Doctors successfully remove large tumor

Doctors at the General Hospital in the northern mountainous province of Hà Giang successfully performed a unique medical operation, removing a 4.5kg fibroid tumor, the hospital director announced on Sunday.

Phạm Đình Phẩm said the doctors removed the tumor from the uterus of a 42-year-old woman in a challenging surgery that lasted two hours.

The patient, named Mua Thị Má, lives in Đồng Văn District’s Ma Lé Commune.

She was hospitalised in poor health due to the large tumor, which made her resemble an eight-month pregnant woman.

The entire team from the surgery ward of the hospital took part in the extremely complex medical operation which saved the woman’s life.

The surgery was successful and the patient was recovering well, Phẩm said.

Earlier, the hospital performed another successful surgery, removing a 6kg ovarian tumor from a patient belonging to an ethnic group.

The surgery’s success marks an important step for the health sector in the mountainous district in Hà Giang Province.

HCM City, France’s Lyon City partner in urban management

Ho Chi Minh City expects to have more urban management projects with Lyon City of France, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen told visiting member of the Council of Lyon City Max Vincent during a reception on September 12. 

Tuyen said the two cities share similarities for conducting joint work in urban development. 

Vincent, for his part, pledged to discuss mechanisms to effectively launch projects. 

Host and guest agreed that both sides should facilitate exchanges, trade and investment promotion in the near future. 

During the Pullutec festival slated for November in Lyon city, the two sides are due to discuss a bilateral cooperation programme and sign an agreement on lighting Ho Chi Minh City Fine Art Museum. 

Since Lyon and Ho Chi Minh City signed their cooperation agreement in 1997, they have embarked on projects in the fields of urban management, artistic lighting, health care, education and sports.

Indonesia to repatriate Vietnamese fishermen by sea transport

Indonesia will repatriate Vietnamese fishermen who were caught to accidently fish in its waters by sea transport in the Natuna sea area.

The first-time sea transport will help the fishermen go home faster, the Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti told the Jakarta-based Vietnam News Agency correspondent.

The first release of its kind is scheduled to take place on September 13, as agreed at a recent meeting between the Indonesian Minister and Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam.

O n fisheries cooperation between the two countries, Minister Susi said that Indonesia is willing to expand cooperation with Vietnam, especially in seafood and fish processing and export-import activities. 

She said Indonesia and Vietnam have maintained a good relationship, conducting joint patrols and drills between their maritime police forces, and this should be strengthened to boost cooperation in the Natuna sea and East Sea.

Vietnam has been taking numerous measures to prevent its fishermen from violating Indonesia’s waters, a Vietnamese diplomat in Indonesia has affirmed.

Indonesia said it is currently detaining around 312 Vietnamese fishermen.

HCM City: 40 billion VND raised for island, border people

Residents, soldiers and businesses in Ho Chi Minh City raised more than 40 billion VND (1.8 million USD) for the “For national sea, islands – For the country’s front line” fund at an artistic exchange on September 11 night.

The fund is to support people and soldiers in island and border districts across the country.

Nguyen Hoang Nang, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s HCM City chapter, said the fund demonstrates local people’s patriotism and resolve to contribute to safeguarding national sovereignty.

He called on people from all walks of life, social organisations and enterprises in the city, as well as overseas Vietnamese to continue contributing to the fund.

Over the years, people in HCM City have actively engaged in various movements for the country’s sea and islands, helping soldiers and people in island districts lead a stable life.

VN lose to Russia in Chess Olympiad

The Vietnamese women’s team lost to Russia 1.5-2.5 in the ninth round match of the Chess Olympiad yesterday in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Phạm Lê Thảo Nguyên tied with Kosteniuk Alexandra, while Hoàng Thị Bảo Trâm lost to Gunina Valentina. Nguyễn Thị Mai Hưng and Nguyễn Thị Thanh An drew with Goryachkina Aleksandra and Pogonina Natalija.

After nine matches, Việt Nam have 12 points to rank 16th out of 140 teams. They will next play Estonia in the last match.

On the men’s side, Việt Nam beat Azerbaijan 2.5-1.5 to rank 13th out of 150 teams.

Lê Quang Liêm bested Durarbayli Vasif. Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn tied with Abasov Nijat. Meanwhile Nguyễn Anh Khôi and Đào Thiên Hải drew with Guseinov Gadir and Guliyev Namig.

