Operation Pacific Angel plane lands in Da Nang

A C-130 transport airplane landed at Da Nang International Airport yesterday, as part of Operation Pacific Angel 15, running in Quang Ngai province from March 14 to April 3.

The operation included an exchange between the United States Air Force and Viet Nam Air Force and Defence at the airport on the same day, on the capabilities of C-130 airplanes in humanitarian and disaster-relief missions.

Operation Pacific Angel is a joint and combined humanitarian assistance exercise led by the United States Pacific Air Forces.

The three key programmes of PACANGEL are health services, civil construction and expert exchanges on health matters, providing optometry, dental, women's health and physical therapy, as well as other health services for local patients.

Over 2 million foreign visitors to Vietnam in first quarter

The number of foreign tourists to Vietnam in the first quarter of this year is estimated to reach 2,007,884, down 13.7% against the same period last year, announced the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO).

Of them, 1,700,480 travelled by air (down 8%) while 18,058 by sea (down 36.7%) and 289,346 by land (down 35.8%).

In the reviewed period, the predominant increases came from the Republic of Korea (up 31.4%), Finland (28.2%), Spain (10.8%), Singapore (7.1%), Italy (6%), the US (2.9%), Japan (0.8%) and Germany (0.2%) against last year.

The number of domestic visitors in the first three months is estimated at 19.5 million and the tourism sector earned VND96,359 billion in revenue, a year-on-year increase of 1.9%.

Vietnam, Cuba labour agencies boost cooperation

The labour agencies of Vietnam and Cuba will strengthen their relationship following the visit of Secretary General of the Confederation of Cuban Workers (CTC) Ulises de Nascimiento to Vietnam.

At his working session with Cuban officials on March 31, Chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Dang Ngoc Tung said Secretary General Nascimiento’s visit was a demonstration of the unity and friendship between the two agencies and countries.

While congratulating Nascimiento on the success of the 20th Congress of the CTC, Tung expressed his belief that the two sides will continue to coordinate and build the strong relationship between the two countries’ workers and unions.

Expressing his delight at the enthusiastic reception from the VGCL, Secretary General Nascimiento thanked the VGCL’s assistance to the CTC in recent years and hoped the visit would enhance the relationship between the two agencies and the diplomatic relations between the two nations.

The delegation is scheduled to pay their respects to the late President Ho Chi Minh and meet with State President Truong Tan Sang and other union agencies.

Formosa scaffold collapse to face trial

The Police Agency in central Ha Tinh province began criminal proceedings against the case of a recent serious scaffold collapse due to a labour law violation, unveiled the agency’s Vice Director Bui Dinh Quang on March 31.

The incident occurred at 8pm on March 25 when around 100 workers were working on a 30-metre scaffold at Taiwanese-invested Formosa steel complex project in the Vung Ang economic zone.

Thirteen died and 28 sustained injuries in the accident.

A failure in the hydraulic brake system in the structure is to blame for the tragedy.

Kim Hyung Sub, Deputy General Director of the project’s contractor Samsung C&T, admitted his company’s remiss in operating the scaffold.

Fishing boats fined for near-shore fishing violations

Two fishing boats were fined VNĐ48 million (US$2,200) for violating Viet Nam's near-shore fishing regulations yesterday in the Central Quang Binh Province.

The two boats numbered TH 91585-TS and TH91586-TS with 11 crew members on-board were found catching fish illegally by the border patrol force and inspectors from the province's Department of Aquatic Resource Exploitation and Protection.

An official from the department said near-shore fishing must be stopped as it would result in the exhaustion of the province's fisheries resources.

HCM City to build Hiep Phuoc 1 Residential Quarter

The HCM City People's Committee has sought approval for the construction of the Hiep Phuoc 1 Residential Quarter in the Hiep Phuoc Port Urban Zone in Nha Be District.

The approval has been sought from the Ministry of Construction. The project will be spread over an area of more than 29 hectares, where houses for resettlement residents will be built in the Hiep Phuoc Industrial Zone, along with other buildings, by project investor Tan Thuan Industrial Promotion Co. Ltd.

