Enterprises encouraged to help locals improve living conditions

Enterprises have a responsibility to help locals improve living conditions, Deputy PM Trịnh Đình Dũng told people, businesses and workers in Nhân Cơ Commune in Central Highland’s Đắk Nông Province.

Dũng made the request at a working visit on Thursday to the Nhân Cơ Alumina Plant, the country’s first alumina production project, and the Đắk Nông Alumina Extraction Plant in the Central Highland province.

He emphasised this responsibility, saying enterprises must pay tribute to locals who move their premises to make room for the plants.

Điểu N’Tới, a resident who persuaded other locals to move while working at the Land Clearance Board of the alumina plant project, said locals understood and supported the development of the plants.

They hoped the plants’ operation would help create more jobs, thus helping in increasing their income and improving living conditions.

Deputy PM Dũng also said environmental protection and community health must be given priority during operation of the Nhân Cơ alumina plant. The Government leader commended the plant investor -- Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin) -- on selecting advanced technology for both production and waste treatment for the plant.

He noted that the plant has contributed significantly to economic growth in the Central Highlands in general and Đắk Nông in particular, creating jobs for locals. The plant’s products are input materials for the alumina industry and other industries in Việt Nam.

Nhân Cơ Alumina Plant, the country’s first alumina production project, is invested by Vinacomin.

With total investment surpassing VNĐ16.8 trillion (US$739.2 million ), the Nhân Cơ project consists of the Nhân Cơ alumina plant and bauxite mining, with capacity of some 650,000 tonnes of alumina annually. 

The Nhân Cơ plant is now undergoing a trial run and is scheduled to be handed over to Vinacomin within the first quarter of 2017. 

As of January 11, it produced 67.301 tonnes of hydrate and 21,828 tonnes of alumina, in total. The plant shipped 100 tonnes of hydrate to the Republic of Korea in December 2016 and another 100 tonnes to Japan in early January.

MoLISA strives for sustainable job generation

In 2017, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) targets to generate jobs, stabilize the labor market, cut poverty rate in a sustainable fashion.

The MoLISA convened a video-teleconference to assess the implementation of tasks in 2016 and set orientations and goals for 2017.

MoLISA Vice Minister Dao Hong Lan said that in 2016, around 1.64 million people found jobs, meeting 102.5% of the preset goal, up 1% against 2015. Especially, 126,000 guest workers, a record number, were sent abroad. Unemployment rate was 2.03% in general, 3.18% in urban areas, and 1.86% in rural areas. Over 574,000 people applied for unemployment subsidy, representing a year-on-year surge of 12.06%.

In 2016, 242 strikes took place, lower than the previous month.

Up to 2.7 million of social beneficiaries got regular subsidy with nearly VND 15 trillion of expenditure.

On the upcoming Lunar New Year festival, the MoLISA proposed the PM provide over 67,000 tons of rice and back over 3.4 million natural disaster victims.

In 2017, the ministry will look to stabilize and broaden labor market; reduce poverty in a sustainable manner; and take care of social beneficiaries.

Hanoians follow environmental information online

Residents in Hanoi City can now get updates on key environmental indicators such as air quality, precipitation, rain and flooding on a website at hanoi.gov.vn/quantracmoitruong.

The project is aimed at helping Hanoians and tourists get instant information about the environment and raising awareness on environmental issues among firms, organizations and the public, according to the Hanoi Department of Information and Communications.

City authorities have set up 10 air monitoring stations. In particular, two automated monitoring stations regularly update information about air quality, and eight sensor stations monitor air quality in some parts of the city, facilitating the monitoring, management and modeling of air quality.

Data is visually displayed on a live map, enabling people to easily track and compare among various locations. The system also provides the measurement index history of the nearest point, assesses air quality and inform users of air quality changes.

Rain monitoring devices are installed at 22 locations in the city. Data can be visually displayed on a digital map, and is updated in real time. The system also allows users to learn about rainfalls.

Flood monitoring devices are available at 16 flood-prone sites, with data to be updated every 30 minutes.

The city plans to provide indicators about water quality, including surface water, wastewater and underground water.

Illegal sand mining continues

Residents are angry and worried that illegal sand mining along the B?n H?i River in Qu?ng Tr? Province continues unabated despite local authorities’ efforts to stop the practice.

Dozens of households on the banks of the river in Gio Linh District have not only lost trees to land erosion triggered by the sand mining, their land itself is under threat.

A report in the Nông thôn ngày nay (Countryside Today) newspaper has said several illegal sand mining spots could be seen along the river, Ngô X?y, a resident of Vinh Tu?ng commune, told the newspaper on Tuesday that the illegal sand mining caused land erosion around 1ha of land that belongs to his family, and they have lost many five-year-old cajeput trees to the river.