The men’s team will face Slovenia in the next match.

Third session of 14th NA Standing Committee convenes

The 14th National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee convened its third session this morning, discussing draft amendments to the laws on irrigation and railways.

During the ten-day event, the committee will also offer opinions on the construction of draft laws on foreign trade management, the law on planning, the law on management and use of weapons, explosives and supporting tools, the law on asset auctions, the law on religion and beliefs, and the association law, said NA Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân.

The agenda also includes preparations for the second session of the 14th National Assembly, which is slated for next month, and offers opinions on the issuance of the committee’s resolution on regulations on making, verifying and submitting to the National Assembly for decisions of State budget estimates, central budget allocation plans and for approval of the State budget balance, which replaces Resolution No. 387/2003/NQ-UBTVQH11, she said.

The committee will further discuss a draft resolution on principles, criteria and norms for allocation of the State budget for frequent expenditures and a draft resolution on the amendments and supplements of some articles to Resolution No. 55/2010/QH12 on agricultural land use tax exemptions and reductions.

Additionally, they will provide opinions on reports delivered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court of Viet Nam, the Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy and the Government’s reports on fighting crime and violations of laws, law enforcement and corruption prevention and control.

The top legislator asked participants to actively contribute opinions to draft laws discussed at the session to help improve the effectiveness of building the nation’s laws.

Advanced irrigation technology reaches nearly 144,000 hectares

Advanced water-saving irrigation methods have been applied to around 144,800 hectares of dryland crops nationwide, according to the Directorate of Water Resources under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Of the acreage, 58,400 hectares are in the Southeastern region, while the Central Highlands has 35,700 hectares, the central region - 18,500 hectares, the Mekong Delta region - 19,500 hectares and the northern midland and mountainous region - 14,200 hectares. 

According to Nguyen Van Tinh, General Director of the Directorate of Water Resources, the application of the technology will be expanded, especially in the cultivation of important cash crops like coffee, pepper, cashew and sugarcane. 

The MARD will issue mechanisms and policies to develop and promote modern agricultural production models using water-saving irrigation technology in provinces with little rain such as Lao Cai, Hoa Binh, Lam Dong, Son La, Dong Nai, Binh Thuan, Gia Lai and Binh Phuoc. 

The ministry will also review and adjust irrigation planning for dryland agriculture. 

According to the goal of the MARD’s project on improving the effectiveness of using and managing irrigation works until 2020, the country will have 500,000 hectares of dryland crops being irrigated by advanced methods, mainly in the Central Highlands, Southeast, and South Central regions. 

The MARD has submitted to the government a draft decree on mechanisms and policies encouraging the development of advanced and water-saving irrigation technology for dryland crops.

Vietnamese parents support LGBT children’s quest for equal rights

Parents of LGBT (Lesbian – Gay – Bisexual and Transgender) children often journey a long, painstaking way, sometimes including years of denial, before fully supporting them in the pursuit of their true selves.

Most LGBT people face discrimination, stigma or alienation from their families and society as soon as they come out of the closet.

Some years ago, Nguyen Dang Khoa, now 27, who is openly gay, received a letter from his desperate mother, Dinh Thi Yen Ly, demanding that her son choose either to be a ‘normal’ man and live to her expectations or remain gay and leave the house.

Ly came to the ‘ultimatum’ after she had tried every way possible to seek ‘treatment’ for her son, including taking him to various psychologists.

One week later, the young man replied to his mother in a moving four-page letter, expressing a heartfelt apology and begging her to accept him as he really is, or at least give him one more year to graduate.

He said he would then leave the family and no longer be a disgrace to them.

Khoa’s letter helped his mother understand how hard he had been struggling with being gay, and ended the duo’s five-year stand-off, starting when she had stumbled upon his 11th grade diary in which he had expressed puppy love for a male friend.

In 2013, Ly joined the Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Vietnam, an organization of parents, families, friends, and allies of LGBT people aimed at uniting their support for their loved ones.

Even more, she became the organization’s president two years later.

However, not every LGBT youth can articulate their suffering to their parents.

Duy, whose mother is Thuy, a veteran PFLAG member, was admitted to a mental hospital during 11th grade for treatment for serious stress.

No one knew Duy was gay at that time.

His second hospitalization came while he was taking a postgraduate course and doing two jobs at the same time to support himself after his parents denied him financial aid.