The project will include the construction of more than 2,000 flats for resettlement residents and involve a total investment of nearly VND4.3 trillion (US$204.7 million). The construction period will be four years.

It is expected to be the biggest urban zone and industrial zone in the city.

Ship rescues fisherman injured in propeller accident

The Regional Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordination Centre No 2 (MRCC Da Nang) rescued an injured fisherman 195 nautical miles off the central city yesterday.

The fisherman, named Chau Minh Duong, 22, from Duc Pho district in Quang Ngai Province, had a leg cut off by a propeller of the fishing boat (QNg 94299 TS) at noon on Monday.

The maritime centre's rescue ship, SAR 412, located the boat and transported the fisherman to the Da Nang General Hospital.

Duong is receiving urgent medical treatment at the hospital.

Cosmetics goods to be tested for origins

Ha Noi's Market Watch sent samples of confiscated goods from Xuan Thuy Cosmetics Ltd to the police for testing, said Le Viet Phuong, deputy captain Market Watch Unit 14.

On Saturday the company failed to show proper origins documents for 110 cosmetics boxes, 320 bottles of product and other items found in their possession.

They were also found to be repackaging the items in smaller containers for sale.

A company representative said the goods were imported from Thailand and Korea in bulk and then later split into smaller packages for retail. He said his company did not intend to mislead customers.

WB funds planting of industrial trees

The central province of Thua Thien Hue Province has planted 17,300ha of trees to cover the barren hills and help lift local farmers out of poverty.

Acacia forests that can be harvested for industrial wood after just three or four years have been planted in the districts of Phong Dien, Huong Tra, Huong Thuy and Phu Loc.

The World Bank has provided loans to farmers while the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has given them technical support for the Forest Section Development Project.

The project grants forest land to farmers to help them escape from poverty.

"The project has helped facilitate the process of granting forest land to households and increased forest coverage on the areas more barren areas," said Tran Hung Long, deputy director of the forestry and agriculture development unit in Huong Tra District.

Ho Da The, a farmer from Phu Loc District, said he earned around VND200 million (US$9,300) per hectare over the past eight years after planting trees.

"It is a sizable amount of money and has helped improve my family's living conditions," he said.

Farmer Ho Dac Ngu said favourable loans from the project had allowed him to delay the harvest, which meant better quality wood and higher prices.

The project has also been carried out in the central provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai. Since March 2005, 76,500ha of Acacia trees have been planted by 43,000 households.

The project has cost $100.19 million with more than two thirds coming from World Bank loans, supported by ODA from the Global Environmental Facility, the Finnish Trust Fund for Forestry, the European Commission and the Vietnamese Government.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development regarded the project a successful one to reduce deforestation area in the Central region of Viet Nam and foster the forest land granting to farmers.

Victoria Kwakwa, World Bank Country Director for Viet Nam, said she expected the experience from the project to benefit other regions and countries and improve environmental protection.

Farmers have also asked for more funding to develop their forests and plant other species of trees.

Swedish Speaker promotes traffic safety in Hanoi

A Swedish delegation led by Parliament Speaker Urban Ahlin rode motorbikes through Hanoi streets on March 31 as part of an effort to raise public awareness of the importance of wearing safety helmets.

They departed the Swedish Embassy on Kim Ma Street at 9am and travelled to the headquarters of the Ministry of Transport on Tran Hung Dao Street to discuss transport cooperation measures with Minister Dinh La Thang.

Sweden is an exemplary model for traffic safety with only around 300 traffic accidents each year.

The Swedish delegation came to Vietnam to attend the 132 Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU-132)

Vulnerable communities in disaster zones to receive support

A programme to support communities in the disaster-affected areas of northern Dien Bien province, Hai Phong city and southern Tien Giang province was launched on March 31.

The three-year programme aims to increase the disaster preparedness and resilience of 6,000 vulnerable children and 30,000 community members.

The Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Vietnam project aims to improve the safety of 12 schools and to reduce the risk and impacts of disasters through providing training for teachers and children on disaster preparedness and methods to reduce the consequences of disasters.