“Boat owners are trying to come deep into my land to exploit sand, causing a lot of land erosion,” he said.

Chairman of the Vinh Tu?ng People’s Committee, H? Van Sâm, confirmed that illegal sand mining has led to serious land erosion.

He said an inspection by Gio Linh District authorities a few months ago found a 30m long, 15m wide stretch of land had been lost to land erosion.   

One of boats found exploiting sand along the river is owned by the Nam Vi?t Ð?c Company. The company was licensed by the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment to exploit sand for five years, from August, 2011 to August 2016.

The department has asked the company to stop exploiting sand from last August, move all of its machinery and equipment out of the mining areas, and restore the environment affected by its mining activities.

However, the company has ignored the order and continued its sand mining operations.

Director of the district’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Nguy?n Ðang Anh, said Trung Son commune officials have reported that the company is still using small boats to exploit sand along B?n H?i River.

Local authorities have worked with the police to carry out inspections, but it was difficult to catch the boats red-handed, he said.

Boat owners often hire some people to keep close watch over the operation of authorities, so that they are warned whenever an inspection is going to happen, and they stop their activities accordingly, he said.

“We will increase inspections in the coming time to curb the illegal practice,” Anh said.  

For more than a decade now, rampant illegal exploitation of sand and gravel from river beds has damaged most rivers in the country, as also farms and gardens along riverbanks.

These activities have not been properly controlled by the Government and local authorities, according to a recent report by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

It said the situation has become “an extremely complicated trend”, causing loss of resources, environmental pollution and adversely impacting socio-economic development and public security.

Sa Dec launches electric vehicles for tourism

After Hanoi, Khanh Hoa, Haiphong, Lao Cai, Danang, Hue, Vung Tau, and Hoi An, the twon of Sa Dec in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap will run four-wheel electric vehicles to serve tourists.

The vehicle will transport visitors to Sa Dec flower village during the hot weather, and especially those who visit the 2.3km Sa Nhien – Cai Dao flower street. Guests will be charged VND40,000 for a return ticket.

Sa Dec flower village, which covers an area of 20 hectares, is the largest flower-planting location in the Mekong Delta, providing ornamental plants for Tet (Lunar New Year) in Southern provinces.

Now is the high season of local tourism since gardeners there are busy to prepare flowers for the Tet market. Besides, Sa Dec is also a host venue of the Dong Thap Tourism Week 2017 which is taking place from January 7 to 14. A highlight of the event is Tan Quy Dong flower village. A flower tower which is 12m high is made from over 2,500 flower baskets of Sa Dec village to represent a waterfall running towards four directions and to symbolize four seasons of beautiful flowers. The tower which was acknowledged as the largest fresh flower tower in Vietnam is on display at Sa Dec Park.

2,200 cruise ship tourists visit HCMC

Saigontourist, the country’s leading travel company received the luxury cruise ship Celebrity Millennium bringing more than 2,200 passengers and crew on January 9.

The visitors, mostly from the US, the UK, Canada and Australia took a full-day city tour by visiting Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral, Saigon Central Post Office, Thien Hau Pagoda, Ben Thanh Market, Can Gio Ecological & Biosphere Conservation and the coastal city of Vung Tau in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Porvince.

The ship will then continue toThua Thien – Hue province on January 10, exploring destinations in the Central region.

The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association has cooperated with Saigon Railway to launch a promotional program offering 23 – 30% discount on train fares to attract more passengers to travel by train on Tet holidays.

Medical facilities must be ready for emergency during Tet holidays

The Ministry of Health’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment yesterday asked hospital managers and directors of departments of health and related agencies to be ready for emergency for Tet holidays ( the Lunar New Year).

As per the document’ medical facilities must  have plans for treatment task and security order. Hospital managers and department leaders must take turn in day and night shifts and staffs must work around the clock to receive information from hot lines.

Doctors and nurses should be ready for emergency treatment of massive accidents as well as keep drug, blood, fluid and equipment in stock for treatment tasks. Hospitals must provide timely examination and treatment for all patients. Medical workers also provide first aid for all patients before transferring them to public big city hospitals or at facilities they registered with beforehand.

Hospital managers must visit patients who have to stay in hospital during Tet holidays especially the needy patients and social welfare brackets. Furthermore, medical workers must  follow regulations on behavior to patients and taking care of them .

Facilities are also asked to report  emergency task and traffic accidents, poisoning to the Department daily.

Hanoi’s Temple of Literature causes stir with controversial whitewash facelift

A new coat of whitewash applied to an 11th-century temple that hosted Vietnam’s first university has caused a stir amongst locals who preferred its previously weather-beaten look.

Visitors to the Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) in Hanoi have been surprised to find its age-old walls, fences and other structures being painted with a fresh coat of whitewash in the city’s move to protect the building from moss.

