Customers, meanwhile, have no option but to select food wisely for their families’ healthy living, Vietnamese and Japanese agricultural experts have said.

Experts from Việt Nam and Japan shared their opinions and experiences in promoting and using safe food from both countries at a workshop titled “Safe food for healthy living - What we learn from Japan and progress in Việt Nam,” organised by the Japan International Cooperation Centre (JICE) and JDS Specialists Network in Hà Nội on Saturday.

Speaking at the workshop, Teruyoshi Kumashiro, an agriculture expert from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said the habit of recording farming practice by farmers and the slack connection between good producers and buyers remain the top challenges for the success of improving the reliability of safe crop production in the northern region of Việt Nam.

Kumashiro, who is the chief advisor of an ongoing project on improving the reliability of safe crop production in the northern region of Việt Nam, said surveys showed that farmers in Việt Nam were not efficient in making frequent records of their farming practice, such as when the crops are cultivated, when to use plant protection chemicals and when the crops are safe for harvest.

Research from the project also showed that joint sales of crops by farmers’ groups and ensuring the reliability of safe crops among stakeholders were also challenges to promoting safe crops, he said.

“The project aims to improve agricultural products in two cities and 11 provinces in the north of Việt Nam in terms of safety and reliability and in the long run will promote safe crop production, including safe vegetables at target sites,” Kumashiro said.

The project began in July last year and will continue for five years. It is second phase of a project on safe crops initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) with support from JICA that started in 2010.

According to Kumashiro, in 2008, the agriculture ministry in Việt Nam established a technical standard called VietGAP. However, Viet GAP includes indirect items with cultivation methods and costs a certain amount of money to acquire certification; therefore low-income producers have not been able to apply this standard because it was too strict.
With JICA’s support for the safe crop project since 2010, the project eventually developed BasicGAP for Việt Nam, which extracted 26 important criteria and introduced a self-recording system, Kumashiro said.

BasicGAP was officially approved by MARD in 2014.

Nguyễn Công Thành, deputy head of the Sciences and International Co-operation Division under MARD’s Plant Protection Research Institute, said both VietGap and BasicGap are being applied in Việt Nam and both are good to ensure the safety and quality of agriculture products.

He agreed with the Japanese expert that not all Vietnamese farmers know how to practice VietGap or BasicGap on their crops.

Phí Công Nguyên, an agriculture expert from MARD’s Agricultural Genetics Institute, said even though farmers in Việt Nam stand at the base of the value chain and play the primary role in the value chain, what they get from the value chain is the least.

“One of the reasons is because not all farmers have good knowledge or are well trained in practical production,” he said, adding that slack cooperation among farmers and lack of good support policies from the Government were also to blame.

“Farmers need investment and technology to catch up with consumers’ requirement for safe food in Việt Nam,” Nguyên said.
Participants at the workshop, including safe food distributors and farmers, also shared their experiences.

Vũ Thái Trường, a national technical specialist from UNDP Việt Nam, said the workshop is the first event under the JDS Coffee Corner series, held by JDS alumni who studied in Japan under the Japanese government’s scholarship for human resources development and have returned to contribute to the development of Việt Nam.

All JDS Coffee Corner events aim to leverage the knowledge and expertise of specialists in the network, in particular, and society, in general, to address current serious social and economic issues in Việt Nam, Trường said. 

Damen to build six vessels for Vietnam Coast Guard

Damen Shipyards of the Netherlands signed a contract to build six versatile ships for the Vietnam Coast Guard during the Vietnam-Holland Business Forum on Monday, according to local news reports.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.

During his meeting on the same day with leaders of major Dutch companies including Damen, PM Phuc said Vietnam is prioritizing development of the shipbuilding industry to boost economic growth and at the same time strengthen defense capabilities.

He hailed the deal signed between Damen Shipyards and the Vietnam Coast Guard, saying Damen should weigh transferring shipbuilding technology to Vietnamese partners to build patrol and ocean surveillance ships and those for carrying out construction works at sea and offshore activities.

