000 packs of cigarettes of the Jet and Hero brands, which had been smuggled from Cambodia.

Tay Ninh is the connecting point between HCM City and Phnom Penh in Cambodia, and a key economic zone in the south. Hence, smuggling activities in the area have been increasing over many years.

In addition, Cambodia has imposed a lower tax on cigarettes, compared with Viet Nam, making the latter one of the popular targets of smugglers.

Competent forces and steering committees of 389 districts and cities of the province have checked and seized more than 800,000 smuggled cigarette packets of all kinds in 2015 so far, and have destroyed more than 340,000 packs in November.

Vietnam, RoK intensify transnational marriage management

The Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Korea will coordinate with the RoK side to increase the management of transnational marriages and strictly punish violations of relevant regulations, Deputy Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said.

The diplomat made the statement at a regular press briefing in Hanoi on December 10 in response to the case in which a Vietnamese woman and her daughter in Guro district were killed.

She said the Vietnamese Embassy in the RoK sent diplomatic notes to the RoK Foreign Ministry and police in Guro district to verify the case immediately after learning about it.

The Embassy is currently working closely with the RoK side and the victims’ family to handle the incident and help the deceased’ relatives with funeral services, she noted.

The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry has instructed the Embassy to ask the RoK to employ measures to prevent similar incidents, Hang said.

On December 7, local police discovered the dead bodies of a Korean man, his Vietnamese ex-wife and their six-year-old daughter in Sindonim, Guro district, southwest of Seoul.

Based on evidence at the site, police said the man named Cho, 51, had hung himself and his 31-year-old ex-wife was strangled to death while their little daughter died of suffocation by a pillow in a nearby car.

Police also found an alleged suicide note from Cho inside the car in which he accused his ex-wife of having duped him into a fake marriage. Due to the deception and issues regarding child custody after their divorce in 2013, he had killed her and their daughter, the note said.

The couple married in April, 2008 but got divorced after five and a half years. The woman had obtained Korean citizenship during that time.

After the divorce, she married a Vietnamese man and the couple lived together with the child in Jinju city, Gyeongnam province, 320 kilometres southeast of Seoul.

According to local newspapers, she had refused child support payments from Cho in order to get custody of their child.

The case is under further investigation.

Measures for adapting to climate change and mitigating the weather's impacts in northern Hung Yen Province were discussed at a workshop in the province last week.

The workshop also spread information on climate change and its impact on various sectors and response strategies to climate change and other disaster prevention measures.

Participants agreed that climate change has been altering traditional agriculture in Hung Yen and the Red River Delta at large, gradually reducing the output of subtropical products in the winter crop as short-day plants often suffer from storms and floods.

Experts put forwards many ideas for climate change adaptation and mitigation in industry, energy, agricultural production such as energy conservation in office and administrative buildings, and households, the use of energy-saving materials and the supervision of solid waste dumps and industrial wastewater treatment plants.

They also introduced ideas for agriculture, including the creation of specialised large-scale fields, modern agricultural ecological models, GAP-standard production models, integrated pest management and the use of bio-pesticides.

Hung Yen is one of the provinces in the delta suffering most from extreme climate change, experiencing four storms and two bitter cold spells in 2014, causing severe damage to local agriculture.

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