Nhân Chính Park opens to the public

A bird’s-eye view of the new park.— Photo laodong.vn

Nhân Chính Park, covering a total area of 13.2ha in Hà Nội’s two districts of Thanh Xuân and Cầu Giấy, has finally opened to the public more than a year behind schedule.

The park opens at 5am and closes at 11pm every day.

Construction of the park, with total capital investment of nearly VNĐ300 billion (US$12.9 million) from the State budget, began in May 2016 and was expected to be completed in June 2017. The investor is the People’s Committee of Thanh Xuân District.

The park includes many trees and flowers, as well as an 8-ha artificial lake. It aims to provide a green space for residents living in the city.  

It is estimated that hundreds of local people came to visit the park on Monday – the opening day.

A local resident said the park is green and clean; however, the park’s management board should place more seats so people could take a break while enjoying the park.

Đặng Hồng Thái, vice chairman of the People’s Committee told Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper that the main reason behind the delay was that under an initial design, there would be a 5-storey parking lot in the park.

The committee already signed a contract with a company to build the parking area, however, after signing the contract, the company did not implement the project as scheduled, Thái said.

The company thought it would be hard to recover their money as first expected, Thái said.

At present, the area set aside for the parking lot has been fenced off, while the rest of the park is open to the public, he added.

Another reason for the delay was that the People’s Committee proposed the city administration allow it to manage the park for the first 3-5 years instead of under the city’s management as initially planned, he said. 

Friendship trees planted at VN-Laos-Cambodia border T-junction

Competent forces of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are planting friendship trees at the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia border T-junction 

Competent forces of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are planting friendship trees at the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia border T-junction.

The Command of the Border Guard of the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, the Police Department of Cambodia’s Rattanakiri province and Company 541 of the Military High Command of Laos’ Attapeu province are planting more than 700 trees of different genres such as Burma padauk, Lythraceae, champaca.

The tree planting reflects the solidarity and close attachment between the three countries in general, between Kon Tum and neighbouring Rattanikiri, Attapeu and Sekong provinces, and between the border guard forces of the nations.

The activity also contributes to building borderlines of peace, stability, friendship, cooperation and further development.

The tree planting, which costs more than 300 million VND, is expected to be completed on September 15.

Kon Tum province will organise a wide range of exchange activities among the four provinces in early November.

Traffic safety campaign launched in Vinh Phuc province

Honda Vietnam presents 1,000 helmets to the province’s Traffic Safety Committee at the ceremony 

More than 500 young people of the northern province of Vinh Phuc attended a local traffic safety campaign launched on September 12 by Honda Vietnam Co. LTd. and the provincial People’s Committee.

The campaign, the fourth of its kind in Vietnam, aims to raise public awareness of traffic safety with various programmes such as traffic safety teaching for more than 1,000 local students and safe driving practice for workers of Exedy Company at Khai Quang Industrial Park.

Speaking at the event, Chief of Office of the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) Nguyen Trong Thai said that traffic accidents have been a global issue. It poses a formidable challenge for Vietnam and other countries across the world, he said.

In the first eight months of the year, traffic accidents killed 5,366 people, and injured 9,200 others, Thai said, adding that 23 people die and 60 are injured by traffic accidents on average each day.

The NTSC chose “Traffic Safety for Children” as the theme of the Traffic Safety Year 2018, aiming to reduce the number of children involved in traffic accidents by 10 percent from the year before. 

According to Phung Van Hue, a representative from Honda Vietnam Co. Ltd., the firm will work with the Ministry of Education and Training to carry out traffic safety education in schools, organise safe driving contests, and present more than 5,000 helmets to first-grade students.

At the launching ceremony, Honda Vietnam presented 1,000 helmets to the province’s Traffic Safety Committee, and organised a street parade to popularise the message of traffic safety to local people.

Dien Bien, northern Lao provinces enhance youth exchanges

The northern Dien Bien provincial Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) and its counterparts from the northern Lao provinces of Luang Prabang, Udomsay, and Phongsaly held talks in Dien Bien Phu city, Dien Bien province on September 12 to share work experience. 

Leaders of both sides affirmed the traditional friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation founded and fostered by Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Kaysone Phomvihane, as well as  generations of the two countries’ people and leaders of the two Parties and States. 