His mother had also taken him to shamans to expel the ‘evil female spirit’ she naively believed to have made him gay. 

It took Thuy 10 years to come to terms with her son’s true identity.

These are a few of the happy endings for members of the LGBT community.

From exasperated parents to committed activists

Most PFLAG parents have gone through crises due to a lack of proper understanding of their children’s sexual orientation before joining the establishment. 

They have later worked out ways to overcome the frustration themselves and help their peers do the same.

Tieu Hanh Nhi, from Binh Duong Province, around 30 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, began noticing a more traditionally masculine disposition in her daughter, Ai, when she was a little girl.

She did not, however, find any material on homosexuality until Ai turned 19.

She felt relieved having learnt from a neuropsychological expert that people’s aptitude and sexual orientation are in part determined by their relationships with their parents.

Ai told her mother about the PFLAG group in Ho Chi Minh City three years ago.

A former university lecturer, Nhi was elected as a member of the PFLAG management board when the organization was launched. 

One day in the summer of 2014, Nhi received a distress call from Dao, a young man residing in Nha Trang, a resort city located in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa.

Preoccupied with her son’s strange behavior, Ly, Dao’s mother, was planning to take him to Ho Chi Minh City for treatment the following day.

Set on helping Dao and his mother, Nhi asked to see Ly at the Ho Chi Minh City-based Information Connecting and Sharing (ICS), an organization which supports LGBT rights in Vietnam, where the PFLAG is located.

The two mothers shared how hard their children had been working and what a righteous life they were leading, as Dao typically drove dozens of kilometers per day as a deliveryman for his home-run seafood business.

That evening, Dao tagged Nhi in a status on Facebook: “Thanks to your help, my family is now filled with smiles and happiness. It’s as if I were born again today.”

However, not every counseling session yields immediately positive results.

Yen Ly, mother of previously Khoa, who is gay, surrendered hope to the father of H., another gay man whose mother had passed away when he was a child, after a two-hour consulting session.

His father insisted that being gay would shatter H.’s future.

Three years later, in another meeting, H. gladly shared that although his father does not fully accept his sexual orientation, he is no longer as harsh on him.  

The organization

Founded in 1972 in the U.S. by the simple act of one mother, Jeanne Sobelson Manford, an American schoolteacher and activist, who publicly supported her gay son, PFLAG is the nation's largest family and ally organization, according to its website.

PFLAG has 400 chapters and 200,000 supporters crossing multiple generations of American families in major urban centers, small cities, and rural areas in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Two years ago, a married couple from the American PFLAG contacted Yen Ly, president of its Vietnamese counterpart, upon learning of the organization, and shared with her useful information on how their association works.

PFLAG Vietnam’s inception was nurtured by the ICS in 2011, and the establishment was not officially launched until January 2015. 

It currently boasts a standing membership of nearly 70, who live in 13 cities and provinces, with more than 20 members conducting regular counseling sessions for parents of LGBT youths.

Seven fathers, who joined PFLAG Vietnam last year, are now active members.

PFLAG counselors receive four months of training with a local psychologist, with emotional management being the most significant lesson.

According to Tran Khac Tung, ICS director, most members of the LGBT community find familial support key to their social integration.

A survey conducted by the ICS in 2015 revealed that up to 95 percent of the community in Vietnam had faced discrimination, most of which came from their family and friends.

The inception of PFLAG Vietnam has helped speed up the growth of the parent community, resolve violence targeting LGBT members, and provide a strong impetus for them to strive toward a more fulfilling life, Tung said.

The organization has also been active in making LGBT members’ voices heard and protecting their rights.

It played an important role in the National Assembly’s passing of the amended Law on Marriage and Family, which neither bans nor recognizes same- sex marriage in Vietnam, in June 2014.

Its members also campaigned for the law-making body’s approval of the amended Civil Code, which includes a new provision of recognition of the right to sex reassignment, or to become transgender, in late 2015.

The code will take effect on January 1, 2017.

Tropical depression on collision

A low pressure zone intensified into a tropical depression on Sunday afternoon with heavy rains forecast to drench central Vietnam.

A low pressure zone intensified into a tropical depression on September 11 afternoon north of the Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands in Vietnam’s East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea.

The National Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Center said it would bring torrential rains to central and southern provinces, and wind speeds are projected to peak at 50 kilometers an hour.

The depression is forecast to move westward towards the provinces of Quang Ngai and Khanh Hoa tomorrow afternoon.

