EVN secures electricity supply in dry season

The Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) has undertaken efforts to ensure electricity supply for the dry season.

According to EVN, the consumption of electricity is expected to reach between 505-540 million kWh per day in the second quarter this year, or a total of 28.730 MW, up 13 percent from the same period last year.

In order to ensure sufficient backup for the dry season, the group will also increase the sources of thermo power and enhance the efficiency in regional electricity transmission.

In April, turbine No.1 will be run on trial in the Duyen Hai thermo power plant, in both the Lai Chau and Huoi Quang hydropower plants, a second turbine will be installed.

A number of projects will be put into operation this month, including a 500kV transformer in Pho Noi, a 220kV transformer in Son Tay, and a 220kV cable network connecting Thai Binh – Kim Dong, and Xekaman 1 – Pleiku2.

EVN will also accelerate the implementation of other projects including upgrades to the 500kV transformer in Son La, and the 220kV transformers in My Xuan, Lao Cai, Hoa Khanh and Da Nang.

And the group will work with relevant localities to start the operation of the 500kV transmission line between Duyen Hai – My Tho, and other 220kV systems.

BMW 730Li damaged in Vietnam roadshow accident

A German automaker’s luxury four-seater car had its front end destroyed after it hit a signpost during a roadshow in central Vietnam.

The collision occurred on April 10 when the customer lost control of a BMW 730Li, worth VND4.4 billion (US$197,384), and struck a street sign on Nhu Nguyet Street, Hai Chau District, Danang, distorting the hood of the vehicle and resulting in the bumper falling out, according to a police report.

The front of the BMW 730Li was heavily damaged as it struck a street sign on Nhu Nguyet Street, Hai Chau District, Da Nang during a roadshow held by a Ho Chi Minh City-based dealer on April 10, 2016.

The sedan, available in Vietnam since March 2016, is a model of BMW’s 7 series and was part of a roadshow held by a dealer in Ho Chi Minh City for customers in Danang to test drive, the document said.

Local police have examined the site and found no fatalities, Lieutenant Colonel Ho Van Minh from Hai Chau District Traffic Police said.

“The incident caused no injuries because the driver was protected by the auto’s airbag and there was no one nearby,” the lieutenant colonel said.

According to local auto forums, the version features an inline four cylinder engine that produces 258 horsepower, which can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour within 6.3 seconds.

BMW, headquartered in Munich, Germany, is a luxury vehicle, motorcycle, and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916.

Dong Thap on full alert for forest fires

Authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap are implementing various precautions to deal with the increasing likelihood of a forest fire emergency due to the prolonged dry period.

According to Nguyen Tan Thanh, deputy head of the provincial forest management department, there are 12 areas placed at level five (extremely dangerous) chance of forest fires, including four locations inside the Tram Chim national park. The rest of the local forests are at level three (high risk) or level four (dangerous).

Thanh said local forest rangers are on around-the-clock guard over any signs of fire. More inspections have been carried out by police officers to ensure safety at different forest management units, and fire drills have been launched at areas that are most prone to blazes.

He added forest owners have stockpiled necessary extinguishing equipment, which receives maintenance at least two times a week.

Dong Thap is home to 6,533 ha of forests, including 2,600 ha of special-use forests and 1,145 ha of production forests.

Ho Chi Minh National Politics Academy leaders honoured by Laos

Leaders of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMNAP) were honoured with the Isala and Labour Orders of the Lao Party and State during a ceremony in Hanoi on April 11, in recognition of their contribution to training Lao officials.

Secretary of the Lao Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for Propaganda and Training Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune granted the Isala Order, second class, to HCMNAP Director Ta Ngoc Tan and the Labour Order, first class, to Vice Director Nguyen Tat Giap.

Khaykhamphithoune, in his speech, hailed the HCMNAP for helping the Lao Party and State train generations of high-ranking officials in different levels, generating a source of managerial personnel with political firmness.

Director Tan said the HCMNAP will deepen bilateral ties with Laos by embarking on key studies which will serve as a reference for the two Parties to shape policies, thereby nurturing the Vietnam – Laos friendship and comprehensive cooperation.

OVs in Cambodia offered gifts on Chol Chnam Thmay festival

A crowd of poor overseas Vietnamese (OVs) in Cambodia and local people were presented gifts and provided with free check-ups on the occasion of the traditional Chol Chnam Thmay New Year festival of the country.