The temple was built in 1070 during the reign of Vietnamese Emperor Ly Nhan Tong, and is one of several temples in the country which honor the Chinese philosopher Confucius, along with several other sages and scholars. It is also the location of the "Imperial Academy" (Quoc Tu Giam), believed to be Vietnam's first national university.

The temple’s iconic Khue Van Cac (Pavilion of The Constellation of Literature) was officially chosen as the symbol of Hanoi in 2012, reflecting the country’s ancient culture of education.

Accustomed to the moss-filled look and ancient vibe of the temple prior to the facelift, locals have taken to social media to criticize the work, saying the new look has damaged to the temple’s value as an historical relic.

In an interview on Tuesday, Le Xuan Kieu, head of the temple’s Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities, explained that the recoating of the temple was a regular and normal operation carried out to preserve it from humidity and moss.

“Over time, some structures inside the relic have lost their outer layer of paint and been filled with moss and mold, posing the threat of degradation,” Kieu explained. “It’s a professional operation that has been approved by the appropriate authorities.” 

Kieu added that the whitewash used to recoat the structures was made of traditional limewater, the same type used by ancient Vietnamese architectures, to preserve the structures’ original color.

“The only difference is that the recoated items may appear brighter than their old look, since all the moss has been removed in the process,” Kieu said. “The old color will return after a few rains.”

“To say that applying a new coat of whitewash onto the Temple of Literature is doing damage to its ancient features is a scientifically unfounded notion,” stressed Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Van Bai, deputy chairman of the Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam.

Have a look at some before-and-after photos of the Temple of Literature in Hanoi taken by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper photojournalists and provided by the temple’s Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities.

Four injured in Danang scaffolding collapse

Four construction workers were injured on January 11 in a sudden scaffold collapse right after they completed the construction of concrete roof of Luxury Apartment central city of Danang.

Witnesses said the elevator-like platform fell from high up on the 32-storey building about 9:00 pm.

At 10:40 pm, dozens of police officers and rescuers were mobilised to the scene, trying to find anyone still buried beneath in piles of debris.

All the victims have been rushed to the hospital for further treatment.

The cause of the collapse remains under investigation.

Big fire destroys Suzuki auto part warehouse in Dong Nai

On January 11, a large fire occurred at an auto part warehouse of Suzuki Vietnam at Long Binh industrial park, Bien Hoa city in the southern province of Dong Nai, causing huge damage.

It is reported that the warehouse erupted into flames at around 9 pm with flumes of smoke billowing from a row of houses inside the warehouse, burning down machinery and equipment.

Fire fighters were mobilized to the scene and brought the fire under control at about 10:30pm. There are no reports about casualties as no one worked in the evening.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

Photo exhibition on biodiversity of Son Tra launched

An exhibition featuring 120 photos on the ‘biodiversity in Son Tra Peninsula’ is taking place at Flower Garden Park, 84 Hung Vuong street of the central city of Da Nang.

The exhibition, entitled ‘Treasure in the city’s inner’, drew the participation of 30 wildlife photographers in Da Nang, focusing on the protection of the endangered red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus) in the Son Tra Nature Reserve.

It’s also a communication programme of the Da Nang-based Centre of Biodiversity Conservation, GreenViet, in raising public awareness of protecting the langur and the biodiversity of the 2,500ha Son Tra Nature Reserve.

The exhibition opened on January 10 and will last until January 15.

The Son Tra Nature Reserve, 10km from Da Nang, is known for its rich biodiversity and is home to 300 red-shanked douc langurs, only found in east-central Laos and Vietnam.

The central city has chosen the red-shanked douc langur as the official mascot of Da Nang at the 2017 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

Localities urged to reduce poverty rate in ethnic minority regions

Minister-Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs Do Van Chien has asked localities to reduce the proportion of poor households in the ethnic minority and mountainous regions by 3-4 percent per year from now to 2020.

Speaking at a conference of the committee in Hanoi on January 11, Chien requested local authorities to continuously work to ensure rapid and sustainable socio-economic development in these areas, especially regarding farmland and water shortage settlement, and jobs change for over 80 percent of needy families.

He told local ethnic minority affairs departments to further improve the quality of human resources, and boost social and cultural development as well as strengthen the grassroots-level political system, ensure the great national unity and defense-security, and reinforce trust of people in the Party and State.

In 2016, the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs spent over 7 trillion VND (315 million USD) building nearly 6,000 infrastructural facilities and 90 water supply works for over 140,000 households in the ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

The money was also used to support more than 400,000 poor and near-poor families to buy crops, fertilizer, equipment, and develop some effective production models. 

Nearly 29,000 households living under the poverty line were provided with loans to develop production, while 700 capacity-building classes were opened for officials and residents.