Higher health insurance contribution rate proposed

The Ministry of Health has proposed the Government increase the monthly health insurance contribute rate to 6% of wage in the coming years from the current 4.5%.

The ministry has floated two solutions for the health insurance contribution hike. The first solution is to increase the contribution rate by 0.3% a year to 4.8% in 2019, 5.1% in 2020 and 6% by 2024 while the second solution is to raise the contribution rate by 0.5% a year to reach 6% by 2021.

The proposal comes as the health insurance fund might be exhausted after 2018 as healthcare fees have been increased and health insurance coverage has been extended to more people in rural areas.

According to a Vietnam Social Security (VSS) representative, the new contribution rate is expected help balance the budget. In the last five years, VSS has spent VND80 trillion (US$3.52 billion) but collected a combined VND69 trillion.

Experts said a higher heath insurance contribution rate would pile pressure on enterprises and hurt incomes of workers.

Pump system for easing street flooding in HCMC to operate in August

A smart pump system to tackle flooding caused by heavy rains and high tides in Nguyen Huu Canh street, Binh Thanh district, HCMC will be operated on August 10, said Quang Trung Industry Joint Stock Company who is selected to install the system.

Company’s Director Nguyen Tang Cuong pledged to finish the system at a meeting with secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan during his visit to the company yesterday.

The smart pump system will automatically remove garbage and soil while pumping water out from the street. Centrifugal pumps will move water from low to high ground at the capacity of 27,000-96,000 cubic meters an hour, connected directly with the available sewer system of the city.

City Deputy chairman Le Van Khoa reminded contractors of minimizing inconveniences for local residents and hoped that residents will share difficulties with the city because of the urgency of the anti-flooding project.

Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan required contractors to ensure traffic and hygiene in the area and limit construction noise in order not to affect residents’ activities.

Previously at a working session with city leaders on June 24, Quang Trung company said that the investment cost of the project is approximately VND88 billion ($3.87 million).

Households evacuated due to FLC Ha Long golf course project

Many households in the northern province of Quang Ninh’s Ha Long city had to be evacuated due to an under-construction golf course.

Recent heavy rains caused tonnes of mud and soil from a hill where FLC Group's golf course is being built to flow into many houses in Hong Hai District on July 11.
  
 Recent heavy rains caused tonnes of mud and soil from FLC Group's golf course is being built to flow into many houses in Ha Long City.

Local authorities requested FLC Group to quickly deal with the problem.

On the same day, four affected households and several others that were potentially threatened were moved out of their houses.

Over the past two years since when the golf course project was implemented, the lives of nearly 100 nearby households have been seriously affected by the mud overflowing.

Earlier in May this year, Ha Long City authorities ordered FLC Group and the municipal land fund development centre to arrange resettlement houses for the 15 most vulnerable households.

The 18-hole golf course is part of a FLC Group’s tourism complex project in Ha Long City. The project is behind schedule and the investor has been criticised for a lack of care.

Quang Nam plans more hydropower plants

The central province of Quang Nam plans to build four more hydropower plants to supply electricity for mountainous areas.

According to people’s committee Vice Chair Huynh Khanh Toan, the four projects will cover a total area of 144ha in the mountainous district of Nam Tra My with a total capacity of 78.8MW.    

Toan said that the area is mostly forested land; so flooding it would not affect local farming and housing.

Among the four projects, Tra Leng Hydropower Plant in Tra Don District will have the largest capacity of 30MW.

Electricity supply for Nam Tra My District currently depends on the power line from Tam Ky City and is not stable during the rainy season.

The provincial people’s committee has proposed the local people’s council add the four projects to the province’s hydropower plant plans.

Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam deepen cultural heritage

Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam have agreed to continue to deepen the understanding between their peoples, especially youth, about the rich cultural heritage that binds the three Indochinese nations, the Vientiane times has reported.

This was agreed by leaders of Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC), the Solidarity Front for the Development of the Cambodian Motherland (SFDCM) National Council, and Vietnam National United Front (VNUF) at their meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, last month.

