Nearly 2 million people join in environmental protection activities

Close to 2 million people nationwide directly participated in activities in response to the “Action month for environment” and World Environment Day.

Vo Viet Dung, Director of the Centre for Environmental Training and  Communication under the Vietnam Environment Administration, revealed this information at a conference held in Hanoi on January 12 to review the “Action month for environment.”

The activities focused on tackling urgent environmental issues in localities, such as cleaning up the environment, protecting mangrove forests and planting forests, to reduce environmental pollution and encourage environmental protection movements.

As a result, about 250,000 tonnes of garbage were collected and treated, while nearly 24,000 km of road and sewer were cleaned up during the action month.

Almost 20,000 training courses on environmental protection were held across the country.

The administration coordinated with Panasonic Vietnam to organise four lessons on the environment, aiming at enhancing public awareness of using environmentally-friendly products.

At the conference, the administration proposed plans for the “Action month for environment 2017”, the selection of the Environment Ambassador, and the organisation of fairs and exhibitions showcasing ecological products and environmental technologies.

Culture’s crucial position in national development recognised

Culture should be well positioned as other crucial sectors in national economic development, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said while addressing a conference reviewing the performance in 2016 and initiating tasks for 2017 for the cultural, sports and tourism sector.

The teleconference took place in Hanoi, the central city of Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City at the same time on January 12.

In 2016, many Party policies and guidelines and State management regulations in culture, sports and tourism, such as the Law on Tourism, and a project to develop tourism into a spearhead sector, have been refined.

The preservation and promotion of cultural values have reaped significant outcomes, helping honor the traditional cultural values and create attractive cultural and tourist products.

In the year, the practice related to the Vietnamese belief in Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms has been officially recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, increasing the number of internationally-claimed heritage possessed by Vietnam to 25. Meanwhile, sportsmen harvested standout attainments in a lot of international competitions.

Vietnam greeted 10 million international visitors and earned revenues of 400 trillion VND, fulfilling four years ahead the targets set in the Vietnam tourism development strategy to 2020 with a vision towards 2030.

Besides achievements, the leader worried about such problems as deviation from traditional cultural custom, degradation in ethics and lifestyle, vanity, extravagance in weddings, funerals and festivals, poor cultural life in rural, remote, mountainous areas and industrial zones, low sport performance in various regional and global competitions, and uncompetitive tourist products, asking the sector to fix them in the coming time.

Regarding 2017 tasks, he said culture development should be stepped up in harmony with economic development. Social progress and people’s living conditions need to be further improved. The world’s cultural quintessence should be absorbed selectively while traditional cultural identities should be preserved and promoted.

The cultural sector should create a new image of Vietnam and its people working to intensively integrate into the global life along and build a healthy cultural environment.

He underscored the need to develop a community doing tourism in a decent and orderly manner, make policies and institutions to promote tourism development and regional tourism brands.

The tourism sector should seek to lure more foreign tourists to Vietnam, who wish to stay longer, make higher expenses, go home with memorable experiences and come back again. In the immediate run, the sector should tackle tourists’ fears in security and safety, he said.-

“Spring for Children” programme to give poor children warmer Tet

“Spring for Children” programme, which aims help poor children enjoy a warmer Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, will be held on January 14, revealed the organising board during a press conference on January 12.

The event, the 10th of its kind so far, will review the outcomes of the programme in the past decade and honour sponsors during the time, said Hoang Van Tien, Director of the Fund for Children Support.

He said that during the event, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will present certificates of merits to a number of individuals and organisations with outstanding contributions to the protection and care for children in 2016. 

Attractive music and dance performances will also be held for children as part of the programme which will be broadcast live on Vietnam Television Channel 2, he added.

According to Tien, last year, the find supported over 185,500 children with a total aid of 100 billion VND, while organising a number of activities for children, including health care and nutrition programmes, education assistance and support in protecting and optimising growth of children.

Before the start of the event, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh who is also President of the Support Council of the fund will host a reception at the Presidential Palace for 40 organisations and individuals with active contributions to activities for children in 2016.

Vietnam man pays $400,000 for ‘lucky number’ SIM card

Having US$400,000 to spare in Vietnam leaves one with an abundance of spending options – high-rise apartments, luxury cars, or simply a SIM card with a lucky number.