Dien Bien receives remains of voluntary soldiers from Laos

Remains of 16 Vietnamese voluntary soldiers who laid down their lives in Laos during the war were repatriated to the northern border province of Dien Bien on January 11.

The remains, including five sets found in a collective tomb, two sets identified, and nine others yet to be identified, were repatriated by the martyr remains search team of the Military Zone II.

The remains were handed over to the provincial authorities to organise a commemoration ceremony at the A1 Martyrs Cemetery before being carried through main streets in Dien Bien Phu city and reburied at the Tong Khao Martyrs’ Cemetery in Thanh Nua commune, Dien Bien district.

Vice Chairman of the Dien Bien People’s Committee Le Van Quy affirmed at the commemoration ceremony that the Party Organisation, administration and people of Dien Bien province would relentlessly strengthen the Vietnam-Laos solidarity and friendship.

The province would strive to overcome difficulties and challenges to make Dien Bien richer, firmly protect the country’s borderline and well implement military policies.

Tay Ninh expected to successfully build “smart city”

Tay Ninh city in the southwestern province of Tay Ninh is striving to successfully build up an e-government and smart public services in an effort to develop itself into a “smart city” in the near future.

Speaking at a workshop entitled “From e-government to smart governance” on January 10, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Hoang Nam said Tay Ninh city was selected to pilot the application of information technology in administrative procedure reform.

He admitted that the project has seen progress, but its efficiency fell short of expectations.

Deputy Director of the provincial Police Department Nguyen Anh Tuan said the province has successfully built and operated a residential database which is seen as a foundation for implement smart governance in administrative management.

Shivaji Das, Global Head of the Public Sector Consulting Practice at Frost & Sullivan of the US, said the building of a smart city is essential because in fact, public expenditures in some countries carrying out this model have  been reduced remarkably by at least 20 percent.

In Vietnam, the government spending accounts for around 30 percent of the nation’s total expenditure, he cited.

Das noted that over 10 big cities in the world have successfully built the model of smart cities, including those in Malaysia and Singapore.

Trade union hands out goodies to needy workers

The Trade Union of the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority is set to organise various activities to help workers celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) this month.

A total of 6,000 bus tickets will be donated to disadvantaged union members to return home for a family reunion during the year’s biggest festival.

The beneficiaries will be workers who have not returned home for Tet for years. Companies normally keep track of which ones go home for the New Year and which ones do not.

The union also plans to give gifts to 3,000 workers who will stay back in the city.

It will organise a flower fair and a trade fair for workers at the Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park in Nha Be district from January 12 to 27.

It gave gifts worth 6 billion VND (265,500 USD) to needy workers, Nguyen Thanh Do, its chairman, told a meeting held on January 9.

Scholarships were given to 232 children of workers in industrial parks and export processing zones, he said.

Last year, the union had also organised various activities for workers and protected the rights of its members, he said.

It had opened a supermarket each at the Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone and Saigon Hi-tech Park, which sell goods at 10-30 per cent discounts.

It has opened a cultural house at the park, he said.

Last year the union admitted nearly 21,200 new members, raising the total number of members to 235,820.-

Government allocates rice for 12 localities

The Prime Minister has instructed the Ministry of Finance to allocate over 10,400 tonnes of rice from the national reserves for 12 localities to help the needy on the occasion of the lunar New Year festival.

Accordingly, 8,013 tonnes of rice will be delivered to Yen Bai, Cao Bang, Ha Nam, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai provinces in the north, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Tri in the central region, Dak Nong, Kon Tum in the Central Highlands and Ninh Thuan in the south.

In particular, the central province of Quang Ngai will receive 2,419 tonnes of rice, to be distributed to poor households and flood victims.

Quang Ngai was among localities hard hit by floods in December 2016. The floods killed 10 people in the province, leaving four missing and inundated 1,800 houses. More than 700 hectares of rice fields and over 3,500 hectares of crop were damaged.-VNA

The provincial People’s Committees of respective provinces are responsible for receiving and promptly distributing the rice to the people.

Gia Lai supports ethnic minority students

The Central Highlands province of Gia Lai will provide meal subsidy to ethnic minority students in remote areas to encourage them to pursue study. 

The provincial authorities have issued detailed instructions on the subsidy, targeting students who live too far from school to go to school and return home within the day. 

Accordingly, primary students whose homes are 4km or more away from school, and secondary students whose houses are at least 7km from school, are eligible to benefit from the subsidy, which will be used to pay for their meals at school. Their schools will also receive funding for organising the cooking of students’ meals. 

For areas with mountainous terrains and underdeveloped transport, the distance between home and school would be 2km or more for primary students and 3km or more for secondary students. 

The province’s move is in line with the Government’s Decree 116/2016/ND-CP, which stipulates meal and housing subsidy for ethnic minority students in disadvantaged areas. 