LFNC President DrXaysomphone Phomvihane, SFDCM President Samdech Heng Samrin and VNUF President Tran Thanh Man met on June 25 at the Front Presidium Conference in the Vietnam capital city of Hanoi.

LFNC Vice President MsKhamchanh Phomsengsavanh held a press conference yesterday (July 12) to disseminate the outcome of the meeting.

At the meaningful conference, the three sides appreciated the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between LFNC, the SFDMC National Council, and VNUF, which was signed in Vientiane on December 18, 2013, she said.

The presidents have shared opinions and came to a consensus on expanding the outcomes from the past three years, and on strengthening cooperation to meet the main targets, she added.

The three bodies will strengthen educating their people and the new generation on the traditional and historical ties between the three nations to be proud of the good, heart-felt relationship between them. Each nation will be encouraged about its responsibility to care for and enhance the valuable ties.

For Cambodia and Vietnam, understanding will be built among the peoples of the two countries on the success of border demarcation and to push for the installation of border markers to be completed soon.

People living along the border between Laos and Vietnam will be educated on the importance of related regulations, border markers, protocols and other laws to protect the border line and build on the areas for development and mutual assistance.

For the Laos-Cambodia border, the two countries will encourage the building of a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development. They will also organise a meeting on border promotion.

The leaders of the fronts from the three countries also agreed on creating facilitation to fronts at all levels, especially the fronts of local communities at the border, to share experiences on culture, socio-economic and infrastructure development, disaster relief, and to participate in building borders of peace, friendship and development cooperation.

They further agreed to promote the trade of high-quality goods among villages and districts along the borders of the three countries to ensure the health, safety and economic benefit of the people.

Prague exhibition introduces Vietnam’s sea, islands’ beauty

An exhibition on “Vietnam: The Nation and People – View from Sea and Island” opened in Prague, the Czech Republic on July 12, aiming to introduce the beauty of Vietnam’s culture, local fishermen and the country’s maritime economy. 

More than 100 photos taken by photographers of Vietnam Pictorial, a Vietnam News Agency publication, show the beauty of Vietnam’s sea and islands across the 3,000km of coastline, more than 3,000 islands of different sizes and 29 million people living in 28 coastal localities.

Addressing the event, Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ho Minh Tuan stressed the importance of the exhibition in fostering the Vietnam-Czech Republic friendship.

The three-day event is part of Vietnamese Embassy activities to introduce the nation and people of Vietnam to foreign friends in the Czech Republic, he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Hoang Vinh Bao said that in 2013, then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved a strategy on sustainable exploitation of maritime resources and protecting the sea environment to 2020 with a vision to 2030.

The introduction of Vietnam’s sea and islands’ beauty and the lives of islanders and coastal residents in areas that Vietnam has had sovereignty for generations is also part of the strategy, he said.

For her part, Czech Deputy Minister of Culture Anna Malouskova highlighted the cultural cooperation between the two countries over the years, expressing her hope that the exhibition will deepen Czech people’s understanding of Vietnam, thus strengthening relations between the two nations.

Kon Tum, Lao province boosts trade union links

The trade unions of the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum and the Lao province of Attapeu have signed a cooperation agreement for the 2017 – 2020 period.

Under the agreement, inked on July 12 in Kon Tum, the two sides will enhance the exchange of delegations and conduct training for trade unions and labourers.

Communications will be promoted to raise the understanding of friendship between Vietnam and Laos among labourers of each side.

Trade unions of the bordering districts of the two provinces will be encouraged to attend activities to mark the festival days of the two nations and the two localities.

Vice Secretary of the Kon Tum Party Committee A Pot hailed cooperation between the two agencies over the years, expressing his hope that they will continue exchanging information and experience in trade unions and other cultural activities.

President of Attapeu province’s trade union Phuvanlamaly Phommasan expressed her hope that the two bodies will encourage their members to protect security in the common border area, focusing on fighting drug crime and social evils.