The project will also support communities in organising disaster-prevention drills and developing plans for better resilience, as well as advocating for the use of risk-reduction education in communities and schools.

The project will be funded by the Prudence Foundation and implemented by Save the Children in coordination with the Ministry of Education and provincial centers for flood and storm control from 2015 to 2017.

Every year, two million people are estimated to be affected by the frequent storms and typhoons that hit Vietnam. The majority of them are children who are living in high-risk areas.

HCM City to improve road safety

Ho Chi Minh City will work with the Bloomberg Philanthropies fund to implement a transportation safety programme through 2019.

The cooperation was the focal topic of a recent meeting between Deputy Chairman Nguyen Huu Tin of the municipal People’s Committee and the fund’s Programme Director Kelly Larson on March 31.

Low investment in transportation infrastructure and the limited number of law-abiding residents on the road stand counter to the rapid growth of the southern hub, informed Tin.

HCM City has worked to improve its public transport system and launched campaigns to raise local awareness, resulting in a 21 percent annual reduction of accidents and 7 percent reduction in mortality.

There is still much to be done to address safety concerns and the assistance from international organisations like Bloomberg Philanthropies is a great source of encouragement for the city’s efforts, Tin declared.

Larson hoped the bilateral engagement would produce practical and effective initiatives within the next five years.

The Global Road Safety Initiative initiated by Bloomberg Philanthropies aims to reduce fatalities and injuries from road accidents. With a new commitment of 125 million USD over five years, the program will work at both the national level to strengthen road safety legislation and the city level to implement proven road safety interventions.

HCM City is among ten selected cities to be sponsored by the fund.

Canadian students build kitchen for Vietnam nursery

A group of 25 high school students from Canada are about to finish building a kitchen for a nursery in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue where lunch will be provided to more than 100 kids.

The West Island College students have helped transport materials to build the 20-square-meter kitchen at the Huong Toan nursery since March 28. Some practiced building skills under the guidance of local workers.

They also donated VND100 million (US$5,000) to fund the construction.

The nursery, located in Huong Tra District, a small town of the central province, has not had a kitchen to prepare lunches for its 100 students until now

The children, many of whom live far away from the school, had to carry hurriedly-prepared lunch boxes with them or go back home around noon for lunch.

Nguyen Vinh, a tour guide of the Canadian group, said that students from the Canadian school travel on volunteer trips six times a year.  

State officials discuss Q1 road safety measures

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired an online conference reviewing outcomes of road safety programmes nationwide in the first quarter on March 31.

Road accidents totalled 5,850 cases in the reviewed time, leaving 2,345 people dead and 5448 others injured.

Compared to the same period last year, reductions were seen in the number of accidents (11.11 percent), fatalities (3.38 percent) and injuries (15.07 percent).

Thirty-six out of 63 cities and provinces recorded a decrease in mortality rate, particularly southern Dong Nai province, which posted a drop of more than 50 percent.

Nguyen Van Thanh, Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transportation Association, raised concerns about the loose control of driving tests and drivers’ performance.

He stressed the urgent need for detailed inspection of drivers’ route data and stronger measures to be taken against drunk driving.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Dinh La Thang showed his determination to clear the issue of overweight transportation.

Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is also head of the National Committee on Road Safety, required local administrations’ greater involvement in handling transport issues.

He suggested heavier fines on law violators and intensive patrols at accident-prone places.

18-year-old son kills mom for jewelries

The police in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has detained a 18-year-old man living in Rach Gia City for killing his mother for her jewelries, the deputy chief of the local police agency told Tuoi Tre on March 30.

The local police agency has decided to arrest Nguyen Kha Dat, who was born in 1997, for further investigation to prosecute him on two counts of murder and robbery, said Colonel Hoang Quoc Viet, deputy chief of the municipal police division in charge of social crimes (PC45).

At the investigation agency, Dat claimed that he killed his mother, Nguyen Thi Minh Trinh, 42, at their house at night on March 5, after his mother refused to offer him the money he needed to buy a new motorbike, said the police agency.