The activity was jointly held by t he State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA)’s chapter in Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnamese Embassy and the General Association of Vietnamese-Cambodian People in Cambodia, and the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, at the Chak Angre II hospital in Phnom Penh.

According to Vice Chairwoman of COVA’s HCM City branch Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hanh, the gifts, totalling 500 million VND (22,500 USD), were granted by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to OVs and Cambodian households who were affected by a fire in February .

Hanh said this annual activity, hosted by the municipal People’s Committee in conjunction with her agency, aimed to help disadvantaged OVs and Cambodian families overcome difficulties in their lives.

Vietnam’s seas, islands highlighted at Poland exhibition

A photo exhibition on Vietnam’s seas and archipelagoes is underway in the Polish city of Lodz, providing local visitors an in-depth look at the country’s marine sovereignty.

The 36 exhibits include ancient maps made by the UK, Belgium, Portugal and Vietnam that testify to the Southeast Asian nation’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

Some of the photos reflect China’s illegal positioning of the oil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, its illicit reclamation of islands and reefs in the East Sea, and the deployment of missiles on Phu Lam (Woody) Island of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago.

The daily life of Vietnamese soldiers and residents on islands, reefs and platforms in Truong Sa is also featured.

As part of the exhibition, a discussion was held with the participation of Rafal Tomanski – a reporter of Poland’s Rzeczpospolita newspaper, Polish former parliamentarian Piotr Gadzinowski, and La Duc Trung – deputy director of the Polish institute of science and culture of Vietnam.

The attendees looked into the East Sea disputes, developments in the waters (including China’s island reclamation, illegal flights and oil rig placement), and recent tensions caused by China in the East Sea.

The exhibition, scheduled to last through April 18, is organised by the University of Lodz and the local chapters of the Vietnamese people and students’ associations.

Hai Duong Province requests lower fees on highways

The People’s Committee of the northern province of Hải Dương has requested a reduction in the fee for container trucks using Highway No 5 and Hà Nội-Hải Phòng Highway.

The request was received by the ministries of transport and finance and the Việt Nam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment Joint Stock Company (VIDIFI).

According to Nguyễn Anh Cương, deputy chairman of the provincial committee, many vehicles, especially container trucks, are now running on Road 391 to avoid paying high fees at two toll stations on the highways.

This has led to Road 391 being overburdened and has affected traffic safety, local residents’ lives on both sides of the road and the design of the road bed, he said.

To deal with the situation, the committee has suggested the ministries and VIDIFI reduce their fee for vehicles with a capacity of 40 feet or more running on the highways.

The suggestion aims to minimise the burden on Road 391, ensure traffic safety on that route, improve traffic flow and enhance the usage efficiency of Highway No. 5 and Hà Nội-Hải Phòng Highway.

Earlier, VIDIFI had asked the transport ministry to approve a temporary fee reduction of 35 per cent for trucks weighing more than 18 tonnes and for 40-foot container trucks.

After 2016, based on traffic flow, VIDIFI will report to the ministry on the issue of adjusting fees for 40-foot container trucks.

Also, on May 5, Phả Lại toll station on Highway No 18 in the northern province of Quảng Ninh will halt operations, the Việt Nam Road Administration said.

Francophone Universities Agency to improve training programmes

The Francophone Universities Agency (AUF) will focus its future plans on dealing with challenges that its university members are currently facing in improving quality of teaching and graduates.

“IT advances should be applied in teaching and study programmes to meet the demand of a large number of students in a country like Việt Nam and in order to help all students to easily find jobs after graduation,” AUF General Director Jean-Paul de Gaudemar said today at a press conference during his visit to Hà Nội.

“Training programmes should be based on the demand of socio-economic development of member countries, so that the agency will attach its future action plans to the development and connection between more than 800 AUF university members, Gaudemar said.

The general director said that further co-operation and exchange between member universities would help improve professional skills, expand training programmes and improve the research capacity and management for each university in the network.

“Each member university should focus on helping students soon and easily find jobs after graduation,” he added.

Established in 1961 with 41 original members, over the past 50 years or so, the AUF has expanded to include more than 800 Francophone education and research units in nearly 100 countries world-wide, including 39 in Việt Nam.

Swing for Kids charity golf classic to kick off in April

The 10th Swing for Kids Golf Classic is scheduled to kick off on April 23 at the Legend Hill golf course in Hà Nội.

The event has attracted 144 golfers so far, and expects a total of 200 golfers to sign up for the one-day tournament.