The policy is designed to address the situation in mountainous areas where many ethnic students drop out of school due to poverty and difficulties in getting to school.

Central Highlands provinces urged to promote potential in 2017

In 2017, Central Highlands provinces need to continue fully exploiting their potential to promote economic development and social security, particularly among ethnic minority groups, said Senior Lieutenant General To Lam, Head of the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands Region.

Lam, who is also Minister of Public Security, urged the localities to review socio-economic and sectoral planning, particularly in climate change adaptation; accelerate restructuring in tandem with growth models adjusted towards enhancing quality, efficiency, and competitiveness.

They were asked to quickly restructure public investment, State-owned enterprises and agriculture along with new-style rural building while improving investment promotion to draw investment in high-tech agriculture, clean energy, processing industry, cattle breeding and tourism.

Facilitating start-ups, developing local businesses and mobilising social resources for development are also priorities.

In 2017, the region needs to strengthen land and forests management, allocate residential and cultivation land for needy households, push forward forest planting and abide by the Prime Minister’s directions on forest management and protection.

The committee is to work with ministries and sectors to propose to the Government mechanisms and incentives to ensure socio-economic development, national defence and security of the region.

It will also study regional connectivity and implement a regional connectivity mechanism in several sectors and types of local goods while developing a special credit system for sustainable poverty reduction.

Lam also said ministries, sectors and localities should help all people enjoy the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) holidays by ensuring supply and quality of goods as well as safe transport.

According to the committee, despite prolonged drought early last year, regional gross domestic product surpassed 151 trillion VND (6.56 billion USD), up 7.47 percent annually while gross regional domestic product per capita hit 39.56 million VND (1,720 USD), up 8.5 percent. 

The region collected 18.15 trillion VND (799.6 million USD) for the state budget, and earned over two billion USD from exports, up 25.5 percent and 14.8 percent from 2015.

Total social investment reached 78.79 trillion VND (3.42 billion USD), a 7.2 percent increase. The number of newly-established firms and registered capital rose year-on-year. 

Thanks to technological advances and restructuring crops, agricultural production recovered quickly after drought. More attention was also paid to forest protection. 

In 2016, the region provided vocational training for 78,000 people and jobs for 113,000 labourers. The regional poor and near-poor household rates reduced by 2.1 percent and 2.4 percent, to 15 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively.

Progress was recorded in the national programme on new-style rural building and policies targeting ethnic minority groups.

Despite significant socio-economic achievements in the year, numerous shortcomings remained in the region, such as poor traffic infrastructure and land use-related issues, among others.

Sóc Trang organises mass wedding for seventeen couples in poverty

Sóc Trang Province on Tuesday (January 10) organised a mass wedding for 17 poor couples.

The couples were given make-up items and wedding rings, photographed and provided with cars and dresses for the wedding, while a party was hosted for their family and friends.

Each couple also received VNÐ1 million (US$44) in a bank account and a pair of cell phones.

The province Fatherland Front Committee gave the two most disadvantaged couples a house each costing VNÐ30 million ($1,325).

There was a parade of 17 cars decorated with flowers through the main streets of Sóc Trang city, and this was televised live.

Nguy?n Thanh Duy, deputy secretary of the province Youth Union, said the mass wedding was aimed at improving public knowledge of a civilised wedding in line with the country’s customs.

It was also part of the province’s efforts to help disadvantaged people and help them set up peaceful and happy families, he said.

After the ceremony the couples attended a training course to learn how to set up a happy family and went on a honeymoon to the southern provinces of Bà R?a - Vung Tàu and Ð?ng Nai, he said.

Lê Th? Kim Xuy?n, chairwoman of the province Labour Federation, said it was a humanitarian event and would be held annually.

It was the third mass wedding in recent years to be organised in the Mekong Delta province by the local Youth Union, Labour Federation and Radio and Television Broadcasting Station.

HCM City to mobilize 7,000 workers for street cleaning during Tet

Ho Chi Minh City will need about 7,000 workers to remove rubbish during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Between 14,000 and 15,000 metric tons of garbage are expected to be released during the upcoming holiday season, from January 25 to February 1, the municipal People’s Committee announced.

To combat the rubbish, over 7,000 workers and 2,000 pieces of specialized equipment will be required for round-the-clock work in order to keep the southern hub nice and tidy during the festive period.

According to Huynh Minh Nhut, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Environment Company, the primary unit responsible for cleaning the city, the firm plans to boost its human resources for the coming holiday, with the help from public service organizations in local districts.

Aside from street cleaning, the company will also have its employees tidy several major markets throughout he city, Nhut said.

The company director also requested that the municipal administration allow garbage trucks to operate 24/7 to allow for the quick transport rubbish to appropriate locations.