One Vietnamese in particular chose the final option, spending VND9 billion (US$400,000) on a SIM card connected to the ‘prosperity’ number 0977777777, online newspaper VnExpress has reported.

In Sino-Vietnamese, the number ‘seven’ (or that) has a close pronunciation to the word ‘prosperity’ (phat). Using that theory, eight seven’s means eight times prosperity, at least according to Quang.

Quang, the owner of a telecom store in Ho Chi Minh City, bought the SIM card from Do Trong Hieu, director of Me Linh Commerce and Service Company, to be used as his store’s hotline number.

“It’s a rare SIM card, with the eight seven’s bearing the meaning of abundant luck, fortune, and prosperity for the owner,” Hieu explained, adding that he himself had bought the SIM for billions of Vietnam dong from a wealthy man in the northern province of Bac Ninh.

Quang considers himself a SIM enthusiast, having previously owned another SIM card with seven nine’s, which he later sold to a friend.

“It’s my personal hobby to own SIM cards with beautiful numbers, as long as they’re reasonably priced,” Quang explained.

Quang’s new hotline number was indeed reasonably priced compared to another recent SIM deal in Vietnam, when model Ngoc Trinh, infamously known as the country’s ‘lingerie queen,’ paid VND15 billion (US$670,000) for a lucky SIM card she said would be sold at a charity fundraiser.

Owning a unique phone number is a common hobby in Vietnam, with mobile users often flooded with SMS advertisements selling unique, or ‘beautiful’, number combinations.

Bomb weighing 200kg defused in Quang Binh

Authorised forces in the central province of Quang Binh have defused a 200kg bomb in Minh Hoa district, according to the Cha Lo International Border Gate Guard Station.

The bomb was discovered by workers who were working at a construction in the Cha Lo International Border Gate area at 7:20pm on January 10.

It is 1.6 metre long and has a diameter of 0.3 metre.

After being informed, authoritised forces were present at the site immediately and took necessary steps to safely move and defuse the bomb on January 11.

Deputy PM underlines environmental safety at alumina plant

Environmental protection and community health must be given priority during the operation of the Nhan Co alumina plant in the Central Highland province of Dak Nong, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung said.

Dung made the request at a working visit on January 12 to the plant, the country’s first alumina production project, which is invested by the Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin).

The Government leader commended 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 Dak Nong in particular, creating jobs for local residents. 

With a total investment surpassing 16.8 trillion VND (739.2 million USD), the Nhan Co project consists of the Nhan Co alumina plant and bauxite mining, with a capacity of approximately 650,000 tonnes of alumina annually.

The Nhan Co plant is now in 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.

Vietnam assists Lao people with disabilities

The Da Nang Orthopedics & Rehabilitation Hospital handed over materials to make prosthetic arms and legs to orthopedics centre 686 in Keun village of Vientiane province, central Laos, on January 12.

The materials are worth 2.2billion VND (96,800 USD).

This is the fifth time since December 2015 the hospital has provided materials for the Lao centre, as part of a State-funded project worth over 48 billion VND (2.1 million USD).

The project aims to boost capacity for the centre, which supplies prostheses for invalids and people with disabilities in Laos.

In the coming time, the Da Nang hospital will continue helping the Lao facility train human resources, particularly prosthetic technician.

The Keun village orthopedics centre was put into operation in December 2015.-

Patient satisfaction is top priority: Prime Minister

The development of grass-roots medical work and provision of health services to all people are a focal assignment of the health sector in 2017, stated Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.  

The PM made the statement when attending the Health Ministry’s conference to set out tasks for 2017 in Hanoi on January 12.

He lauded the sector’s outcomes last year, including preventive healthcare that let no outbreak of diseases take place.

The sector has worked to ease overcrowded conditions at major hospitals as well as improve medical facilities and human resources capacity, he added.

He highlighted 61 percent of population was covered with health insurance in Vietnam last year, saying it surpassed the goal set for 2020.

He pointed to progress made in health financing mechanism and food safety, the completion of the mechanism for drug auctions, as well as the punishment facing 6,000 medical staff with wrongdoing. 