The tournament, held by the Vietnam Investment Review in collaboration with BRG Group and SeaBank, aims to raise funds for disadvantaged youth.

Since its inception, the annual tournament has provided more than 12,000 grants and scholarships to underprivileged youth.

Media plays important role in boosting sustainable consumption

The media played an important role in raising awareness and participation in sustainable consumption and production efforts, said experts attending a workshop on sustainable consumption and production held on April 7 in the northern province of Vĩnh Phúc.

The workshop attracted environmental experts and reporters from local and central newspapers.

Mai Thanh Dung, deputy director of the Vietnam Environment Administration, said that the public weren’t very concerned with sustainable consumption and production, so the media should contribute to improving this.

The media should co-operate with the Vietnam Environmental Administration and other concerned organisations to obtain information on sustainable consumption and production and raise awareness of the issue towards a more environmentally friendly stance, he said.

Over the past few years, Việt Nam conducted a number of programmes related to sustainable consumption and production. The country enforced the national action plan on clean production in 2002, and the national action programme on sustainable consumption and production last year.

Using natural resources was not feasible and caused waste and environmental pollution, he said.

The country had more than 1,000 mineral mines, but most of them were not managed well leading to losses and pollution, according to the Ministry of Nature Resources and Environment (MONRE).

The amount of solid waste increased by 10-16 per cent per year, which seriously affected socio-economic development and residents’ health, he said.

The southern province of Bình Thuận has nearly 600 million tonnes of titanium and the province had 67 projects exploiting titanium, but only three of them were licensed.

Dung said that last year MONRE founded a club of professional reporters on natural resources and environment to share their knowledge and professional skills on the issue

Individuals, organisations and enterprises could also join the club to study state management on the issue, and supply information to reporters.

Trần Thu Hường, an Industry and Trade newspaper reporter, proposed stronger punishments for enterprises which did not protect the environment, used natural resources improperly, and prevented reporters from working.

Reporters should also report good examples of environmental protection, such as enterprises using energy saving light bulbs, re-arranging materials to save time and reduce lost raw materials, so that enterprises could learn from each other, she said.

Electricity output increases by 14% in Q1

The national power system produced a total of 40.9 billion kWh in the first quarter, an increase of 14.25 percent against the same period last year, according to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).

Of which, commercial electricity amounted to 35.22 billion kWh. In March alone, the system produced 14.92 billion kWh, 11.92 billion kWh of which was commercial electricity.

During the first quarter, the North-South 500kV transmission line transmitted 2.97 billion kWh to the central region and 1.88 billion kWh to the southern region.

The transmitted electricity output met 13.5% of the central and southern regions’ demand.

The EVN said it also released water from Hoa Binh, Thac Ba and Tuyen Quang hydro-electric reservoirs to serve the Winter-Spring 2015-2016 crop in provinces in the northern midland region and Red River delta.

The total water released was 3.03 billion cu.m, including 2.06 billion cu.m from the Hoa Binh reservoir.

Vietnamese expats in Malaysia informed of East Sea developments

On April 11, representatives of the Vietnamese community in Malaysia attended a talk on Vietnam’s current affairs and the East Sea situation organized by the Vietnam Embassy in Malaysia.

Ambassador Pham Cao Phong told participants of socio-economic developments in Vietnam, including the successful transfer of power between the generations of leaders and macro-economic stability, with Vietnam’s GDP growth rate leading Southeast Asia.

Trinh Duc Hai, Vice Head of the National Border Committee discussed the latest developments in the East Sea. He said the Vietnamese Party and State consider political independence and territorial integrity to be sacred.

Vietnamese expats in Malaysia showed their keen interest in and the love for their homeland, showing their support for the islanders and soldiers who are protecting national sovereignty.

Security camera nemesis of HCM City criminals

Security cameras installed by citizens of several residential areas in Ho Chi Minh City have contributed to a reduction in crime as well as to their investigation.

Initial observations have proven that the security situation in neighborhoods where surveillance cameras have been installed has dramatically improved, said Colonel Nguyen Sy Quang, chief of staff at the municipal Department of Police.

Statistics analyzed by officers in the city indicate the effectiveness of the cameras installed in the fight against crime, according to Col. Quang.

One police official in District 1 highlighted the positive results brought about by the devices, saying that they have been very helpful in deterring crimes as well as assisting police probes into certain violations.