Central provinces from Quang Binh to Quang Ngai are expected to experience heavy rain from late September 12 to September 14.

Heavy rains may also roll in and trigger tornadoes from Binh Dinh to Binh Thuan, in the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam in the next 2-3 days.

Vietnam is hit by an average of eight to 10 tropical storms between July and October every year, which often cause heavy material and human losses.

On July 26, Typhoon Mirinae formed in the South China Sea and made landfall in northern Vietnam, triggering heavy rains accompanied by gale-force winds.

Typhoon Nida, the second tropical storm to hit Vietnam this year, brought torrential rains to nearly all northern provinces in August, causing flash floods in mountainous provinces and low-lying regions.

Mekong Delta cooperatives link up to produce more grapefruit

Four provinces in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta sub-region, located between the Tiền and Hậu rivers, plan to establish linkages to increase production of green-peel and pink-flesh grapefruit as well as coconuts, key fruits grown in the area.

The four provinces, Bến Tre, Tiền Giang, Vĩnh Long and Trà Vinh, have about 110,000 ha of coconut trees with annual output of more than 1 million coconuts. They produce 15,000ha of green-peel and pink-flesh grapefruit with annual output of 156,000 tonnes a year.   

The cultivation areas of coconuts and grapefruit in the delta are scattered and on a small scale, which has caused problems in producing a large quantity of high-quality fruits for export.     

Speaking at a seminar held in Bến Tre on August 31, Cao Văn Trọng, chairman of Bến Tre Province People’s Committee, said the committee would work with authorities of the other three provinces to set up a linkage plan from now to the end of next year.

Bến Tre would also improve connections between farmers and processors to establish specialised cultivation areas and brand names for the two fruits.

Connections would also be established in trade and investment promotion, research, market development and consumption.

Phan Hoài Phong, a representative of the Bến Tre-based Hương Miền Tây Private Enterprise, which specialises in trading green-peel and pink-flesh grapefruit, said that grapefruit had been exported to many markets, including the EU, China and Canada.

Potential markets exist in the Middle East, Russia and France, but Hương Miền Tây has decided not to sign export contracts because of a supply shortage.

Hương Miền Tây has signed contracts with 27 co-operative teams in Bến Tre that cultivate a total of 110,000 ha of green-peel and pink-flesh grapefruit, with an annual output of 200 tonnes a year.

The quantity of green-peel and pink-flesh grapefruit that meet criteria for export accounts for only 13-15 per cent of total output, according to Phong.

The enterprise does not have enough standard grapefruit for export orders, so most green-peel and pink-flesh grapefruits purchased by Hương Miền Tây are sold in the domestic market.

Phong said the connections among farmers, companies, scientists and local governments, especially linkages among grapefruit-cultivating provinces, were needed for better grapefruit cultivation.

Lê Văn Nghị, deputy chairman of the Việt Nam Co-operatives Alliance, said that provinces should set up co-operatives to establish linkages in the sub-region.

Co-operatives in each province which operate effectively can set up a co-operative alliance, which would then be part of the sub-region’s co-operative alliance for production linkages.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Trần Thanh Nam said the sub-region provinces should draft regulations on linkages soon.

He said the sub-region should re-organise production of fruit under a co-operation model composed of companies, co-operatives and farmers. It should also undertake research to establish wholesale markets for the fruits. 

Latrines for poor households

As many as 35,000 poor households in the rural areas of five provinces will gain access to hygienic sanitation by building new latrines at their houses over the next two years, a recent conference heard.

The project, which was jointly organised by East Meets West and the Vietnam Women’s Union, will offer loans for these households to build latrines, thanks to 9.45 billion VND (425,250 USD) provided by East Meets West.

Poor households in Tra Vinh, Ben Tre, Thanh Hoa, Hoa Binh and Ninh Binh will be eligible for the loan.

The project is scheduled to begin this month and completed in May 2018.

The project is the second phase of the Community Hygiene Output-Based Aids programme which was also implemented by the two organisations. The project used the output-based aid approach – a type of results-based financing well known for improving the delivery of basic services when users are not able to pay the full cost of service.

From 2012-2015, almost 110,900 poor households in 10 provinces and cities nationwide improved sanitation and built new latrines with loans worth nearly 300 billion VND (13.3 million USD). Households were rewarded for completing new latrines.