They pledged to enhance exchanges and voluntary activities to offer assistance to residents in border and disadvantaged areas in the four provinces, contributing to further deepening Vietnam-Laos and Laos-Vietnam special border relations. 

The provincial HCYU vowed to enhance training for youth union officials in three northern Lao localities. 

The Lao guests expressed their wishes that Dien Bien would pay more attention to their students who are pursuing education in local schools. 

Dang Thanh Huy, Secretary of the provincial HCYU, said over the past few years, youths from Dien Bien and northern Lao provinces have conducted practical, specific, and effective activities such as holding exchanges to share experience; protecting boundaries and border markers; maintaining social security and safety; fighting trans-border crimes; preventing hostile forces from sowing division; and offering mutual support in diverse areas. 

Following the talks, the two sides signed the talk minutes with commitments to further strengthening education campaigns on bilateral traditional friendship, fighting crimes in border areas, and facilitating the operations of young entrepreneurs.

Writing contest on gender equality launched

Scene at the ceremony 

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) launched a writing contest on gender equality at a ceremony in Hanoi on September 11.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Minister Nguyen Thi Ha highlighted progress recorded in the work for gender equality in Vietnam, particularly communications activities, which has helped change the perception of stereotypes, prevent domestic violence, empower women, and reduce gender imbalance.   

She pointed to a number of shortcomings, including low frequency of communications campaigns, and abuse of gender sensitivities, like violence against women and girls, in communications publications to attract viewers.

The official expressed her hope that the writing contest will contribute to implementing the national action plan on gender equality for 2016 – 2020 and honour reporters with quality articles on the matter.

The competition lasts until November 30, with an award ceremony scheduled to take place in mid-December. 

Vietnamese and foreigners living in Vietnam, as well as Vietnamese expatriates are eligible to submit one or several of their writings on related policies, regulations, exemplary people and models, solutions to shortcomings of gender work, and ideals to improve it.

The submissions can be freshly written or have been published between January 1, 2016 and November 25 this year.

There will be one first, two second, and three third prizes along 10 consolation prizes.

Culture week helps promote Vietnam-Cambodia friendship

Art performance at the event 

The “Vietnam Culture Week 2018” in Cambodia kicked off in Chaktomuk of Phnom Penh on September 11, contributing to promoting the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and its neighbour. 

Co-organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, the event is part of activities in the plan on culture and art cooperation between the two countries in 2018-2022. 

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Khanh Hai congratulated Cambodia on the success of the general election and the establishment of new Parliament and Government. 

He stressed that through the event, Vietnam wants to introduce Cambodian and international friends to the value of Vietnamese culture, expressing his belief that the week will contribute to lifting the friendship and cooperation between the two nations and their people to a new height. 

For his part, Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeung Sakona highlighted the close relationship and cooperation across fields between Vietnam and Cambodia, affirming that the annually meaningful programme helps reinforce the bilateral relations. 

After the opening ceremony, Vietnamese artists from the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet, the Vietnam National Academy of Music, and the Vietnam Circus Federation (VCF) performed traditional songs and dances of Vietnam such as Quan ho (love duet singing), dan bau (monochord) performance, and Champa dance. 

In the same day’s afternoon, Deputy Minister Hai paid a courtesy visit to Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeung Sakona. 

The “Vietnam Culture Week 2018” in Cambodia will last until September 15. Besides Phnom Penh, the Vietnamese artists will perform in Battambang. 

Since the two countries established diplomatic ties more than 50 years ago, the multi-faceted cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia have developed fruitfully, practically benefiting their people. 

Culture and tourism exchange programmes have been organised regularly, contributing to strengthening the solidarity and mutual understanding between the two nations.

Cultural events held in Canada, Bulgaria to mark National Day

Photo exhibition held within the“Vietnam Culture Week” in Ottawa, Canada 

The “Vietnam Culture Week” was held in Ottawa, Canada on September 11 as part of activities to mark the 73rd anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day (September 2) and the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Canada.

In his opening remark, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien underlined the significant role of culture in the international integration, saying that culture creates a foundation for the preservation of peace and serves as a motive for the development of other sectors.

The week, the first of its kind organised since the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic ties, features various activities such as art performances and photo and tourism exhibitions. It would nudge Vietnamese culture and people closer to the Canadian friends, thus consolidating and developing the comprehensive partnership between the two nations.

For his part, Canadian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ian Shugard stressed that the two nations have enjoyed long-standing friendship and sound relations thanks to the visits by high-ranking leaders from both sides. 

Those included Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s visit to Vietnam in November last year to attend the 25th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, and PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to Canada in June this year to attend the Expanded G7 Summit, he said.

According to the official, the bilateral ties have been deepened by robust achievements in two-way trade and education cooperation. Vietnam is currently the largest trade partner of Canada in the ASEAN, and ranks fifth among the countries having the largest number of students in the American nation. 

On September 8, the Vietnamese Embassy in Bulgaria organised a celebration for the 73rd anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day. 

A Vietnam-Bulgaria friendship concert was staged on the occasion by Vietnamese traditional artists and Bulgaria’s Sofia orchestra.

Also, the embassy opened a photo exhibition to publicize Vietnam’s beauty, and held a banquet with an array of Vietnamese traditional dishes, which created good impression on international friends.

Workshop reviews assistance for returnee victims of trafficking

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the International Organisation for Migration held a workshop in Hanoi on September 11 to review policies and legal regulations on assistance for returnee victims of trafficking.

Participants said human trafficking in Vietnam tends to be on the rise. Traffickers have created many trans-provincial and transnational rings that take advantage of social networks to make acquaintance with and trick women and girls into illegal marriage, surrogacy, prostitution and forced labour.

According to a report of the Vietnamese Government’s steering committee for crime prevention and control, from 2012 to 2017, authorised forces rescued and received about 7,500 trafficking victims. 

More than 90 percent of them were women and girls while over 80 percent were ethnic minority people with limited knowledge and awareness and disadvantaged economic conditions. Over 70 percent of the victims did farm work or were unemployed, 37 percent were illiterate, and about 6.8 percent were young people.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha said more than 98 percent of the victims were trafficked to other countries, mainly China (over 90 percent). Nearly 80 percent of them were forced into marriage and sexual exploitation.

She added that after being rescued or received by relevant agencies, all the victims were provided with psychological support, medical check-ups and legal aid. About half of them have also been helped to reintegrate into society.

Many participants acknowledged the attention that the National Assembly and the Government have paid to the fight against human trafficking and the reception and assistance for returnee victims. Since the Law on Human Trafficking Prevention and Control took effect in 2012, synchronous legal documents and policies have been issued, creating a more favourable legal framework for receiving and supporting the return and integration of trafficking victims.

However, the reception and assistance for them have yet to meet expectations due to certain problems relating to mechanisms and policies, they noted.

Sen. Lt. Col. Nguyen Van Trang, deputy head of the anti-human trafficking division of the Ministry of Public Security, said although the revised Penal Code came into effect on January 1, 2018, there haven’t been any documents guiding the implementation of Articles 150 and 151 on human trafficking.

Notably, after returning, few victims reported their cases to police, leading to difficulties in the investigation and punishment of traffickers. Some victims left their places of residence because of the feeling of shame and the fear of revenge.

The rescue and investigation also faced many obstacles as in most cases, victims were brought deep into other countries’ territories, Trang added.

At the workshop, participants called for existing legal regulations and policies to be revised. They said the 2005 decree on administrative penalties in the field of social security, order and safety should be amended to exempt trafficking victims from liability when they got involved in prostitution or illegal exit and entrance. Meanwhile, the Law on Legal Assistance should be supplemented to include trafficking victims in groups eligible for free legal aid. –VNA

A play by French director Caroline Guila Nguyen will be performed at Ben Thanh Theatre of Ho Chi Minh City on September 21-22, announced French Consul General to the city Vincent Floreani.

The play Saigon, which is performed by 11 French, Vietnamese and overseas Vietnamese artists, is part of activities to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and France (April 12, 1973 - 2018).

At a press conference held on September 11, Floreani said that “Saigon” was a success at the Avignon Theatre Festival in the summer of 2017 and won the warm response of audiences at prestigious theatres all over the world.

The play tells the stories of French and Vietnamese people which spanned 40 years from 1956-1996.

It reflected the Vietnamese society in 1956 when the last French left Saigon, now HCM City, and in 1996 when overseas Vietnamese were allowed to visit their homeland after many years.

On the occasion, 300 tickets of the play were presented to students learning French language.

Director Caroline Guiela Nguyen was born to a Vietnamese mother and a French father. She received the honour Chevalier des Arts et des Letters (Knight of Arts and Letters) in 2016 and was nominated for Moliere Awards in 2015 and 2018 for her works “Elle brule” and “Saigon”.