The cameras prevent criminals from engaging in illegal activities given that they are afraid of being recorded, the officer said.

A group of criminals fake a traffic accident to distract and steal from a victim in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, as seen in this photo provided by a camera installed by a local citizen

“Offenders understand that and tend to stay away from areas safeguarded by the use of security cameras,” he continued.

It is advisable that citizens have professional technicians install surveillance cameras in order to maximize their efficiency, according to the police official.

Several criminal cases have been solved by police officers thanks to the evidence provided by security cameras in Ho Chi Minh City.

Earlier this year, one case, in which a motorcycle was stolen from an alley on Tran Hung Dao Street in District 1, video footage recorded by cameras installed in front of several residences in the alley assisted police in identifying the suspects, who were two young men, as well as providing warnings for other people living in the area.

The offenders were arrested three days later after they were spotted by locals returing to the alley and attempting to repeat their crime.

Officers conducted a search of the suspects’ house, confiscating several pieces of evidence and returned the stolen motorbike to its rightful owner.

In another case in early 2016, police in the southern city used evidence obtained via security cameras to detain a group of criminals who faked a traffic accident to distract and steal belongings from a victim on Ban Co Street, District 3.

Video footage of the incident revealed that the victim was aware of the crime as he struggled with one of the offenders, which resulted in him being pulled along by the suspects' vehicle for a long distance, before losing his grip, allowing them to escape.

After the footage was uploaded on social media sites and local online newspapers, the group was arrested a day later by officers.

On April 7, investigators in Go Vap District confirmed that Vu Dang Ruc, 42, and Bui Van Truong, 30, were being held in custody for theft.

Ruc and Truong stole the motorcycle of Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc after she left her vehicle in front of a local school to walk her son inside on January 14.

Surveillance cameras installed at the school captured the two suspects, enabling police to apprehend them.

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have formulated a plan to cover the locality with a network of cameras, which will serve the city in controlling traffic flow, ensuring traffic safety and social order, and combating crimes, said Col. Quang.

In the first phase of the plan, the city’s police will connect their database to public cameras as well as those installed by citizens.

In phase two, the municipal People’s Committee will order the Department of Transport to establish a network of surveillance cameras including every alley in the city, which will be funded by the private sector.

Vietnamese man wrongly diagnosed HIV-positive

A man in north-central Vietnam has filed a case demanding over VND773 million (US$35,000) in compensation from a local medical center for mistakenly diagnosing him with HIV for over ten years, a local court has announced.

The People’s Court of Vinh City in Nghe An Province said that it had accepted the lawsuit from 43-year-old Hoang Khac Suu, a resident of Nghi Thu Ward, Cua Lo Town in the same province, who sues the Nghe An Preventive Medicine Center to require it to pay cash compensation to the man for the damage its wrong diagnosis has caused to him.

According to case files, while Suu was serving his term at a prison in Nghia Dung Ward, Tan Ky District, Nghe An in 2003, his blood was taken for an HIV test as part of a national sentinel surveillance program.

His blood sample was then confirmed by the Nghe An Preventive Medicine Center as “HIV-positive,” and he was monitored under code number 1068.

Hoang Khac Suu (L) tells the press about being considered HIV-positive for over ten years.

In 2007, Suu’s patient files were transferred from the center to the Nghe An Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention.

According to Suu, the test result was not disclosed to him at the time, and he never learnt about it until after he had been released from prison in 2013.

“In 2013, after I had returned home from my time in prison, I was put under the supervision of the Nghi Thu Ward Medical Center as an HIV-positive patient,” Suu recalled. “However, after several health checks, the chief doctor at the center found it strange that all my readings were fine after ten years of supposed HIV acquisition, and encouraged me to take the test again.”

Test results at the Nghe An Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention on September 9, 2014 and at the Friendship General Hospital of Nghe An both indicated that he was “HIV-negative.”

The decision issued by the Nghe An health department on August 18, 2015 in response to Hoang Khac Suu’s complaint.

The Nghe An Department of Health then issued a notice to Suu and local authorities in his neighborhood, demanding the deletion of his name from the list of HIV patients.

Suu proceeded to demand over VND773 million (US$35,000) in damages from the Nghe An Preventive Medicine Center, which included legal consultation fees, paperwork expenses, and compensation for the material and mental damage that had been done to him in the years living with the assumption that he was infected with HIV.