Tran Thi Huong, Vice President of the Vietnam Women’s Union, said the first period of the project succeeded in helping poor people improve sanitation and change family hygiene habits for better health.

During the second phase of the project, poor households will access loans without being rewarded for completing new latrines. As a result, nearly 4,000 communicators who joined during the project’s first phase expect challenges in disseminating information to help poor people get loans.

But a hygienic latrine is a basic need for any household. So it was necessary to expand the model to improve sanitation in rural areas, Huong said.

Nguyen Thi Tinh, Chairwoman of northern Ninh Binh province’s Women Union, said that during the first period, as many as 13,420 latrines were built. Households in 51 communes were each rewarded 760,000 VND after building new latrines.

In the second phase of the project, the union expects 7,000 latrines to be built in poor households.

“We hope more people, especially the poorest of the poor, can access hygienic latrines to improve their health because it’s a basic need among the many needs of humans,” she said.

The project was designed in line with the goals of the national Programme for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, which targeted 65 per cent of rural households to have hygienic latrines by 2015.

There are currently about 21 million people in rural areas who do not have hygienic latrines.

Documents on President Ho Chi Minh donated

Tran Ngoc Quyen, former Vietnamese Counselor in Germany, offered to the Ho Chi Minh Museum more than 100 documents and books in German and Bulgarian languages featuring the life of President Ho Chi Minh on the occasion of National Day (September 2).

They include 50 photos, 92 documents and five books detailing the leader’s life and work - items that Quyen preserved for nearly 50 years.

This was the seventh time he offered the museum part of his collection of documents about the President.

Quyen, in his 70s, has spent nearly half of his life collecting and preserving documents and photos of President Ho Chi Minh, who he loves and respects deeply.

After the President’s death in 1969, Quyen began to collect photos and documents about the President. He was a student at the TU Dresden University in Germany.

After his death, a Vietnamese student at Dresden University set up an altar so that students and local inhabitants could come to worship the President. The managing board of the university also organised ceremonies to commemorate him.

The photos of the two events were his first collected photos related to the President. He also bought many newspapers published in Germany to keep memories of the Vietnamese leader.

“In my heart and the hearts of other Vietnamese, the President is a shining symbol of revolutionary ethics - a man who sacrificed and devoted his whole life to serving the revolution, the motherland and the people,” he said. “For me, he is immortal.”

He also collected a number of the diplomatic documents that were exchanged between Vietnam and Germany from 1950 to 1969.

He travelled everywhere in Germany – including flee markets - and met with friends, veteran journalists and well-known German photographers to build up a rich collection of documents related to the President.

During his travels, he discovered that at least three streets and six schools in Germany were named after the President.

He also translated some articles and poems from German into Vietnamese that were published in different newspapers in Germany, including the poem Ho Chi Minh written by famous German poet Ernst Schumacher in 1956. He also wrote his own essay entitled Nguyen Ai Quoc/Ho Chi Minh with Germany. The book was considered one of the first research books about relations between the President and Germany since the 1920s.

After he retired in 2004 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi, he came back to Germany four times to continue his research. Despite his advanced age, he learned to use the internet to read digital books about the President.

Mid-Autumn gifts given to children in central coast

A programme themed ‘Happy Mid-Autumn with children in central coastal provinces’ was held in Dong Hoi city, the central coastal province of Quang Binh on September 10.

Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh attended the event and presented gifts to students attending the programme.

Addressing the event, Vice President Thinh asked party committees and governments at all levels to pay much attention to creating favourable conditions for students to go to school, particularly those living in difficult circumstances after the recent marine environmental pollution incident.

The Vice President extended her wishes for a happy mid-Autumn holiday to children and expressed her hope that they will become good students gaining outstanding academic achievements.

On the occasion, Vice President Thinh presented 300 gift packages to children in Quang Binh, Ha Tinh and Thua Thien Hue provinces.

She also visited and presented 100 gifts to children in Hai Ninh commune, Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh province, and provided 30 million VND to the ‘Fund for the poor’ of Hai Ninh commune as well as gifts worth a total of 25 million VND to support five villages in the commune in preparation for the Mid-Autumn holiday.

Meanwhile in neighbouring Quang Tri province, the Vice President presented 100 scholarships to students affected by Agent Orange/dioxin and other 100 scholarships to students in coastal areas.