In recent years, the two agencies conducted exchanges and training to enhance the observance of laws among labourers, particularly Vietnamese labourers in Attapeu.

An wins stage, Thật to take green jersey

An Soenjin of South Korean Seoul Cycling Club won the fifth stage of the An Giang Television International Women’s Cycling Tournament yesterday.

An completed the 83-km stage from Vĩnh Long City of Vĩnh Long Province to Vị Thanh City of Hậu Giang Province with a timing of 2 hours and 22.50 minutes.

She was followed by Nguyễn Thị Thi and Nguyễn Thị Thật of Gạo Hạt Ngọc Trời An Giang.

A berth in the top three has ensured Thật’s overall leading position in the tournament.

After five stages, Thật leads with a total timing of 8:33.32s. She created a 21-second gap with runner-up Kim Hyunji of Seoul Cycling. Jang Suji, also from Seoul Cycling, is third with 8:34.10s.

Thật, a national team member, also topped the Best Sprinter Classification with 105 points. She has ensured the green jersey for herself, as there is only one stage left, and she is 32 points ahead of the nearest rival Kim in the ranking.

In the final 101-km stage today, riders will tour from Vị Thanh City to Long Xuyên City of An Giang Province.
 
Bình Dương athletes top championships for juniors

Athletes from Bình Dương dominated the National Juniors Tennis Championships, which closed yesterday in Cần Thơ City.

Following eight days of competition, Bình Dương won six of the 14 titles being awarded.
Among the winners was Huỳnh Minh Thịnh, who beat Lê Trung Tính of Military team 6-3, 7-6 (3) 6-3 in the boys U18 singles event.

Meanwhile, Lê Từ Khánh Duy won 6-3, 6-2 against Trần Tiến Thịnh of HCM City in the boys U16 category.

Phan Diễm Quỳnh triumphed in the girls’ U14, beating teammate Nguyễn Minh Thúy Hằng 6-0, 6-0.

HCM City came second with three gold medals in the boys U16 doubles, boys U14 singles and girls U16 doubles, along with four silver medals.

Hà Nội were third with three gold medals and two silvers.

Nearly 300 athletes participated in the competition, organised annually by the Việt Nam Tennis Federation, which is searching for new talent for the national teams.

FVH Film Night to present 70’s classic

The FVH Film Night on July 20 will present 1970’s classic Mối Tình Đầu (The First Love) by director Hải Ninh.

Released in 1977, the movie features many leading stars of the time, including Thế Anh, Như Quỳnh, Trà Giang, Lan Hương, Băng Châu. It won the Silver Lotus Award at the 5th National Film Festival in 1980, which presented the best films of the Việt Nam’s revolutionary cinema industry.

The film is set in Sài Gòn before 1975, just before the end of the American War. It was a time of confusion for young people who had many questions about what choices to make in their lives. The film recounts the first love of a student, Ba Duy, with a young girl, Diễm Hương. Sadly, their relationship ends when Hương was forced to marry an American counselor in order to save her father.

A devastated and heartbroken Duy drops out school and turns to drugs as a way to forget his love and his life. But hope returns when Hai Lan, his sister, who is also an intelligence agent, takes him under her wing. She helps to take him back on the right track with his life.

During the final days before the city liberation forces arrive, Hương finds out that her husband is plotting to kidnap Vietnamese children to sell to foreigners. She is murdered by her husband.

The black-and-white film will be presented with English subtitles. The screening will take place at Vietnam Feature Films Studio (VFS), 4 Thụy Khuê Street, Tây Hồ District from 7.30pm until 9pm. Donation: VNĐ150,000. Limit: 50 people. To reserve a ticket, contact filmteam.fvh@gmail.com.

Love is in the Hanoian air

Today, the Hanoia Culture Space will host a talk with two guest speakers – former French Ambassador Jean Noel Poirier, and veteran Hanoian photographer Nguyễn Hữu Bảo.

During the talk entitled Hà Nội – My Love, the former diplomat and the local artist will discuss their love for Viet Nam’s capital. The two guests and the audience will share interesting and strange things about the centuries-old city.