Phuc also talked about the sector’s shortcomings, including cramped hospitals as a pressing issue and medical accidents due to negligence and poor competence of medical workers.

According to the Prime Minister, hospital management remains weak, with monopoly spotted in in many associated services, such as the provision of taxis, food and beverage. Meanwhile, red tape has caused trouble for patients, and the building of many centrally run hospitals has fallen behind schedule.

He pointed to vested interest and lack of transparency in purchasing medical equipment and managing the medicine market, citing an example of a clinic in Ca Mau that reported a loss of more than 100 billion VND (4.4 million USD).

He recommended that measures to reduce medicine prices is necessary.

As a task for 2017, Phuc urged the sector to simplify its administrative procedures and hospitals to make public their performances and service quality.

The sector has to focus on the implementation of its project to improve quality of medical tests and accelerate the construction of centrally run hospitals, he stressed.

He said the Health Ministry ought to facilitate the establishment of non-public medical facilities and pilot operating public-private units.

The expansion of health insurance coverage in line with improved service quality is also a must, he added.

Property lost on Vietnam train returned to British family

A British family traveling through Vietnam had their property returned after accidentally leaving it in their compartment after a journey earlier this week.

The belongings were discovered after the family left a suitcase in a berth cabin after exiting the train in Nha Trang, a popular beach city in the south-central Vietnamese province of Khanh Hoa, on January 10.

Members of the crew on train SE7 spotted a pink suitcase in compartment No. 12 in the berth cabin while cleaning the room. 

The crew then opened the suitcase, witnessed by other passengers, to check the objects inside the luggage, before making a report to the train captain.

Items in the suitcase included a Samsung smartphone, a Nokia phone, an iPhone 4, an iPhone 7, an iPad, a tablet, a Cazabella watch and bracelet, a Harrods handbag, two sealed envelopes, US$170, GBP1,800, and THB2,000, and two ATM cards.

According to Dang Ngoc Quat, captain of the train, after reviewing the train’s manifest, the crew identified Gillion Lesky Dicorato and his family, from the United Kingdom, as owners of the property.

The group had been traveling from the central city of Danang to Nha Trang earlier that day.

The assets were returned to their owners on January 11, Quat continued.

Hanoi gets creative with solutions for traffic congestion woes

Faced with maddening amounts of traffic that overburden urban infrastructure, officials of the city of Hanoi have gotten progressive—offering a US$200,000 reward for innovative solutions to the traffic gloom.

Vu Van Vien, director of the Hanoi Department of Transport announced the competition on January 12, saying that the city has tried in the past to address the problem by adding a lot of capacity by investing in infrastructure.

Now, he said the City is trying a different tact and looking for novel ideas from residents on how to best manage demand as well as capacity to solve the problems.

The first prize winner will receive US$200,000 while the second one gets US$100,000. Ideas for the contest will be accepted January 19-23 at the Hanoi Department of Transport offices located in Hanoi.

First Vietnamese pop star hits 1 million YouTube subscribers

His latest music video received nearly 38 million views in 10 days.

Vietnamese pop sensation Son Tung M-TP has become the country’s first artist to win YouTube's coveted Gold Play Button by attracting one million subscribers.

Son Tung’s official YouTube channel reached the record subscription soon after he released his latest hit “Lac Troi”, which received nearly 38 million views in 10 days and has become one of the world’s most trending music videos.

The song, which can be roughly translated as “lost and floating”, tells the story of a man missing his lost love. Although many say it's not as catchy as his previous hits, it has surpassed them with a video that looks like an old Chinese movie and features a fusion of traditional instruments and modern bass.

The 22-year-old singer-songwriter entered the Vietnamese limelight in 2015 after taking part in music contest The Remix, and quickly became a phenomenon with popular hits in Vietnamese music charts.

He won Best Southeast Asian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards in the same year.

This latest success has proved that despite several copyright controversies, which were not followed up by any official or legal claims, the young artist remains one of the most popular in Vietnam.