Vietnam attends L’Humanite newspaper festival in France

The Nhan dan (People) newspaper, the daily of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), is joining in the 86th the L’Humanite (Humanity) newspaper festival organised by the French Communist Party (PCF) at La Courneuve Park, Paris.

With a 600 sq.m booth, the newspaper has introduced outstanding achievements Vietnam has recorded over the past 71 years, especially during 30 years of reform.

Visitors to the festival were impressed by photos capturing key industrial projects in the country like the Dung Quat Oil Refinery, along with newly-built modern bridges, terraced fields and UNESCO-recognised Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Charge d'Affairs of the Vietnamese Embassy in France Dang Giang reminisced about the first L’Humanite newspaper festival in 1930, emphasising that over the past 86 years, the event has become a big festival of French and European labourers with various activities such as workshops and artistic activities.

The participants at the festival exchange their experience and belief in order to work together for a world of peace, solidarity, justice and freedom, he said.

Denis Rondepierre, PCF’s Politburo member, said the attendance of the CPV and Nhan Dan newspaper to the festival is of significance, noting that their engagement has contributed to the friendship between the two nations as well as relations between the two Parties.

The 86th L’Humanite newspaper festival, which runs from September 9-12, brings together representatives from communist parties and left-wing parties, newspapers, progressive forces and non-governmental organisations from more than 100 cuountries worldwide.

Vietnamese in Canada urged to contribute more to homeland

A delegation of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs led by Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Hong Nam, who is also head of the committee, visited Canada’s big cities from September 7-10 to learn about the Vietnamese community in the localities.

Meeting with Vietnamese in Vancouver and Ottawa, Nam briefed them on guidelines and policies of the Party and the State as well as outstanding achievements Vietnam has gained over the recent past.

Thanks to such sound policies and guidelines, Vietnam has overcome a galaxy of challenges to reach goals of social equality, economic development and a higher position in the world arena, he said.

Nam also talked about issues of the overseas Vietnamese’s concern like nationality, land, housing, business investment, repatriation and the protection of national territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Acknowledging contributions made by the Vietnamese abroad to preserving and promoting Vietnamese culture in Canada, the Deputy FM urged them to contribute more to the nation.

He also congratulated the establishment of the Canada-Vietnam Society, which was launched in the Canadian capital of Ottawa last April.

The 250,000 people strong overseas Vietnamese community contributes significantly to Canada. They also serve as the bridge connecting the two nations.

Vietnamese food introduced at Asian Food & Culture Festival

Vietnam has introduced its traditional dishes at the ongoing Asian Food and Culture Festival 2016 in Prague, the Czech Republic.

The annual festival honors cuisines and promotes culture and tourism of Asian countries to Czech people.

20 Vietnamese food counters account for one thirds of the total booths at the event.

Chef Ho Viet said, “Czech people and other nationals prefer Vietnamese spring-rolls, tempura shrimp, grilled pork, chicken and beef noddle Pho. They appreciate the food very much. Vietnamese food is less fatty.”   

Other countries joining the festival included Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Mongolia, and India.

Vietnamese culture introduced in Ireland

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK and Ireland have jointly held a programme in Ireland’s capital of Dublin to introduce Vietnamese culture to Irish people.

The programme, which marked the 20th anniversary of the Vietnam-Ireland diplomatic ties and the 71st Vietnam’s National Day, comprised an exhibition and art performaces.

Opening the programme, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Khanh Hai said that the event aims to give Irish people a deeper insight of a beautiful nation of Vietnam with diverse culture and attractive tourist destination, thus fostering mutual understanding as well as friendship between the two sides.

Meanwhile, Ambassador to the UK and Ireland Nguyen Van Thao expressed his hope that achievements of bilateral ties over the past years will pave the way for further development of the cooperation between Vietnam and Ireland in the future.

Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Charles Flanagan highlighted similarities between the two nations, which is a foundation for their friendship over the past years. He also pledged to support Vietnam's efforts in poverty reduction.

Visitors to the event had a chance to enjoy 40 photographs featuring traditional products of Vietnam as well as the country’s cultural heritage, people and landscapes, together with folk music and dances.

Earlier, Deputy Minister Hai had a meeting with Irish Deputy Minister of Arts, Heritage, Region, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Feargal O’Coigligh, during which both sides vowed to strengthen affiliation in culture and art.

Hai also had a discussion with Maeve Nic Lochlainn from Ireland ’s Ministry of Transport, Tourism and Sport on policies and action programmes in sport and tourism. Both sides agreed to consider the possibility to sign a specific agreement to lay foundation for their future cooperation.

Kids with cleft palates receive free operations

Free medical check-ups and surgeries were provided for 20 children born with cleft lips and palates yesterday in Hà Nội.

The charity programme was held by Hà Nội-based An Việt General hospital in cooperation with international and non-governmental organisations in Việt Nam.

The children were assisted with travelling and accommodation expenses for treatment and operation at the hospital.

The programme has provided operations for nearly 120 children since it started in April this year.

Parents who wish to register for their children’s surgeries may contact the hospital on 0462628628 or email info@benhvietanviet.com.

Hygiene packages given to women in Kon Tum

The UN Women Việt Nam, in co-ordination with the Việt Nam Women’s Union, has provided 3,000 packages of hygiene products for disadvantaged women and girls in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum. 

UN Women Vietnam said on Saturday that the goods, including soap and hygiene products for women, were funded by aid worth US$300,000 from the Government of the Republic of Korea. 

The packages are hoped to help prevent the spread of diarrhoea, hand-foot-mouth disease and dengue fever. 

The aid delivery in Kon Tum is part of the plan to provide 20,500 such packages for disadvantaged women in the five provinces of Cà Mau, Kiên Giang, Bình Thuận, Kon Tum, and Gia Lai.

HCM City authorities earmark US$2mn for 200-year-old pagoda restoration

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City are restoring a pagoda dating back more than 200 years, as it has been seriously degraded over years, with over US$2 million allocated for the work.

The restoration work is being carried out at Giac Vien Pagoda, situated at 161/35/20 Lac Long Quan Street, District 11.

The 200-year-old structure is restored at an estimated cost of more than VND51 billion (US$2.2 million).

The restoration, approved by the municipal People’s Committee, started on Thursday and is expected to be completed next year.

In November 1993, the pagoda was recognized as a national architectural heritage site thanks to its folk style with many sophisticated antiques which reflect the Vietnamese wood carving art in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Giac Vien also has more than 150 ancient statues of valuable cultural and artistic characteristics.

In the next five years, Ho Chi Minh City authorities will invest around VND300 billion (US$13 million) in restoring 11 other cultural, historical monuments, the local Department of Culture and Sports said Friday on its website.

About 22,000 new lung cancer patients diagnosed in Vietnam each year: doctors

Around 22,000 new cases of lung cancer are recorded every year in Vietnam, where the disease is ranked among the top causes of death, doctors said at a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City on September 10.

Doctors and medical experts gathered at the seminar on the application of targeted therapy in improving survival for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients hosted by the Oncology Hospital.

According to figures presented by doctors at the event, around 22,000 Vietnamese people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year, while 19,500 die yearly from the disease.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death among Vietnamese males, and the second-most common cause of cancer-related fatalities among females, doctors said.

Over 34,000 people, men and women, in Vietnam are forecast to come down with the disease each year by 2020.

According to Vu Van Vu, head of the first internal ward at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, NSCLC accounts for 85% of all cases of lung cancer, with the majority of patients only diagnosed at a late stage when distant metastases have developed.

The rate of survival for these patients is extremely low, with less than five percent of NSCLC patients able to survive for five years or more since diagnosis.

Over the past ten years, targeted therapy has drastically improved treatment for NSCLC patients in Vietnam compared to traditional chemotherapy, doctors said at the seminar.

Targeted therapy is treatment using drugs that target gene changes in cells that cause cancer while doing less damage to normal, healthy cells, according to the American Cancer Society.

Three arrested for drug smuggling attempt

Three people have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to smuggle drugs into the central coastal province of Quảng Bình.

Local police also seized some 6,000 tablets of synthetic drugs, which were hidden on a subject’s body.

Đinh Đại Thắng, 35, from Minh Hóa District’s Hóa Hợp Commune was arrested on Saturday at Hồ Chí Minh Trail.

A short time later police moved in to arrest two more subjects, aged 37 and 41, in Bố Trạch District, who were waiting to receive the goods.

The two were recently released from prison and have criminal records for drug smuggling, the police said.

According to the police, Thắng has successfully shipped some 16,000 tablets from Laos to Việt Nam for consumption in the central provinces.

All three men were being questioned by investigators.

It is the largest drug trafficking case, so far, in Quảng Bình Province.

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