Dat said he pushed his mother so that she fell backwards on the floor after a fierce argument with her. After that, seeing his mother wearing many pieces of gold jewelries, Dat thought of killing her for the jewelries so that he can sell for money to buy a new motorbike, according to the police agency.

Dat told the police that he then took a piece of wood to hit his mother’s head two or three times.

After realizing his mother was dead, Dat took all the jewelries but an ivory bracelet, and carried her body to dump into a big earthen jar used to store rainwater on the back of the house. Dat also dumped all of his mother’s clothes into the same place to conceal about her disappearance.

According to the findings of the police in the field, after hiding the body of his mother in the jar, knowing that the body would likely stink up, Dat poured a lot of fabric softener into it in an attempt to conceal the crime as long as he could.

When Van asked Dat about the strange unpleasant smell, he replied that the stink came from the clogged sewer in the back of the house.According to Nguyen Thi Van, 63, a neighbor, she smelled the stench several days before the police jumped in and found the body dumped in the jar for 24 days.

Trinh’s relatives held a funeral for her at her homeland in Bac Lieu on March 30 after the body was recovered by the police.

Opinions sought for Social Labour Law

Public comments about the Social Labour Law 2014 will be listened to and collected, Doan Mau Diep, deputy minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, has said.

Speaking at an urgent press conference held in HCM City late on Monday, he said that all opinions and ideas from labourers would be submitted to the Government and National Assembly when they compile the Law's guiding circulars and decrees.

He said labourers could contact their company's labour unions if they had ideas or information related to the law's provisions and regulations.

The urgent press conference was organised after a demonstration was held from last Thursday at the Taiwanese PouYuen Company Ltd in HCM City's Binh Tan District.

Workers at this leather and footwear company went on strike to show their disagreement with the new Social Labour Law 2014, which is expected to take effect in 2016.

In the new law, labourers will no longer receive one-time social insurance payments right after they quit their jobs. The payment would only be given at their age of retirement (60 for males and 55 for females).

Diep said the new law would ensure social welfare and help labourers have a regular stable income after retirement. It would also encourage labourers to accumulate their social insurance payment time until they retire.

When they quit a job, their payments will be reserved until they have a new job. If they do not get a new job, they can pay voluntary insurance.

Yesterday morning, the ministry's representatives met with labourers of PouYuen Company to explain the new law.

Tat Thanh Cang, deputy chairman of HCM City's People's Committee, said at the press conference that after the demonstration occurred, the city took action to support the company and ensure security.

He said that HCM City would always protect labourers' and companies' rights and benefits.

Cang also said the city would no longer disseminate information about the new Social Labour Law 2014, and would inform labourers in detail about the law after having the guiding circulars and decrees.

Dak Lak suffers from drought

About 31,000 hectares of crops in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, including 6,000 hectares of rice and 23,000 hectares of coffee, are suffering from the effects of a prolonged drought.

According to the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the damage was estimated at 980 billion VND (46 million USD) with the most affected areas in the Krong Nang, Krong Buk, Ea Kar, M’Drak, Krong Bong, and Buon Ho districts.

The situation is expected to worsen as the drought continues, affecting up to 40,000 hectares of crops through the end of April.

To cope with the drought, provincial leaders asked local authorities to guide community members to dredge ponds and reservoirs and free the flow of streams to make full use of water resources.

The province also directed competent sectors to apply rotational water supply for areas, with priority given to people’s daily use, animal husbandry, perennial industrial crops such as coffee and pepper.

The lack of water has not only affected agricultural production but also the daily lives of thousands of households in the province.

According to the Dak Lak Water Supply and Construction JSC, the company runs about 10,000 cubic metres short each day, meeting only 75-80 percent of local demand for clean water.

Child protection portal launched

A portal has been launched at http://treem.gov.vn to better serve anybody wishing to search for information related to child protection and care.

Addressing the opening ceremony on March 31 in Hanoi, Dang Hoa Nam Director of the Department of Child Protection and Care under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, said the initiative aims to develop an online database system on child protection that is accessible to more people.

The multimedia portal, which provides a diversity of data types such as video, audio, text and pictures, will also provide information for child protection organisations and staff, Nam said.