He also ensured that the city’s streets will be free from trash for local residents to welcome the Lunar New Year, which falls on January 28.

Most employees will have time off from work on January 28 and 29, the first two days of the Lunar year, Nhut stated, adding that about 30% of its human resources will be assigned to sweep the streets during these days.

The cleaners, however, will not collect garbage at each household during those two days, urging local residents not to dump their trash in the streets or alleys to preserve the urban aesthetic.

About 200 new recycling bins have been installed along the roads in downtown areas and another 1,200 placed in residential areas throughout District s1, 3, 4, and 12 to keep the city tidy during Tet.

Citizens can also report illegal garbage dumping during the holiday to local public services or through the hotline of the Urban Environment Company, Nhut added.

Navy ship rescues fishing boat and 10 crew members

A Navy ship from Navy Zone 3 rescued and towed home a fishing ship carrying 10 fishermen that had broken down 138 nautical miles off the coast of Đà Nẵng.

The Navy Command said it received emergency signals from the fishing boat, DNa 90307TS from Đà Nẵng, off Sơn Trà Peninsula on Saturday evening.

A duty naval ship was sent and found the fishing boat around 5pm on January 7th, before tugging it to the Navy Zone3’s port in Đà Nẵng yesterday afternoon.

All crew members were well.  

Last year, ships from Navy Zone 3 rescued four fishing boats and repaired an engine at sea, bringing home safely 30 fishermen.

Modern opera show to raise money for poor theatre artists

Dozens of veteran and young artists will perform at HCM City’s Opera House next week to raise funds for poor theatre artists for the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.

The 90-minute concert, Nghệ Sĩ Tri Âm (Performers Together), will feature cải lương (modern folk opera) stars, like Ngọc Giàu and Minh Vương, together with colleagues from traditional art troupes.  

They will stage songs composed by veteran artists Nguyễn Văn Tý, Viễn Chinh, Hàn Châu and Mặc Thế Nhân. 

Famous extracts from historical plays, such as Thái Hậu Dương Vân Nga (Queen Dương Vân Nga) and Tô Ánh Nguyệt (Ms Tô Ánh Nguyệt), will also be featured.

"Our concert is for 170 poor actors, especially the elderly and backstage workers, as well as 20 children from artists’ families," said 80-year-old People’s Artist Kim Cương, the event’s organiser and deputy chairman of the HCM City Association in Support of Disabled People and Orphan Children. 

“We have tried our best to organise the show every year in a professional way because we want it to be not just a charity work but also a quality artistic endeavor,” she said.

All artists at the event will perform for free. They will give clothes, food and VNĐ5 million (US$220) in cash to each needy person.

Cương said that through the show she hopes to encourage more organisations and individuals to contribute to charity for theatre artists, who devoted their life to their art.  

Last year, Nghệ Sĩ Tri Âm attracted more than 170 artists, raising over VNĐ1.5 billion ($66,000) for charity. 

Cương began her professional career when she was 17 and later performed with cải lương gurus such as Năm Phỉ and Phùng Há, and Bảy Nam, head of Đại Phước Cương Troupe, one of the region’s leading cải lương troupes.

In the 1960s, she opened the Kim Cương Drama Troupe, managing a staff of 70, including young talents like Tú Trinh and Văn Hùng.

Her troupe offered dozens of quality plays on topics such as love, family and social problems, with most of them written by Cương. They are still staged today.

For her contribution to the theatre, Cương was named a People’s Artist by the Government in 2012.

The show Nghệ Sĩ Tri Âm will open at 8pm on January 14.

Tùng wins first stage of Bến Tre cycling tournament

Huỳnh Thanh Tùng of Military Zone 7 won the first stage of the Bến Tre Province Television Men’s Cycling Tournament yesterday.

Tùng took first place in the 50km race around Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm City with a time of 1:23.07. He also won the yellow jersey and green jersey.

Today, cyclists will compete in the second 150km stage from Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm to Phan Thiết.

The race, which is known as the Hoa Sen Plastic Pipe Cup, will feature nine stages over a total of 1,061km, and end in Bến Tre Province on January 16.

In this year’s race, each stage winner will receive VNĐ2.5 million (US$110), while the rider who wins the sprint will earn VNĐ1.5 million ($70).

The Tet gifts Vietnamese are forking out in 2017

Wondering how to bribe your Vietnamese father-in-law? We've got you covered.

The hunt for shark fins and bird nest for fancy Tet gifts seems to be over this year, but ant eggs are being hunted for US$20-US$25/kg, according to VTC News.

The nutritious, high-protein delicacy prized in Cambodia and Thailand is now advertised as a medicine in Vietnam, purportedly for treating erectile dysfunction.