On August 18, 2015, the Nghe An health department issued a decision signed by its chief, agreeing to compensate a total of just over VND2 million, which included only the fee for re-taking the HIV test and transportation expenses, deeming all the other requests by Suu “unfounded.”

The department also rejected Suu’s demand for identifying the individuals responsible for his wrong results, saying they found no grounds to hold anyone accountable.

“Being deemed as HIV-positive, which is frowned upon by the society, I struggled to find a job after my time in prison. I even had to show my father-in-law the negative test results to be allowed to marry his daughter,” Suu grumbled.

Answering the press, Nguyen Xuan Hong, deputy director at the Nghe An health department, said Suu’s case is extremely rare among nearly 10,000 cases of HIV-positive patients tested in Nghe An since 1996.

“At the time, there were only two HIV/AIDS specialists in the whole province of Nghe An, while the testing facilities were not well-equipped. We do empathize with Suu and his family,” Hong said.

Russian Cosmonautics Day observed in Hanoi

A ceremony was held in Hanoi on April 11 to mark Russia’s Cosmonautics Day and the 55 th anniversary of the launch of the first human into orbit (April 12).

Addressing the event, Huynh Quyet Thang, Vice Rector of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said as a power in the research into and use of universal space to serve national socio-economic development and peaceful purposes, Russia has accompanied other countries in this field through the launch of manned space flights.

On April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, he said, recalling the day when Viktor Vassilyevich Gorbatko, a Russian cosmonaut, and his Vietnamese colleague Pham Tuan flew to space together on July 13, 1980.

Russian cosmonauts and technicians now know how to guarantee life in space-crafts as well as in space, Thang noted.

Mentioning the application of nuclear technology in space exploration, Associate Prof. Ha Manh Thu, Director of the Information Centre on Nuclear Energy, said a nuclear engine is the only engine that can help humanity explore the Galaxy in a short enough timescale.

Therefore, he said, nuclear applications play a significant role in space exploration.

In mid-March this year, Russia announced that it will test a nuclear engine in 2018 that could help cosmonauts reach Mars in just six weeks. This compares to the 18 months spacecraft currently need to get to Mars, and could make Russia the first nation to land humans on the red planet, Thu said.

Eating and drinking, along with several other activities, will be prohibited from the Nguyen Hue pedestrian street in Ho Chi Minh City, which will take effect later this month.

The municipal People’s Committee has issued a ban on several activities, including eating and drinking, on the street and the area around the statue of President Ho Chi Minh.

Other actions to be banned include the illegal occupation of roadways and sidewalks, unlawful construction, behaviors that affect order and aesthetics in the area, superstitious activities, and all wrongdoings that compromise public hygiene.

The sale of food and drink, marketing, the vending of other products, and those cultural activities that violate regulations on civilized lifestyle, social security and order, and the prevention of fire and explosion.

In addition, the new rules will forbid the use of loudspeakers, horns, gongs, drums, and whistles, and assembly of people without permission of competent authorities.

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has decided to establish a special team to control the situation on the walking street and to directly work with other relevant agencies.

The new regulations will take effect on April 18 and will be enforced directly by authorized units and indirectly with surveillance cameras installed along the street.

The 670-meter long walking street was opened in April 2015 and has become one of the favorite destinations of local people as well as tourists.

The venue attracts many people every night and is even more crowded on the weekend.  

According to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters’ observation on Saturday evening, the street was packed with citizens, mainly young Vietnamese who are high school and college students.

The young people were sitting in groups along the street to enjoy their street foods, of which many were spilled while leftovers and food containers were often left on the ground.

Despite the placement of numerous recycle bins along the road, littering has remained an unsolved issue as it is easy to spot plastic bags, empty water bottles, candy wrappers and others around the planters.

Even after being reminded, many people still throw their trash on the ground, according to a volunteer working on the walking street.

Vietnamese province supplies free clean water to residents in drought-hit border areas

Authorities in the southern Vietnamese province of Binh Phuoc have been providing complimentary fresh water for citizens living in the drought-hit areas that are adjacent to the border with Cambodia.

Given the severe climatic condition that has been devastating the lives of local people in past months, officials in Loc Ninh, Bu Dop, and Bu Gia Map Districts have decided to get clean water to the dwellers there to alleviate the situation.

Officers from the Bu Gia Map Border Guard, in cooperation with local authorities, have used firefighting water of a local national park to quench the thirst of the people.

The water was sterilized before being distributed to many residents in several communes in the district.