The portal is also expected to help mobilise incentives and social resources for this child protection and care, he added.

In 2015, the department will continue developing software managing information on children in localities while setting up a general database system that integrates information at all levels.

Staff will be trained on how to use the system, thus enhancing the management of child protection and care nationwide.

Rice supplied to poor students in Quang Binh

The central province of Quang Binh will provide about 312 tonnes of rice aid for 5,211 local students in 48 schools in six poor districts.

Accordingly, each student will receive 15 kilogrammes of rice each month over a period of four months.

The provincial People’s Committee has asked the Department of Education and Training in collaboration with the local districts’ People Committees to distribute the rice to eligible beneficiaries before April 10.

The rice aid for poor student is part of more than 1,200 tonnes of rice granted by the Government to the province to help poor people overcome the current between-crop food shortage.

Binh Phuoc, Kratie tighten ties

The southern province of Binh Phuoc took a further step to tighten ties with its Cambodian bordering province of Kratie with a memorandum of understanding on cooperation and mechanism for a twinning relationship in the field of defence.

The MoU was signed at a meeting on March 30 between the Binh Phuoc provincial military command and the Cambodian army’s military sub-zone in Kratie.

At the signing ceremony, the two sides informed each other of the situation on the border in the past years and agreed on contents for cooperation in 2015 between the two military agencies.

The ‘twinning relationship’ mechanism is intended to encourage residents on both sides of the border to obey and follow border management regulations; to enhance cooperation in searching for and repatriating remains of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and military experts who died in Cambodia during wartime.

The two sides also agreed to maintain periodical meetings, exchange of information and work together to detect and deal with activities violating border management regulations or plots to destablise the border.

The two provinces promised to hold various activities to welcome Cambodia’s 62th National Day, Vietnam’s 70th National Day and the VPA’s 71th founding day.

In 2014, the border was judged as stable without any serious incidents.

Vietnamese diplomat honoured with French order of merit

Nguyen Thi Bich Hue, Minister- Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy in Paris has been awarded France’s National Order of Merit in recognition of her contributions to boosting friendship between the two country.

Jean-Francois Girault, former French Ambassador to Vietnam presented the decoration to the Vietnamese diplomat at a ceremony in Paris on March 27.

Addressing the event, Elisabeth Laurin from the French Foreign Ministry highlighted Hue’s significant service to the successful organisation of the Vietnam-France Exchange Year (2013-2014) and the arrangement of high-ranking visits of both nations’ leaders.

She said her agency will further forge links with its Vietnamese counterparts in the future, thus strengthening the bilateral relations.

In reply, Minister- Counsellor Hue expressed her honour to receive the distinction, promising to make more efforts to promote the Vietnam-France Friendship.

Founded in 1963, the National Order of Merit honours French citizens and foreign nationals for their distinguished civil or military achievements to France.-

US-funded disaster response centre inaugurated in Quang Ngai

A disaster prevention and response centre funded by the Command of the US Navy officially went into operation on March 30 in central Quang Ngai province.

Construction on the three-storey centre began in June 2014. It was built at a total investment of more than 420,000 USD.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Rena Bitter said that the centre will help Quang Ngai province effectively respond to disasters, serving as a shelter for locals and providing a contact and communication point.

The centre is one of many being built in Vietnam by the US to mark 20 years since the normalisation of bilateral diplomatic ties between the two nations, she added.

Over 25,000 labourers sent oversea in Q1

Vietnam sent more than 25,766 workers overseas in the first quarter this year, up 10.7 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the Overseas Labour Management Department (OLMD) under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

The figure represented 27 percent of the year's target.

In March alone, as many as 8,560 went abroad under working contracts, mostly to Taiwan, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, and Middle East countries.

Vietnam sent a record-high 105,840 guest workers abroad in 2014, 110 percent of the year's target, according to statistics from the OLMD.

Compared to 2013, the number of Vietnamese guest workers sent to Taiwan increased to 62,000 from 46,000, while those working in Japan rose from 9,600 to nearly 20,000.