Representatives of Russia’s Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) handed over a mobile lab to Major General Nguyen Hong Du, Director of the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre on September 11 on the sidelines of the fourth Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

The hi-tech lab, which is designed in a Kamaz van, can detect 78 kinds of virus and define factors causing most dangerous diseases such as plague, smallpox, and Ebola. 

It is scheduled to be transported to Vietnam in late November this year on the 30th founding anniversary of the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre.

According to Rospotrebnadzor, the lab will help supervise natural epidemic hotbeds in Vietnam as it meets requirements in biological safety by using advanced monitoring and detection technologies.

Currently, Vietnamese and Russian experts at the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre are working together to prevent infectious diseases, contributing to ensuring food safety, while implementing scientific researches in epidemiology, parasitology, and many other areas.

In 2014, a similar lab was successfully put into operation in Guinea, allowing the conduct of a series of researches amidst extreme weather in remote areas of the country.

Binh Duong: Work begins on international school for foreign experts’ children

At the ground breaking ceremony 

Construction for the Viet Hoa International School officially started on September 10 in Hoa Phu ward, Thu Dau Mot city in the southern province of Binh Duong.

The 13,000sq.m school is being built at a total cost of 180 billion VND (7.74 million USD).  Once operational in September 2019, the school’s 30 classrooms equipped with modern facilities will be able to welcome some 800 kindergarten and primary students.

The school will provide the opportunity for children of Taiwanese, Japanese, and Korean experts and business people, as well as Vietnamese children, to study in an internationally qualified environment. 

It is expected to bolster the development of Binh Duong through human resources training, while also enhancing friendship cooperation with foreign countries.

The school will apply the Montessori schooling method which supports the natural development of children according to their own interests.

Book on Fourth Industrial Revolution launched

Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of WEF, and Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son at a press conference to launch a book on 4IR. 

A book on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in the Vietnamese language has been launched on the occasion of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2018 (WEF on ASEAN 2018), aiming to help enhance public understanding of the 4IR. 

Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son attended a press conference on September 11 to launch the book, forming part of activities in the framework of the ongoing WEF on ASEAN 2018 in Hanoi.

Klaus Schwab, author of the book, expressed his hope that the book will serve as a catalyst that helps Vietnamese people become a major force in the 4IR.

“My message is countries which miss the 4IR will be the losers of tomorrow,” Klaus Schwab said. “We cannot overestimate the impact of the 4IR, not only to business models but also to economy and society,” he added.

Economies need to make sure their policy making will help entrepreneurs see the revolution not as a threat but as opportunities, not only for Vietnam but for the whole region, thus making the region the most competitive force in the future, he said.

In the book, which has been translated into 29 languages, Prof. Schwab described how new technologies are fundamentally changing the way people live, work and communicate with each other, showing that the 4IR goes beyond what we saw in the past in terms of size, speed, and scope.

“The book provides a comprehensive overview of major trends which shape our world while giving readers with a way of thinking and analyzing the historic changes to ensure the benefit of this revolution,” Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Son said.

Son, who instructed the translation of the book into Vietnamese, expressed his thanks to Prof. Schwab for granting the book translation and publishing in Vietnam, saying that it will be a valuable reference for Vietnam to be well prepared for the 4IR.

Answering reporters at the press conference on Vietnam’s preparation for the WEF ASEAN 2018, Klaus Schwab emphasized the effective cooperation and partnership between the WEF and Vietnam for the event.

“The WEF ASEAN 2018, with participation of over 1,000 delegates from the region and global businesses, is the WEF’s biggest meeting in ASEAN. It shows confidence and potential of Vietnam and ASEAN,” he said.

The WEF ASEAN 2018 themed ’ASEAN 4.0: Entrepreneurship and the Fourth Industrial Revolution’ is taking place in Hanoi from September 11-13.

The 1,000 participants are from 43 countries and regions. Among the delegates are the prime ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka, the presidents of Indonesia and the Philippines, and Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.

The event provides platform for government and business leaders to discuss and share policy ideas and initiatives for the region’s key issues, especially in the face of the 4th industrial revolution.

In 2010, Vietnam hosted the World Economic Forum on East Asia for the first time.

The WEF was established in 1971 as a non-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva. The forum engages political, business, and other leaders to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.

Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups together Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.