Bắc Ninh youths struggle to access loans

The national fund of employment assistance from the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union has helped youths from northern Bắc Ninh Province launch businesses. However, a lot of local youngsters still find it difficult to access the fund.
The total amount of funds mobilised for the province is relatively high compared with other neighbouring localities. The fund’s value has reached some VNĐ3.8 billion (US$168,900), focusing on 25 economic projects initiated by local youths. It has also resulted in jobs being offered to 121 young employees.
But many youngsters barely meet borrowing conditions and face difficult procedures, the online Vietnamplus reported.
The national fund of employment assistance allows each youth to borrow at the most VNĐ30 million ($1,300). This supply is only enough for building breeding facilities and buying stocks. To borrow more than VNĐ50 million ($2,200), the borrowers have to prove the efficiency of their business model, own a business licence, farming certificate and have assets to mortgage. Limited capital prevents young business freshmen from mortgaging.
To expand a New Zealand rabbit farm from 100 pairs of rabbits to 700 pairs, Nguyễn Ngọc Cảnh, from Phú Hòa Commune in Lương Tài District needs capital amounting to VNĐ300 million ($13,000).
He tried to apply for assistance from the fund but failed to borrow money because he lacked the required documents.
“It is very difficult for youth in the rural areas to present plans, schedules and prove efficiency of economic development projects. Even when we can do it, it takes several months for the project to be approved. By then the business opportunity has passed. The loan rate is only dozens of millions of đồng, too little compared with our real demand,” he said.
Prolonged document assessment and low value of mortgage also prevents Nguyễn Đạt Phương in An Thịnh Commune, Lương Tài District, from borrowing money. The young man who planned to expand his goat farm is no longer interested in the loan.
“To receive a loan, it takes me more than one month to complete procedures. I have to mortgage the land use right certificate of my family.”
“If I meet all the requirements, I can borrow some VNĐ100 million ($4,300). Meanwhile, with similar mortgages, I can borrow larger loans from banks with simpler and quicker procedures,” he said.
According to Phạm Minh Khôi, deputy secretary of Lương Tài District’s Youth Union, until July last year, nearly VNĐ800 million ($34,400) was lent to the district’s youngsters.
“This number remains humble compared with the economic development campaign across the district,” Khôi said.
In a family, if parents borrow loans from associations, such as farmers’ association and women’s association, their offspring are not allowed to borrow. The only solution is to separate family members into different households. That’s the reason why many youngsters in Lương Tài District who have feasible business ideas are unable to borrow loans from the youth assistance fund.
Nguyễn Đức Sâm, deputy secretary of Bắc Ninh Province’s Youth Union, said the youth’s business models in the province have improved recently, with outstanding models in agriculture, industry and services. However, majority of the projects are small scale. 
“Besides difficult requirements to access the loan, subjective reasons in selecting business fields are to blame,” he said.
The turbulent market may affect business development and effectiveness of the fund. Many potential projects end up losing money because they fail to apply advanced science and technology, he said.
He said the provincial youth union has acted as a link between enterprises, banks, provincial associations and youths who want to borrow loans, learn techniques and gain experience.
The union also holds training sessions and exchange programmes to expand the network and consult youths on a new style co-operative model. He said the provincial youth union would propose the establishment a startup fund to support new business and production initiatives.
In addition to capital assistance, the fund will help local youths become more confident in coming up with new ideas and implementing them. The capital source will be returned and rotated to support other youths with new initiatives.

PM calls for lifting curbs on land ownership

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has tasked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to promptly find solutions for limitations on agricultural land ownership that curtail large-scale farming and production. This follows a request by the National Assembly (NA) to amend the 2013 Land Law in order to lift the land limits, the Thời báo kinh tế Việt Nam (Việt Nam Economic Times) has reported.

Article 129 of the law allows each household in the Mekong Delta and southeast provinces a maximum of 3ha for each kind of farming - growing trees, raising aquatic animals, processing salt - with a total of  9 hectares for each household. In other areas of the country, these land plots are limited to 2ha for each type of agriculture.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường this week said co-operatives and famers throughout the country, who want bigger plots for large-scale agriculture commodities, would hail such a change in the law. “All of them hope for removing the limits, day and night,” he said.

The problem was illustrated by Võ Quan Huy, a farmer from the Mekong Delta’s Long An Province, who said at a meeting held in late December that he had over 1,000ha of agricultural land in many provinces across the country.

However, due to the limits, he had to register his land under the names of other people. This, in turn, limited the amount of money he can borrow in order to develop agricultural production on a large scale, he said.