Poirier lived in Viet Nam for more than 10 years. With his love for the country, he made a documentary named Mon Hanoi (My Hanoi), about the city he has great affection for.

Photographer Bảo is a life-long Hanoian. For the past 40 years, he has patiently taken photos of Hà Nội, like a visual historian depicting the ups and downs of the city.

The free admission event will start from 3pm. Hanoia Culture Space is at 38 Hàng Đào Street. 

Cwalk dance battle at Saigon Outcast

Young dancers are encouraged to take part in the Cwalk dance competition Crush the Floor Tournament at Saigon Outcast on July 23.

The competition is organised by Iron Bridge Cwalk, a group of young Cwalk dancers established in 2012. The contest offers professional opportunities for young dancers and promotes Cwalk as a dance form in the Vietnamese community.

The music will be supported by DJ Brian Offenther from Florida and DJ Paine from Biên Hòa City.

The event begins at noon at 188/1 Nguyễn Văn Hưởng Street in District 2. Entrance is free.

HCM City speeds up flood-prevention project on Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh St

A flood prevention project on HCM City’s Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh Street, which is frequently flooded by heavy rains and rising tides, will upgrade the drainage systems and install a pump station.

The HCM City People’s Committee has assigned the Steering Centre for Urban Flood Control to work with the Department of Transport and related agencies to urgent implement the flood prevention project in Bình Thạnh District.

The committee has also assigned related agencies work with the Quang Trung Group JSC to set up high-tech pumping systems.

The six-lane Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh Street, built in 2003, is 3.2km long and 30m wide.

The street has subsided about one metre since 2004, according to the Department of Transport’s Urban Traffic Management Zone No.1.

Early this year, Urban Traffic Management Zone No1 tested the use of anti-flood centrifugal pumps on Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh Street, but the department said the equipment would not be useful in the long term.

PM urges swift flood relief in northern provinces

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has issued an urgent message ordering the northern localities to urgently take remedial action in the wake of the recent torrential rains that killed at least 13 people and left another missing.

The message was issued after prolonged heavy rains, triggering both flashfloods and landslides, battered the northern localities since early this month and led to initial damage of VNĐ28.9 billion (US$1.2 million).

Phúc tasked People’s Committees of the northern localities, especially Thái Nguyên, Hà Giang, Lai Châu, Điện Biên and Hòa Bình – the localities that suffered the most from the torrential rains -- to provide essential necessities to families whose homes were damaged by landslides and flashfloods.

Search and rescue operations to find the missing person should be conducted quickly and continuously, he added.

The committees were told to review all areas with a high risk of landslides and flashfloods and then evacuate people from these areas, he said.

He also asked the committees to send traffic police to the flooded areas to instruct people to travel safely.

Health sectors in the localities should be ready to prevent diseases once the rains ended, he added.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, torrential rains would hit the north region until Sunday (July 16).

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development was ordered to ensure the safety of reservoirs and dykes during the rains, he said.

In a related movement, Agricultural Minister-cum-head of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Nguyễn Xuân Cường on Tuesday also asked the Việt Nam Television and the Voice of Việt Nam to increase their broadcasts of weather forecasts and provide instructions for people to deal with heavy rains and floods.

This was aimed at minimisng damage to both humans and property when torrential rains and floods occurred, he added.

Cường said instructions could be found the centre’s website www.phongchongthientai.vn.

According to the latest forecast issused by the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting on Wesnesday morning, water levels of the rivers of Thao, Chảy and Lô were rapidly rising. Floods were predicted to occur in lowland areas near Thao River in Phú Thọ Province during the next 24 hours.

Mountainous areas in Lào Cai, Yên Bái, Lai Châu and Điện Biên, as well as Sơn La, Hà Giang, Tuyên Quang and Cao Bằng, along with Thái Nguyên and Bắc Kạn, were put on high alert for landslides and flashfloods, the centre said.

Heavy rains and floods are expected to continue showing complicated developments because this is the start of the rainy season in the region.