No official study on ant eggs has found any evidence to this theory, yet Vietnamese men are purchasing fermented ant eggs in rice wine for US$40-US$130 per 5 liter, stated VTC News.

Ant eggs hunters told VnExpress only eggs from black carpenters or weaver ants are edible. The eggs are rare since they only nest from March to May, but fortunately their eggs can be stored in the fridge year-round.

Families in the central forests of Quang Nam and Binh Dinh have been making a living for several years by foraging for ant nests, despite being hospitalized by their bites.

When branches and blossoms are not enough to show off wealth, Saigonese bring home trunks and roots.

This Tet, decades-old ochna trees, or mai in Vietnamese, are selling for up to US$40,000 at Nguyen Nhat Khanh’s garden in Thu Duc District.

“Roots count. The wider, the more twisted, the rougher the roots are, the more expensive,” Khanh said.

A Japanese cake shop in Ho Chi Minh City took classy consumption to the next level this Tet by appealing to customers with gold-plated cakes.

A Golden Fruit Pound Cake weighs 0.47 kg and is priced at US$90-US$180/package. A store representative said the price is quite reasonable.

The glowing package has already attracted around 100 orders, Danh Thanh, the store’s PR representative proudly said, adding that the cakes imported from France are the most competitive Tet gifts in Ho Chi Minh this year.

Rare birds such as black, long-tailed or nine-toed chickens no longer cut the mustard when it comes to unique Tet gifts.

Peacocks, compared to any kind of chicken, are the next level of wealth and luxury for many Hanoians. “Peacocks have tails of coin-like feathers, which appeal to many people as an auspicious feng shui symbol,” said Tran Nhu Giap, a breeder of 500 peacocks in Hanoi.

A male peacock with a two-meter long tail can sell for US$600 at Giap’s farm, while buyers usually take a pair, just to suit their feng shui.

Lucky money doesn’t have to be expendable. For many collectors, colorful chicken-printed notes are being happily purchased at nine times higher their value. This year, a two US dollar note with a glowing pair of chickens is selling for US$18 in Ho Chi Minh city.

Nguyen Van Linh, a money dealer in Phu Nhuan District, told VnExpress: "I imported over 1,000 notes but they are all sold out”.

Apart from chicken-printed notes, Linh said rare notes with auspicious serial numbers can also fetch around US$90.

Nguyen Trung Truc, a 33-year-old customer from Ca Mau, said he had already bought 100 of the two-dollar chicken notes, and plans to buy 100 more for lucky money.

Vietnam plans to slash maternity benefits for female workers

If female workers are entitled to these benefits, employers are less likely to consider hiring them, according to the labor ministry.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is preparing an amendment to the Labor Law that will cut the maternity benefits female workers are currently entitled to.

Under the existing law, female workers with babies of under 12 months old are given an hour off during the day, whilst those who are on their menstrual cycles are provided a 30 minute break.

If the proposed amendment is passed by lawmakers, these breaks will be scrapped.

Ha Dinh Bon, director of the ministry’s Department of Legal Affairs, said many companies have asked for these breaks to be eliminated to avoid negative impacts on their businesses. 

Bon said that female workers in Vietnam have a longer maternity leave than many other countries in the region, which adds up to six months.

In Malaysia, most companies give their female employees 60-day paid maternity leave, while the figure in Indonesia is no more than 90 days, according to media reports from the respective countries.

If female workers are given these benefits, employers are less likely to consider hiring women, Bon added.

Under the current law, employers are not allowed to ask female workers to work nights, overtime or go on long-distance business trips if they are more than 7 months pregnant or have babies under 12 months old.

Employers are not permitted to sack or unilaterally end contracts with female employees when they get married, pregnant or have babies under 12 months old according to the current law.

The draft amendment will be submitted to the National Assembly, Vietnam's legislature, in April for consideration.

Buddhists, youths join hand to help the poor

Hundreds of Buddhists and youngsters from Hanoi will participate in a programme to make Chung or square sticky rice cakes for disadvantaged people to enjoy the Lunar New Year (Tet).

The programme will take place at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism from January 17-19.

The cakes will be presented to underprivileged and ethnic minority people in remote and natural disaster prone areas in the northwestern province of Dien Bien, central Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces.

A ceremony to erect “Cay Neu” (a tall bamboo tree) will also be held at the village to ward off bad feelings from the old year and pray for peace and happiness for Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups.

Nearly 200 village patriarchs, intellectuals and artisans from 16 ethnic communities of different regions are expected to gather at a spring programme from February 4-5.

The annual event aims to honour the unique culture of Vietnamese ethnic groups and strengthen national unity.

Traditional festivals will be presented at the programme such as “Xen Ban” (worshipping) of the Thai ethnic group, and “Nao Pe Chau” (ancestral worship) of the Mong ethnic community.