Huy said a farm that wanted to co-operate with a foreign business to produce agricultural commodities on a large scale has to own at least 100ha of land, but the law does not allow it.

Former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Đặng Hùng Võ noted that agricultural land limits have been lifted in developed countries, where farmers were given a favourable conditions to stabilise production and make long-term investments in the agricultural sector, he said. Võ advised to lift the limits in Việt Nam as soon as possible.

Đặng Kim Sơn, former head of the Institute of Strategy and Policy under the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development, also said removing the limits was appropriate for a country that had shifted into commodity production and whose farmers had to consider competition in production cost, price and output, he said.

Although Việt Nam exports large amounts of farm products, "our country has yet to have rich farmers that own hundreds of hectares agricultural land and have enriched themselves by farming," he said.

Bến Tre takes steps to prevent Zika outbreak

Bến Tre Province has identified the area where the first case of Zika virus infection was recorded on January 6 and has taken steps to prevent an outbreak.

The infected patient is a 24-year-old woman who is 18 weeks pregnant, the HCM City Pasteur Institute has revealed.

Đỗ Tấn Hồng, director of the southern province’s Preventive Medicine Centre, said the first patient infected with the virus lives in Châu Thành District’s Quới Sơn Commune, near Giao Long industrial zone, where there are numerous boarding houses for workers. So the possibility of a Zika outbreak is high, he said.     

The health centre will continue to spray chemicals to kill mosquitos and larvae. On January 17 and 18, the areas around where the Zika patient lives will be sprayed, Hồng said, adding that they have started educating local residents about preventive measures and environmental sanitation to prevent an outbreak.

The centre has also instructed clinics, boarding houses and health offices of enterprises in the industrial zone to look out for and report any cases of Zika immediately.

The centre has located pregnant women living in and around the area where the first infection was discovered and instructed them on how to look for any signs of the infection themselves and come in for regular check-ups.

“We guide local residents, especially pregnant women, to determine the initial signs of Zika virus infection and to take preventive measures in the community, Hồng said.

“People with symptoms such as muscle pain, fever and rashes should come to the health centre for check-up and treatment.”

The 24-year-old patient was treated at HCM City’s Tropical Diseases Hospital and has returned home after treatment. Two weeks before she was diagnosed with the infection.

Concert for famed musician of history

Every Vietnamese knows the song Như Có Bác Trong Ngày Đại Thắng (Uncle Hồ Seems to Be with Us on the Festive Day of Grand Victory), written by Phạm Tuyên.
It was composed in just two hours and recorded on April 28, 1975. It was broadcast in a special newscast at 5pm on April 30, when the prolonged war for liberation and unification ended with the fall of Sài Gòn Regime. It has since inspired and elated millions with its echoes of the nation’s triumph.
The song will be featured in a January 14 concert, together with many other of Tuyên’s memorable songs, to celebrate his 88th birthday.
When he was a boy, Tuyên had a great passion for music and was a self-taught musician. He studied the immortal works by Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, as well as the folk songs of many nations, especially the treasure trove of Vietnamese folk songs.
In early 1947, Tuyên joined the resistance war against the French. Those years served as a source of inspiration for his compositions.
After the war, he returned to Hà Nội and worked as head of the music service at the Voice of Việt Nam Radio.
Tuyên has composed more than 700 pieces of music. Many praise President Hồ Chí Minh and patriotism. The contents of these songs were appropriate for the young, idealistic generation at the time.
After 1975, he created other popular songs about patriotism and the process of rebuilding the country. He also wrote many songs for children and young people.
The concert will be hosted by famous journalist Lại Văn Sâm, who asked the family’s permission to narrate the event honouring Tuyên, whose talent and personality he admires. “He’s not only a talented composer but also an open-minded, generous, tolerant and patriotic person, a prime example for us to learn from,” said Sâm.
“When I work with director Phạm Hoàng Nam to set up a plan for the concert, I realised that many famous songs that we sing and love were, in fact, written by composer Tuyên.”
Tuyên said it’s a gift for him when people know and sing his songs even when they don’t know who the composer is.
“People should love the songs rather than their composers and writers,” said Tuyên. “I’m so happy that my songs have a stable position in the hearts of audiences. That’s the biggest reward for a composer.”
Director Nam, musician Lưu Hà An and Tuyên’s daughter Phạm Hồng Tuyến worked together to arrange the concert without consulting Tuyên. The composer did not select any of the song to be performed at the concert.
“I don’t know which singers will appear in the concert and what songs will be presented,” said Tuyên. “They told me that the concert is held as a birthday present for me, so they it will be a surprise. I will attend it as one of the audience.”
Director Nam said he wouldn’t reveal any information about the concert. He just said that the music show pays tribute to Tuyên’s career, talent and personality. Audiences will have a chance to enjoy the best songs he wrote.
“There will be no special effects of sound and light, no dance either,” said Nam.
"It’s all about Tuyên’s music that can revive people’s memories of the past. This is the concert for generations of audiences with patriotic songs and songs for children."
“The wars have gone but the songs he created in wartime are still of interest to people. Tuyên’s music easily won people’s hearts because it originated from the heart and genuine feelings of the composer. He can be considered a historian who used music to record events.”
The concert will take place at the National Convention Centre, Phạm Hùng Street, Hà Nội. Ticket prices range from VNĐ600,000 to VNĐ2 million and can be booked at www.dongdoshow.com.

Tâm wins stage, Minh retains lead in the cycling event

National team member Nguyễn Thành Tâm won the first stage of the Bến Tre Television Cycling Tournament yesterday.

Tâm, a member of the Hạt Ngọc Trời crew, topped the fifth stage of the event, completing 50 laps around Đồng Xoài Town in Bình Phước Province with a timing of 51.41min.

Yellow jersey holder Lê Nguyệt Minh of Mathnasium HCM City and Lê Văn Duẩn of VUS HCM City came second and third, respectively.

Having booked his berth among the top three, Minh confirmed his leading role in the tournament with a total time of 12:39.31.

He also tops the green jersey category with 72 points.

Tâm’s efforts played a key role in pushing his team Hạt Ngọc Trời to the top of the team ranking table. Domesco Đồng Tháp and VUS HCM City are following close behind.
Cyclists will today cover the sixth stage from Bình Phước to Tây Ninh Province, a stretch of 155km.

Tambwe returns, Quảng Ninh hope for first win

Goal hunter Patiyo Tambwe is ready to score again at the V.League when Quảng Ninh Coal host HCM City FC in the second round match today at Cẩm Phả Stadium.

Arriving at Quảng Ninh from Cần Thơ, Tambwe scored a double for Quảng Ninh, which won against Hà Nội FC to take the Super Cup last month.
He suffered a sprain injury during that match and failed to make the team in the V.League’s first round, which saw his team lose 2-3 to Hà Nội FC.
The Congolese striker is expected to strengthen coach Phan Thanh Hùng’s frontline as he will make pair up with Brasilian Jardel Capistrano.
“HCM City are a promoted team but they have strong financial support and quality players. Their playing style is tough. We have home advantage but it will not be an easy game,” Hùng, who watched the clip of HCM City’s first match versus Quảng Nam, said.
“Luckily Patiyo is back. There is no doubt about his ability, which made him the best scorer of the 2015 season. He is a good player and has integrated well with the new team. He will be better in the future and is my No 1 choice if he has no injury,” he said.
Halfback Dương Thanh Hào, a newcomer, will also be part of the team following a contract signed some days prior to the tournament.

Former national team player Hào, who experienced pain during training, is expected to improve Quảng Ninh’s weak defence that suffered three goal losses in the last match, which saw a mistake by the referee that led to Quảng Ninh’s defeat.

“We talked with the players and the coaches to help them calm down following the loss. Now we are alright and are hoping to enjoy our first win,” Phạm Thanh Hùng, president of Quảng Ninh Coal, said.

It is the first match on home turf for Quảng Ninh and president Hùng has invited popular singers Tuấn Hưng and Bảo Thi, band 198x , DJ Mai Thỏ and dance group Carmen to liven up the stadium.

On the other side, HCM City had an encouraging start, with one point from the first round when they tied Quảng Nam at the Thống Nhất Stadium.
New acting president of the team Lê Công Vinh is expecting another positive result.
“I myself appreciate Quảng Ninh Coal’s power. They just won the national Super Cup,” the former national captain who retired last month said.