With the objective of ensuring water for residents during the dry season this year, the administration in Bu Gia Map District will continue providing fresh water as long as the people are still short of it.

Clean water has also been distributed to thousands of people in Loc Ninh District on tanker trucks.

Water supplying points have been set up in every residential area in the locality, said Ho Quang Khanh, head of the Loc Ninh Office of Agriculture and Rural Development.

“Residents only have to bring necessary tools to fetch water whose quality is ensured, as it was gotten from wells,” Khanh stated.

He added that local authorities will drill more boreholes in order for citizens to have access to sufficient water resources.

Meanwhile, in Bu Dop District, public water tanks have been installed in all residential areas and schools to serve the people.

Approximately 4,000 households in the locality are facing an extreme shortage of clean water, many of whom have taken matters into their own hands by digging wells, pumping water from partially flooded areas or those near a river to survive the ordeal.

Vietnam’s most attractive destinations in 2015 Award launched

The Vietnam’s most attractive destinations in 2015 Award has been launched by the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) at a conference in Hanoi on April 8.

Accordingly, the organizer will award the titles of  most attractive resort; most attractive entertainment spot; favorite trade village; favorite museum; and most popular beach.

The results are based on votes by tourism journalists, the public on the website tripi.vn, and by evaluation by VITA’s professional board, starting on April 8.

The award ceremony will be held during the opening event of “Vietnam International Tourism Market 2016” on April 13.

HCMC urban planning needs citizens’ consensus

According to reports by the Department of Construction, Ho Chi Minh City now has over 20,000 houses alongside and on canals, the city plans to clear half of these in the next five years under its urban planning program. However many households have refused to remove and relocate in newly built apartment blocks.

In the next five years, HCMC will concentrate on removing about 10,000 households from five main canals including Tau Hu-Ben Nghe, Doi-Te, Tan Hoa-Lo Gom, Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe, Tham Luong-Ben Cat and Nuoc Len.

The Construction Department said that number of houses built alongside or on canals might exceed 20,000 because there has no survey data on 67 canals, where safety corridor landmarks have not been set up.

District 8 has the highest number of households living alongside and on canals totaling 12,369. Local authorities have removed thousands for implementation of urban planning projects, improvement of canal water environment and construction of Vo Van Kiet-Mai Chi Tho Street.

About 9,503 houses have still located at Tau Hu-Lo Gom and Doi canals. Most of these have been built illegal, low-roofed, unsettled and patchy. They have no private galvanometers and lavatories, household wastewater has been discharging directly into canals worsening pollution and flooding.

Vinh Loc B apartment block in Binh Chanh district has been built for five years for canal households’ relocation with nearly 2,000 apartments and 500 land plots. However the resettled ratio has been 15 percent.

Local dwellers say that previously they lived along polluted canals partly for their livelihood. After removing to the new apartment buildings, they enjoy better living environment and sufficient amenities. However many do not know what to do for a living as they are the poor with main jobs being dockworkers, vendors and scrap material collectors.

Besides livelihood, residents have been afraid of other apartment fees comprising parking lot, cleaners and maintenance.

In a meeting with citizens at Vinh Loc B apartment block recently, chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong affirmed that the move is aimed to relocate residents to better accommodations although their work and children’s schooling might be inconvenient because they have removed to farer places than their old homes.

Therefore, he prompted related agencies to share difficulties with citizens and hoped that citizens will advocate the city in implementing the urban planning policy. This is a large program requiring consensus from many sides especially residents.

Painting exhibition to raise fund for child patients

A charity painting exhibition to raise money for children at K hospital opened at the Center for Fine Arts and Photography in Hanoi from April 10-14.

The display titled “Talent incubator” features art works of more than 100 children at the ages of 5 to 15 who are students of ART TALENT classes of the AZDESIGN fine art training center.

The exhibition provides a colorful art space for the public and aimed to share feelings and reflections on art to educate the youth about aesthetics and creativity.

No more tolerance

Vietnam Television channel 9 has taken the initiative to launch a special TV program to wage war against food that fails to meet hygiene and quality standards. Vietnam Television is one of many media outlets that have for years sounded the alarm over the severity of the chronic public health issue.

The chief of the national food safety agency, Nguyen Thanh Phong, once told local media that selling substandard and unsafe food should be treated as a criminal offense to crack down on this condemnable business practice.

And law enforcement agencies have also got tough on the transport and trading of pork, pig internal organs and chickens, among others. Many trucks and passenger coachs have been found to carry rotten meat.