13.3 million social insurance books granted in first half

The Vietnam Social Insurance Agency (VSIA) granted about 13.3 million social insurance books to citizens nationwide in the first six months of this year, accounting for 99 percent of total insurance participants.

Reports from local social insurance agencies reveal that nearly 2.4 million out of 12 million social insurance books were handed to Vietnamese labourers by June 30.

Sluggish progress in insurance book transferring has been seen in some localities, VSIA official Chu Minh To said, adding that VSIA branches need to standardise data of social insurance participants in their management software.

Vietnam has set a target of having half its labour workforce covered by social insurance by 2020.

Cotton USA, Canifa support emerging fashion design talent

Cotton USA in collaboration with Canifa have launched an innovative competition designed to support and showcase Vietnamese students in the interior, fashion and textiles industries, Vnexpress has reported.

The objective of the competition is to provide visibility for emerging fashion design talent. It adopts the same approach introduced with the 'Wool Secretariat 1954' fashion show, which launched the careers of Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. 

At the competition runway show, each competitor will be required to present a capsule collection created using cotton material donated by partner brands such as AG Jeans, Brooks Brothers and Uniqlo.

This type of sponsorship is designed to make consumers aware of the quality and versatility of US cotton, and of its potential within the fashion industry.

Cotton USA is the global brand representing American cotton. The organization operates offices in Washington DC, Memphis, London, Hong Kong, Seoul and Shanghai, and is also represented in several markets.

Cotton USA plays a key role worldwide in promoting and circulating information on US cotton, and on the wide array of products that can be manufactured with it.

The winner will receive an all-expense paid 5-day round trip to the US and a prize to help start his or her own design career along with a chance to launch their own labels, showing their collections at New York Fashion Week and collaborating with renowned international brands.

Those interested can find complete information on the competition at the Facebook page of Canifa at https://www.facebook.com/canifa.fanpage/.

Semi driver charged with manslaughter after deadly HCM City crash

A semi driver has been charged with vehicular manslaughter relating to the death of a man who was driving his motorbike when the semi-truck drove the wrong way down a turnpike on Tuesday (July 11).

The truck driver, who has yet to be identified, was booked into the Ho Chi Minh City jail, following the accident on the Highway Hanoi in which he rear-ended a bus carrying some 20 passengers, reported Zing online newspaper.

The collision sent the truck careening out of control, crashing over the centre line concrete barriers dividing the thoroughfare near the Saigon Bridge into oncoming traffic.

The motorbike driver who was travelling in the opposite direction was killed instantly, crushed by the load the semi was hauling, said police officials investigating the deadly crash.

If convicted of vehicular manslaughter, the driver could face decades in prison.

Coordination increased to combat animal-transmitted diseases

Coordination between domestic and foreign organisations will be promoted to reduce health risks posed by diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam made the statement at a conference in Hanoi on July 12, saying that it is part of the national One Health Strategic Plan, in the 2016-2020 period.

With supports from international organisations and partners, animal-to-human diseases will be slashed in the coming time, contributing to the regional and global efforts to fight the risks, Tam highlighted.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that changes in the environment have made emerging contagious diseases, especially animal-to-human diseases, become a major threat to people’s health, economy and politics-security stability of each nation.

The One Health Strategic Plan set out specific framework to enhance capacity of relevant agencies as well as help them employ “One health” principal in limiting the impacts of animal-to-human diseases. The plan will support the Vietnamese Government in preventing rabies, antibiotic resistance, and other diseases spreading from animals to humans.

The One Health concept is an initiative applying a coordinated, collaborative, multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach to address potential or existing risks that originate at animal-human-ecosystems interface.

The concept is a worldwide strategy for expanding interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of healthcare for humans, animals and environment. The One Health has been endorsed by the European Commission, the US Department of State, the World Bank, the World Health Organisation, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the World Organisation for Animal Health and United Nations System Influenza Coordination as well as various non-governmental organisations.

In Vietnam, the One Health Strategic Plan drew the participation of 27 domestic and foreign agencies.

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