“But let’s see how the ball runs in that match. My players will fight until the last seconds for three points,” Việt Nam’s highest scorer said.

His team arrived at Quảng Ninh on Monday to acclimatize themselves with the cold and rainy weather of the North.

Rice, fish sauce fair in HCM City
     
Twenty one rice producers and 25 fish sauce producers will showcase their products at a Tet (Lunar New Year) fair in HCM City on January 15.

“Delicious Rice – Vietnamese Fish Sauce,” will be held at the Nguyen Du Gymnasium in District 1.

On display will be 25 high-quality fish sauces from various parts of the country like Phu Quuc, Nha Trang and Phan Thiet, and specialty grain varieties like Vibigaba black garlic rice produced by Loc Troi Corporation and Co May rice.

There will be a cooking contest and a talk with professional chefs, who will offer cooking tips, while fish sauce producers will reveal the secrets behind making their products.

The event will be organised by the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers in co-ordination with the Association of High Quality Vietnamese Products. 

Three arrested in fake nutritional supplements scam

Police in Hanoi have arrested three men involved in the mass production of fake nutritional supplements using well-known international brand names.

Do Dinh Nhan, 36, director of Slim HMN Vietnam Ltd. Company in Hanoi, and his two staff, Vi Van Hoai, 33, and Do Anh Tung, 29, have been arrested and prosecuted for producing and trading in counterfeit goods.
In August 2016, police and market management agencies in Hanoi confiscated a large haul of suspect imported food supplements at Slim HMN Vietnam Ltd. Company. The batch lacked import papers and receipts.

 The market management force seized over 20,000 food supplement products at six stores of Slim HMN Vietnam Ltd. Company in August 2016
Checking the headquarters and five stores of the company in Hanoi, the market management force seized over 20,000 food supplement products produced with 30 different labels, including many products said to have been imported from the US, Japan and Germany, but lacked import papers and receipts. Among those are many famous names such as Glucosamin, Collagen USA or Plus Min USA.
They also seized around 1,900 kilos of empty plastic boxes and unlabelled bottles and labelling machines.
The goods were tested by the Ministry of Health that announced that all 14 tested samples were fake products.

Binh Dien Flower Market to open on January 22

Binh Dien spring flower market will be open at Binh Dien Commercial Center in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 8 on January 22.
 
The event will feature 222 booths of flowers, bonsai and ornamental trees, Tet specialties of flower growers and businesses from Ben Tre and Dong Thap provinces, Da Lat City and Ho Chi Minh City.

The fourth edition of Binh Dien Flower Market is organised by Sai Gon Trading Group (Satra).

The annual market will run until January 27.

Discovering Vietnamese Tet at HCMC Youth’s Cultural House

Visitors will have a chance to enjoy a series of interesting cultural activities celebrating Vietanmese Tet at Ho Chi Minh City Youth’s Cultural House on January 15.
 
The “Vietnamese Tet – a sweet trip on Tet holiday” program aims to help young people to learn more about Vietnamese Tet traditions.

Participants will have opportunity to take part in folk games, and traditional countryside market; and learn how to make a Chung (square sticky rice) cake. Traditional calligraphy is also on display.

There will be music performance with the participation of singers, Bao Thy, Thanh Duy, the hottest comedy group  Xpro and others.

Dong Nai province: Plenty of activities to celebrate lunar New Year

Dong Nai Province’s spring flower market will take place at the provincial Event and Convention Center from January 20-27.

The event will feature thousands of  exhibits of bonsai trees, ornamental plants, orchids, cacti, apricots and peach blossoms, ornamental birds and fishes, fruit arrangements and rock gardens contributed by hundreds of artisans from various flower clubs.

A special art performance will be organized with the participation of many artists on the Lunar New Year's Eve.

Bien Hoa City in Dong Nai - Ho Chi Minh City neighboring province will see a series of cultural activities celebrating Tet holidays from the Lunar New Year's Eve to the 7th day of the first Lunar month, such as Nguyen Van Tri flower street, children music performance, performances of street bands and Don ca tai tu (Southern amateur music).