Vegetables and fruits tainted with higher-than-permitted chemical residues are also a nightmare for the public. Just in the news last week was the use of Auramine O by small vegetable vendors in Danang, Nghe An and Hue for adding yellow color to bamboo shoots and vegetable pickles to make them look attractive. Auramine O is a diarylmethane dye soluable in water, which can cause cancer if it is consumed by humans over time.

The authorities are intensifying inspections and the public is shunning such contaminated products. But what about other products? Perhaps, many are also unsafe to eat as well. Take fake rice vinegar in Vinh City, Nghe An Province for example.

A production facility was found to mix acetic acid with water to make fake rice vinegar and thus earn huge profit. This is a red alarm for consumer health.

This is why the minister of agriculture drew fire after he said at the National Assembly that only 2% of meat samples taken for testing contained higher-than-allowed antibiotic residues and banned substances. Many criticized him, saying that in reality, the percentage is much higher. The minister apologized for this in the end.

It is high time to impose heavy penalties on violators of food safety and hygiene regulations, including treating those violators as criminal offenders, to make food safe for people. This unethical business practice must not be tolerated.

Russian man arrested for stealing phone at HCM City restaurant

Ho Chi Minh City police have arrested a Russian man accused of stealing an iPhone from a restaurant manager last week.

Initial investigation found Petrov Vadim, 32, moved from the central city of Phan Thiet to Ho Chi Minh City on April 6. He rented a room on Bui Vien Street in the popular backpacker neighborhood.

The following day he reportedly went to a restaurant on the nearby Nguyen Thai Hoc Street for lunch.

The restaurant manager Lam Huynh Thuy Tien left an iPhone 6 charging at her counter and went away. Vadim allegedly stole the phone and left.

Tien checked security footage and decided to go around the neighborhood to find the suspect.

She saw Vadim walking on Bui Vien Street at around 6:30 p.m. the same day and asked local residents and police to help arrest him.

At the police station, Vadim first rejected the accusation but he later admitted to the theft after police showed him the video.

The Russian man said he worked as a teacher in Mui Ne, the resort town often known as "Little Moscow." He caught a bus to Ho Chi Minh City to avoid paying debt.

Police are investigating the case.

Danang cop praised for picking foreigner’s phone from sewer

A Danang police officer is getting a lot of love on the internet after a photo showed him prising open a manhole cover to retrieve a cell phone belonging to a Korean tourist that had fallen into a sewer.

Le Viet Trinh Thanh, an officer in Hai Chau District, was informed during his patrol April 9 that a Korean had dropped his phone into a drain pipe.

Thanh arrived at the spot, borrowed a crowbar from a nearby house and retrieved the phone with his bare hands.

A police officer helps retrieve a phone for a South Korean man (in yellow) in Danang April 9, according to a photo on a local Facebook page.

“It was just a small act; anyone would have done the same,” Thanh said.

But coming amid instances of officers demanding bribes, getting into fights with the public, and, recently, spitting at a woman who refused to let him enter her house to check, Thanh’s act has been praised by many Facebook users.

Danang got 1.27 million foreign tourists last year, up by a third from the previous year.

Man complains foreigner stole US$187,000 worth gold from his car

The Ho Chi Minh City police are investigating a complaint from a man that a foreigner stole more than 2.2 kg of gold he had kept in a car when he was changing a flat tire.

The 46-year-old man, identified only as T, said it happened at around 9 p.m. on April 5 when he was driving on Street 1011 in District 8 with his 12-year-old son.

He pulled over to change a tire when a foreign man approached and talked to his son who was standing on the sidewalk.

The foreigner later got on another man’s motorbike and left.

T checked the car and found his bag with 60 taels (1 tael = 37.5 gm) of gold worth VND2 billion (US$187,000) missing.

Street 1011 has several government offices, including the District 8 People’s Committee. The district police station, where T quickly filed a complaint, is just around the corner.

If the foreigner indeed stole the gold, the case would be similar to a crime for which in 2010 the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court handed jail terms of seven to nine years to six Indonesian men for robbery.

The gang would follow people coming out of banks and throw nails hidden in cigarette packs in their path to cause a flat tire.

In this manner they stole US$23,000 from Cho Pao Liang when the Chinese man withdrew money at a bank on Ton Duc Thang Street.

There have been numerous cases of criminals staging traffic accidents to steal money from motorbike riders.

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