Visitors can enjoy various cultural activities such as goat-fighting, tree growing, folk games, and food exchanges. 

Airport passengers asked to arrive 3 hours early

The authority at HCM City’s Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport has advised passengers to arrive at the airport three hours before departure during the Tết (Lunar New Year) period.

This is to avoid traffic jams and delays in check-in.

Due to the considerable increase in flights and passengers during the Tết holiday, which is from January 27 to February 1, the airport also suggested limiting the number of people coming to the airport to pick or see off passengers.

Drivers are not allowed to stop their vehicles for more than three minutes in front of the airport’s terminals to avoid traffic congestion. If they want to stop longer, they must park the vehicles at the airport’s parking garage.

Passengers are also advised to do self check-in via web, mobile or check-in kiosks located near D1 and D2 gate of the domestic terminal, besides checking in at counters.

Although Tết falls in late January, Vietnamese people often start flying back to their hometowns days or even weeks earlier.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam has approved the increase in the number of domestic flights by 1,270 across the country during this period to meet the steep rise in travellers. Tân Sơn Nhất airport, the biggest one in the country, is expected to serve 807 flights per day during this peak time, 81 more than the same period last year. 

Capital fixes parking fees for public parking lots

Hà Nội People’s Committee has issued a decision on vehicle parking fees to keep a check on inconsistent and high rates being charged in various parts of the city.

As per the decision, the day-time parking duration is from 6am to 6pm, while the night time is from 6pm to 6am the following day.

Bicycles, electric bikes and electric motorbikes parked outside apartment buildings, trade centres, tourist attractions, historical and cultural relics, are to be charged VNĐ2,000 (US$0.09) for  day, VNĐ3,000 ($0.13) for night, VNĐ4,000 ($0.17) for a wholde day, and VNĐ40,000 ($1.7) per vehicle for a month.

For motorbikes, the parking fee is VNĐ3,000 for day; VNĐ5,000 for night; VNĐ7,000 for day and night; and VNĐ70,000 for a month, respectively.

At markets, schools and hospitals in suburban districts and Sơn Tây Town, the bike parking fee is reduced by VNĐ1,000 for day time or night time slot and by VNĐ10,000 for monthly parking. In these places, the motorbike parking fee is VNĐ2,000, VNĐ3,000, VNĐ4,000 and VNĐ50,000, respectively, for day time, night time, day and night time, and monthly parking.

Parking fees are different at apartment buildings and trade centres that have supervision systems, access card swiping machines and automated technology for counting and printing bills. The fees for day time, night time, day and night and monthly parking for electrical bikes and motorbikes are VNĐ2,000, VNĐ3,000, VNĐ4,000, and VNĐ40,000, respectively. For motorbikes, it is VNĐ5,000, VNĐ6,000, VNĐ10,000 and VNĐ100,000, respectively.

In apartment buildings and trade centres (without technology), fees for bikes are lower by VNĐ1,000 for daily parking and VNĐ10,000 for monthly parking. Motorbikes are charged at VNĐ2,000; VNĐ3,000; VNĐ5,000, and VNĐ60,000, respectively.

One-time parking for cars outside venues is limited to 120 minutes after which the parking fee is counted once again. Overnight car parking equals to three-time parking rates.

For nine-seated cars and trucks weighing less than two tonnes, the fee is VNĐ20,000 to 40,000 per time, depending on the street. More than 10-seat cars and over two-tonne trucks will have to pay VNĐ25,000 to 50,000 per time.

The fee includes value-added tax and is applicable for State-invested parking facilities.

The monthly car parking fees in apartment buildings, trade centres, multi-storey parking areas and non-state parking facilities will be fixed by its investors and operators, with approval from the district- or town-level people’s committees. The rate cannot exceed the maximum level decided by the municipal People’s Committee.

Decision 58/2016/QĐ-UBND also says that ministerial or ministry-level agencies, governmental agencies and all people’s committees in the capital city have to ensure there are free parking spaces for officials and visitors. 

Firefighters use ladder truck to rescue mother, newborn

Hà Nội firefighters on Sunday night used a ladder truck and a cage to bring down a woman and her premature newborn daughter from the fourth floor of a house.

They were brought down a ladder truck because the house’s stairs were too narrow for the police to carry them.

40-year-old Nguyễn Thanh Thủy of Hà Nội’s Hai Bà Trưng District went into preterm labour and gave birth to a baby while visiting relatives living on No 17 Ngô Văn Sở Street in Hà Nội’s Hoàn Kiếm District.

Both the mother and the infant required emergency attention but the relatives and local police were unable to take them to hospital because the stairs of the house were too narrow.

As soon as they received the call for help, firefighters arrived at the house and used a ladder truck to carry down the mother and the daughter. They are now safely in hospital.

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