There will be a traditional boat race and helicopter performance on Dong Nai River.

Deputy transport minister debates solutions for HCMC airport traffic jam

Deputy Minister of Transport led a delegation from the ministry to work with Tan Son Nhat International Airport and authorized agencies in HCMC, discussing solutions to reduce traffic jam in areas surrounding the airport in the Tet festival on January 11. 
 
At the meeting, director of Southern Airports Authority Tran Doan Mau forecast that passenger output and flight frequency would increase 19.6 percent over the previous Tet festival.
 
Flights will hike 141 to 776 during rush time on the 27th and 28th day of the 12th lunar month with the number of passengers through Tan Son Nhat Airport to near 113,000.
 
Mr. Mau proposed the city Police Department to review traffic in areas near the airport and solve rampant parking along streets to reduce traffic jam.

Director of Tan Son Nhat Airport Dang Tuan Tu reported that traffic jam has occurred from 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.- 6 p.m. everyday because of limited traffic infrastructure and highly increase in the volume of vehicles to the airport not aviation growth.
 
In short term, he proposed to remove the tree divider in Tan Quoc Hoan street and the road from Phan Thuc Duyen street to Lang Cha Ca roundabout to broaden road area for vehicles to travel.
 
He suggested police force to supplement traffic regulation at not only streets near the airport but also farer roads such as Hoang Van Thu-Nguyen Van Troi, Tran Quoc Hoan-Phan Thuc Duyen and Lang Cha Ca roundabout.
 
According to director of the Department of Transport Bui Xuan Cuong, Urban Traffic Management Zone 1 is now removing the tree divider in Tran Quoc Hoan street.

The agency, Southern Airports Authority and HCMC Police Department have set up an inter-agency mission to carry out measures to ease traffic jam at entrance spots to Tan Son Nhat Airport since December 29. Over 40,000 automobiles are travelling in and out these areas a day.
 
Mr. Cuong proposed to stop the operation of a taxi parking lot in the land pierce at 58 Truong Son street because it has been one of reasons for traffic jam in front of the airport. The parking lot belongs to Vietnam Flight Management Corporation.
 
Deputy Head of the Traffic Police Bureau C67 Tran Thanh Tra suggested the city police to work with the Department of Transport to solve the above problems and should not blame each other.
 
Representatives from airlines want to open full-body scanners at airport checkpoints two hours before flying time to reduce congestion, increase pickup and return counters and supplement scanners to better serve passengers.

State, Party leaders offer Tet gifts to the poor nationwide

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc decided to allocate more than 10,400 tons of rice from the national reserves to 12 provinces in the country on the occasion of traditional lunar New Year. 

Accordingly, over 8,000 tons of rice will be delivered to provinces, Yen Bai, Cao Bang, Ha Nam, Nghe An, Quang Tri, Lao Cai, Ninh Thuan, Dak Nong, and Kon Tum.

More than 2,400 tons of rice will be provided to the central coastal province of Quang Ngai. The remaining rice aid will be donated to Tuyen Quang and Thanh Hoa provinces.

Head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Mass Mobilization Truong Thi Mai and the delegation of officials from the Vietnam Red Cross Society visited and presented 130 Tet gifts to war veterans, poor people, ethic people and children in Lac Duong District, the SOS Children's Village and the provincial Social Sponsor Center in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong on January 11.

The delegation offered 430 presents to disadvantaged people in districts, Dam Rong, Lam Ha, Di Linh and Duc Trong. The poor in Dam Rong district have been also given 60 cows to help make their lives better.

In addition, members of the National Assembly Delegation of Ho Chi Minh City paid a visit and offered Tet gifts to poor households in Cu Chi and Hoc Mon districts on the same day.

Tet ornaments on display at Gia Dinh Spring Fair

Special ornaments for Tet (Lunar New Year), including coconuts bearing images of a rooster or the Three Gods of Prosperity, Luck and Longevity, or words of blessings are on display at Gia Dinh Spring Fair 2017 in HCMC’s Go Vap District from now until January 15.

To mark the upcoming Lunar New Year, images of rooster, the mascot of the year, are seen in most of the products at the fair. This year’s event has a theme of honoring Vietnam’s products and craft village’s products with the presence of 500 booths.

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