According to Nguyen Luong Trao, Chairman of the Vietnam Labour Export Association, last year the highest number of guest workers went to Northeast Asia, around 90,000, accounting for 86 percent of the total 40 labour-export markets.

Hoi An comes under spotlight in Italy

La Stampa, Italy’s third most popular newspaper, called the ancient town of Hoi An in central coastal Quang Nam province an ideal Asian destination in 2015 in an article titled “Hoi An, a multinational Vietnam”.

La Stampa introduced readers to the town’s history since it was a busy trading port on the north bank of Hoai River between the 16 th and 17 th centuries, saying that a fusion of indigenous and foreign cultures, which has been carefully preserved to date, is what makes the town attractive to visitors.

It appeals to visitors with beautiful tiled-roof houses embellished with unique details and carved wooden pillars alongside folk symbols to protect the owners from misfortune.

Both Eastern and Western influences can be seen in Hoi An, ranging from pagodas and bridges in Chinese and Vietnamese designs to remains of the French colonial mansions, the newspaper said.

Tourists should not miss Hoi An during its magical full moon nights as electric lights are switched off and the streets sparkle in the light of silk lanterns hung from houses to shops.

The article also recommended several restaurants, coffee shops and hotels to its readers where they can experience local cuisine without breaking the bank.

Hoi An was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.

Vietnam’s towns and landscapes have been recommended by foreign newspapers and travel magazines, such as La Repubblica, La, Stampa, Dove and Conde Nast Traveller.

Sapa, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, the Mekong Delta and Hoi An are the most-frequently mentioned favourite destinations.

Vietnam welcomed around 50,000 Italian travellers and some 7 million international arrivals in 2013.

Son La complete 122 projects for resettled communities

The People’s Committee of the northern mountainous province of Son La said that during the first quarter of this year it completed 122 projects serving resettlement communities.

The projects include roads, electricity, water and irrigation systems, public works, schools and production assistance, all of which are intended to boost socio-economic development in areas established to accommodate people relocated to make way for the construction of the Son La hydroelectric power plant.

Since 2003, the province has established 269 resettlement areas and completed 2,022 related infrastructure projects, representing 93 percent of the projects approved by the Government.

The province currently has 178 projects underway.

The 2,400 MW Son La Hydropower Plant, the largest project in Southeast Asia, is situated in It Ong Commune, Muong La District of Son La province. Over 20,000 households in Dien Bien, Son La and Lai Chau provinces had to move to make way for the project.

The plant was officially put into operation on December 23, 2012, after seven years of construction, three years earlier than scheduled. It supplies on average 10.2 billion kWh each year to the national grid.

Scholarships worth VND8 billion presented to students in Thua Thien – Hue

Japanese SoShi Education Group on March 29 presented 37 scholarships worth more than VND8 billion (US$368,000) for high school students in central Thua Thien – Hue province who plan to enroll for Japan’s International Pacific University (IPU), one of SoShi’s partners.

Among the students, 14 of them received 50% of the value of the scholarship, 22 students received 30% and Hoang Ngoc Bich Tran from Quoc Hoc Hue High School for the Gifted was presented a full scholarship. All students have passed requirements for the scholarships, recording high results in tests for English or Japanese, math and essay writing by the SoShi.

SoShi is one of the five largest educational groups in Japan with over 30,000 Japanese and international students studying in 120 international high schools, colleges and universities.

In early 2015, IPU launched a contest for SoShi scholarships which drew the participation of over 2,400 students in 76 high schools in nine localities of Vietnam including Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Vinh Phuc, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thua Thien – Hue, and Da Nang. Hanoi accounted for the most with over 1,000 contestants. Participants had the opportunity to receive scholarships covering 30%, 50% and 100% of tuition fees with a total value of up to US$32,000 for an entire four-year tertiary course in Japan.

The same day, 75 students in Hai Phong and 57 in Da Nang were also presented SoShi scholarships, along with 496 in Hanoi, 62 in Vinh Phuc and 37 in Hai Duong. Similar ceremonies will be held over the next few days to present the scholarships to winners in Ha Tinh, Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri