Association works to enhance protection of children’s rights

Children at a kindergarten 

The Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights (VACR) will hold its third congress in Hanoi on November 17-18.

VACR Vice Chairman Do Duc Ngo said that the congress for the 2018-2023 tenure will review the implementation of the second congress’s resolution and the VACR’s development strategy, as well as discuss orientations and tasks for the association towards 2023.

A meeting will also be held on November 17 to honour outstanding persons for their work in the protection of children’s rights.

Ngo noted that since its foundation in 2008, the association has developed 18 provincial chapters and six centres with more than 50,000 members in 38 provinces and cities nationwide.

The VACR has provided useful opinions on many legal documents and policies on children. It has also carried out a number of communication campaigns to raise public awareness of the Law on Children and child abuse prevention, among others.

Over the last five years, VACR units have raised more than 327 billion VND (14 million USD) in donations for child care and protection, thus benefiting nearly 1.5 million children. The VACR has also built 85 bridges, two swimming pools, 57 wells, and 34 houses for disadvantaged women and children across the country.

Many meaningful programmes have been organised to involve children in different activities, while extensive work has also been done to raise public awareness of social inequality and children from disadvantaged backgrounds, Ngo added.

He said as a member of the Child Rights Coalition Asia, the VACR has also helped with the building of relevant programmes and projects at the continental level and with the promotion of children’s participation in international activities. It has sent 57 delegations to conferences, workshops, and forums in other countries, bringing the voices of Vietnamese children to the world.

Meeting responds to World Antibiotic Awareness Week

A meeting aiming to raise awareness of the responsible use of antibiotics was held by the health ministry at the Medical University of Hanoi on November 13.

A meeting entitled “Antibiotics: Responsible use” was held at the Hanoi Medical University on November 13 to raise awareness of the issue amongst future doctors and nurses.

The activity was part of the United Nations’ World Antibiotic Awareness Week starting November 12 with the theme “handle antibiotics with care,” especially regarding infections in livestock, aquaculture and agriculture production.

A large number of policymakers, medical experts, lecturers and students and representatives of international organisations attended the event.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien said that due to the rampant usage of antibiotics in both humans and animals, antibiotic resistance has become “one of the biggest challenges” to the global population and development.

Antibiotic resistance has undermined several advancements made in medicines and treatment, Tien said, adding that organ transplantation, surgeries and chemotherapy would pose even more risks to patients without effective antibiotics to prevent and treat infections.

According to the deputy minister, collective efforts are needed or humanity would revert to the dark days of “pre-antibiotic era.”

The health ministry asked that people only use antibiotics when prescribed by licensed doctors and physicians, follow doctors’ guidelines and never share their antibiotics with other people.

Pharmacies have been asked not to sell antibiotics without prescriptions, to provide quality antibiotics and to deliver adequate instructions for users on the right way to take the medicines.

New Japanese e-learning curriculum introduced

The Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences’ centre for Vietnam-East Asia research exchange and human resources cooperation has joined hands with the Gores Academy’s Japan Institute of Culture and Economics to hold a seminar in Hanoi on November 13 on Gores Nihongo Suisui, a Japanese e-learning curriculum. 

Speaking at the event, Director of the centre Tran Quang Minh said Japan is now the largest bilateral donor, the second largest investor, and the fourth largest trade partner of Vietnam, adding that cooperation in human resources development has become one of the important issues in bilateral ties. 

The Gores Nihongo Suisui curriculum uses a software to help learners master the best conversational skills in the shortest time, making it easier for them to accurately pronounce difficult words and speak with greater fluency. 

Vice Rector of Nguyen Trai University Tran Thi Chung Toan said the curriculum will help to save the time and effort of both teachers and learners. 

At the event, linguists discussed advantages of the Gores Nihongo Suisui method compared to others, and the major content items of the curriculum.

In recent years, the Japanese language has become popular in Vietnam. However, it remains difficult to learn due to its large vocabulary base and a grammar system different to that of Vietnamese.

Schools offer courses for overseas workers, students

The HCM City University of Food Industry is carrying out a two and a half year training college-level programme on professional academic knowledge, Japanese language and culture, and workplace skills for Japanese businesses for students who will work in Japan and return to Vietnam for a bachelor’s degree (Photo courtesy of the university)

Many colleges and universities are offering courses and college-level programmes in foreign languages, culture and academic subjects for students who plan to work abroad.

The Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry, for instance, is carrying out a two and a half year programme that includes courses in the student’s major, training in Japanese language and culture, and workplace skills for Japan’s business culture.

The students graduating from the programme would receive a college-level degree (not a university diploma) and work in Japan, said Pham Thai Son, director of the university’s Centre for Enrollment and Communication, at a conference on improving the quality of guest workers in foreign countries.

The conference was organised on November 13 by Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper in cooperation with the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, at HCM City’s Van Hien University.

The HCM City University of Food Industry this year has enrolled students in its departments of food processing technology, food technology, seafood processing technology, mechanical engineering, industrial electronics and electricity.

After graduating from the two and a half year programme and working in Japan, the students will return to study for a bachelor’s degree and learn management skills. 

“The programme aims to train high quality human resources who will return to Vietnam,” Son said.

Duong Thi Thu Cuc, of the Sai Gon International Service Company Ltd, said that compared to the past, Japanese enterprises had now lowered recruitment criteria and would accept college and vocational school graduates. 

“Japanese enterprises need many Vietnamese workers, including in technology and nursing,” Cuc said, adding that nurses could work for a long time in the country.

"When guest workers in Japan return to Vietnam, they will be able to get jobs as translators and other positions at Japanese companies at a salary at least 30 per cent higher than Vietnamese employees who do the same job," Cuc said.

They also could work as a Japanese teacher for companies providing services relating to work overseas.

The Van Hien University is also cooperating with foreign universities and enterprises to create conditions for its students to have internships abroad for three to 12 months.

Tran Thi Van Ha of the Department of Overseas Labour said that many Vietnamese work in Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.

The department is expanding the guest worker market to the Middle East and Europe, Ha said.

As of October, 120,000 Vietnamese workers had been sent this year to other countries, an increase of 20 percent compared to the same period last year.

Last year, Vietnam had 135,000 guest workers in other countries, higher than in the previous five years.

Ha said the quality of guest workers was becoming better. The rate of trained guest workers rose from 35 percent in 2016 to 65 percent this year.

Work on second river bus route delayed

The HCMC Department of Transport has written to the HCMC government to report the results of investment in two water bus routes in the city, noting that the deployment of the second route will be delayed until 2021, Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

After five months of construction, route operator Daily Co., Ltd, put into service the first river bus route in HCMC, linking Bach Dang Wharf in District 1 with Linh Dong Ward in Thu Duc District.

Regarding the second route from Bach Dang Wharf to Lo Gom Port in District 6, two projects are directly related to the operation and exploitation of the route. The first project involves building the Ben Nghe tide control gate, which is slated for completion in 2019, while the second project is intended to improve the condition of the water and is expected to be completed in 2021, according to the department.

As the progress of construction on Ben Nghe gate is slowing down on the Tau Hu-Lo Gom route and the entire route is closed, the second river bus route has yet to be deployed. 

The second route, which is 10.3 kilometers long, passes through Districts 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8 from Bach Dang Wharf along Sai Gon River through the Ben Nghe and Tau Hu canals to Lo Gom Port.

An artist's impression of the passenger terminal of the Long Thanh International Airport project in the southern province of Dong Nai 

Dong Nai Province will hand over 1,165 hectares of land to the Long Thanh International Airport project next year to develop its first phase, VietnamPlus news site reported, citing a Project Steering Committee meeting on November 12.

As planned, from now to the end of 2018, the Dong Nai government will measure the land and publicize the plan to take the land back from affected families and organizations.

The appraisal of land and property for local households, individuals and organizations is expected to start in 2019. The provincial authority will also consider, draw up and endorse compensation, support and resettlement plans.

Speaking at the meeting announcing the prime minister’s decision on the approval of land reclamation, land clearance compensation, support and resettlement related to the Long Thanh International Airport project, Long Thanh District Party Secretary Cao Tien Dung said that after the feasibility study of Long Thanh International Airport was approved, the district’s authority convened a meeting to handle complaints and disputes over land and property on land related to the project. Dung noted the management of land allocated to the project is being conducted carefully.

Tran Van Vinh, vice chairman of Dong Nai Province, asked local agencies and departments to speed up their assigned tasks, pointing out that it was necessary to resettle the affected people within 17 months.

Chairman of Dong Nai Province Ding Quoc Thai said the project was unprecedentedly large for the province, with the sum for compensation, support and resettlement reaching more than VND18 trillion. Provincial agencies and departments need to fast-track their progress and consider the project a priority, Thai said, requesting the police and relevant agencies to prepare measures to ensure security during the execution of the project.

Dong Nai will handle the land reclamation, land clearance compensation, support and resettlement, with some 5,000 hectares of land being cleared to make room for the airport project and an extra 364 hectares being used to build two resettlement sites.

The land clearance and resettlement work is funded more than VND22.8 trillion. Of the amount, VND4.1 trillion will be spent on infrastructure development in the resettlement areas; VND479 billion building infrastructure facilities outside the airport; over VND17.8 trillion on compensation, support and resettlement; VND306 billion on vocational training and job generation; and VND27 billion drawing up a feasibility study for the project.

The prime minister also required the provincial government to closely manage spending on the project to ensure the investment capital is used effectively.

Ben Tre aims to increase aquaculture area to 50,000ha

Breeding shrimp with advanced farming techniques in Bến Tre Province. 

The Mekong Delta province of Bến Tre plans to develop its aquaculture areas to 47,000ha with an annual output of 300,000 tonnes of aquatic species in the 2018-20 period.

Of the figure, 40,200ha will be saltwater and brackish water aquaculture areas and the remaining freshwater aquaculture, under a new fishery development plan to 2030.  

The province also targets expanding its aquaculture area to 50,000ha in the 2021-30 period.

Nguyễn Hữu Lập, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the province would restructure breeding methods and kinds of aquatic species to suit the province’s natural conditions and adapt to climate change.

The province will focus on advanced farming techniques for aquaculture to increase yield and quality.  

In freshwater areas, the province will stabilise its tra fish farming area and breed other traditional fresh water fish species to increase income for local households. 

In saltwater and brackish water areas, the province will continue developing the farming of key aquatic species like white-legged shrimp, black-tiger shrimp, bivalve molluscs and brackish water fish.

The province will set up concentrated aquaculture areas that breed aquatic species under Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) for exports.     

The province has more than 46,500ha of aquaculture, including 11,500ha of semi-intensive and intensive shrimp farming. according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

It has concentrated farming areas for white-legged shrimp and black-tiger shrimp in the coastal districts of Ba Tri, Bình Đại and Thạnh Phú.  

It also has 39 establishments that produce aquatic species fries or breed aquatic species, on a total area of 8,120ha under high quality standards like VietGAP, GlobalGAP, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standards.

Bùi Văn Lâm, director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province targets having 10 per cent of intensive shrimp farming areas to be bred under GAP standards or equivalent standards.

Many seafood co-operatives in the province are operating successfully.

The Rạng Đông Seafood Co-operative in Bình Đại District’s Thới Xuân Commune, for instance, has nearly 9,690 members who manage, breed and exploit clams on a total area of nearly 1,600ha in Chài Mười and Thới Mười islets.

Phạm Văn Thuận, director of the co-operative, said the co-operative had harvested more than 1,290 tonnes of clams with revenue of VNĐ33 billion (US$1.4 million) in the first eight months of the year.

The clams have been granted Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification and exported to many countries.

The province has 13 modern seafood processing plants that can process up to 150,000 tonnes of seafood a year. The plants process mostly shrimp, tra fish and clams. 

Smart health system needed for sustainable development

The Future Trends Forum on Healthcare was a good chance for healthcare stakeholders in the region to share ideas and best practices and discuss global trends in health policies. 

Việt Nam was focusing on preventive measures for the early detection and treatment of diseases, said Nguyễn Viết Tiến, deputy minister of health.

To realise this, Việt Nam needed to come up with strategies which highlighted the role of the health sector with support from policymakers, experts and international organisations, Tiến said on Monday at the Future Trends Forum on Healthcare.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyễn Thị Xuyên, president of the Việt Nam Medical Association, said the healthcare sector had improved, particularly at grassroots levels where a number of dangerous diseases had been controlled. At present 86.4 per cent of the population held health insurance cards, 4.2 per cent more than the target.

However, the health sector still faced challenges including a shortage of human resources and a lack of financial mechanisms to encourage healthcare development at grassroots levels.

“Aging populations have become common not only in Việt Nam but also in most Asian countries, which poses a threat and has long-term effects on the healthcare system in each country. Smart health systems and effective use of all resources are needed to ensure sustainable development,” Xuyên said.

Việt Nam is one of the countries having fastest growing aging populations in Asia, with an average life expectancy of 73.6. This heightens the risk of non-communicable diseases.  

The country has taken measures to cope with the issue, with non-communicable diseases included in a national target programme. Most hospitals have geriatric faculties and care centres for seniors have been set up in many localities.

The forum, which ends today, was a chance for healthcare stakeholders in the region to share ideas and best practices and discuss global trends in health policies, she added.

The forum, organised by the Việt Nam Medical Association and Novartis, has drawn the participants of dozens of healthcare policymakers and academic leaders in the healthcare sector from across Asia. 

Central province to pilot ‘green’ energy for fishing boats

Solar panels are installed on a fishing boat in Quảng Nam Province. The system supplies power for crew members. 

The central district of Núi Thành in Quảng Nam Province, in co-operation with SolarBK Holdings, has commenced a pilot project to develop a solar power system for its off-shore fishing fleet to supply ‘green’ energy for use during long trips.

The district said the project aims to equip fishing vessels with renewable energy generators to save fuel and supply ‘clean’ energy.

It said solar panels and batteries had been installed on several fishing boats from the district’s fishing fleet, and are working well during off-shore fishing trips.

The district said each boat will use four made-in-Việt Nam solar panels and four batteries to supply a 24-hour power source for lighting, navigation and communication systems on board.

All fishing ships have to operate diesel generators to supply power overnight, as well as for navigation and radio devices. These are necessary in the event the ship breaks down.

The district will develop the solar power system for a fleet of 1,000 fishing vessels, saving 42 million litres of diesel and cutting 136,000 tonnes of carbon emissions discharged each year.

Núi Thành District has 1,600 fishing boats, 48 per cent of the Quảng Nam Province’s fishing vessel fleet, catching 45,000 tonnes of seafood each year.

In 2012, Đà Nẵng was the first locality in Việt Nam to begin a one-year pilot project installing solar panels and LED lighting for deep-sea fishing vessels.

Different solar power projects have been developed in central Việt Nam to supply power for sugarcane and log farms in remote areas – where the national power grid connection is limited – and lighting systems at public parks as well as solar farms.

Multi-billion USD irrigation plan approved for Tay Nguyen

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has approved a master plan on irrigation for the Tay Nguyen Central Highlands to 2030 with a vision to 2050 with total investment of more than 103 trillion VND (nearly 4.4 billion USD).

Of the investment, over 93 trillion VND will be spent on water supply, nearly 7.6 trillion VND on water drainage and flood prevention, and 1.3 trillion VND on non-construction solutions.

The capital will be sourced from annual allocation of the State budget, investment from economic sectors and contributions of residents in target areas.

The irrigation master plan aims to enhance the  region’s capacity to adapt to climate change, serve agricultural restructuring, modernise the region’s irrigation systems and ensure water supply for agricultural and industrial production, and residents’ daily life.

Specifically, the plan targets to ensure water supply for more than 1.16 million ha of arable land and meet 90 percent of water demand in industry and daily life. Another important goal is to ensure water drainage for rains with a 10 percent rainfall recurrence interval.

Under the plan, 408 irrigation works will be built or repaired and upgraded in the Sesan river basin sub-region, along with 345 works in the Ba river upper basin sub-region, 646 works in the Dong Nai river upper basin sub-region, and 707 works in the Srepok river upper basin sub-region.

Regarding non-construction solutions, the plan calls for enhancing the efficiency of the management and operation of irrigation works, building and modernising forecast and warning systems, researching and applying advanced water-saving irrigation systems and studying the use of surface water instead of ground water.

The region targeted by the plan is home to five Central Highland provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Lam Dong.

Festival raises public awareness of diabetes prevention

Young doctors are giving advice related to diabetes to people 

A festival to raise public awareness of the importance of early diabetes prevention and control was organised in Hanoi on November 11 as part of activities in response to World Diabetes Day (November 14).

The event was jointly held by the Ministry of Health, the Vietnam Young Doctors' Association, the Vietnam Youth Union of Hanoi, and AstraZeneca Vietnam.  

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Diabetes Federation chose November 14 as World Diabetes Day to promote coordinated and concerted actions to control diabetes as a critical global health issue.

Themed “Family and Diabetes”, the festival aimed to raise public awareness about the impacts of diabetes on families and supporting network for affected people. At the same time, it promoted the role played by families in managing, caring for and preventing the disease, focusing on early screening to minimize the risk of complications, thereby lowering the mortality rate as well as the cost for treatment. 

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien highlighted the significance of the event, and the need for early screening of the disease - the third leading cause of death in Vietnam after cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

She expected that the programme will receive great attention from society, and the participation of families and the community, especially youths and young doctors, thus joining hands in repelling the burden of the disease in Vietnam.

Within the programme, the Vietnam Young Doctors' Association presented 10 sphygmomanometers to the Young Doctors Association of Hanoi, conducted diabetes screening for 500 people, and gave advices related to nutrition and gifts to participants. 

Vietnam has instituted many screening programmes for diabetes and pre-diabetes as part of the efforts to reduce the rate of undiagnosed diabetics and protect people from cardiometabolic disorders which are intrinsically linked with diabetes and a major cause of morbidity and mortality world-wide.

A report conducted by the GDPM and the WHO in 2015 showed that one in five Vietnamese adults has high blood pressure and one in 25 gets diabetes. However, only 14 percent of hypertension patients, and 29 percent of diabetes patients were under treatment at medical stations.

Da Nang tourism potential tapped all year round

The central coastal city of Da Nang has in recent years welcomed a steady number of holidaymakers in the final months of the year when it was used to be the low season due to unpredictable weather.

Like many other top tourism spots, Da Nang is packed with holidaymakers during the summer months and hits low season in the colder, winter months.

After launching new tourism products and improving infrastructure, the city has recorded a stable growth in terms of the number of visitors.

Le Tan Thanh Tung, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Tourism Joint Stock Company said with upgraded infrastructure and benevolent weather, the company’s tours to popular tourism spots in Da Nang are sold out.

Meanwhile, Tran Luc, Vice Director of the Saigontourist Da Nang said in recent years, Da Nang has recorded a steady growth in the number of vacationers in the low season which has increased by 15 percent compared to the same period last year.

Breath-taking scenery and new and improved tourism products have lured many couples to choose Da Nang as their pre-wedding photo-shoot venue.

“We chose Da Nang for its beautiful scenery and great weather. Ba Na Hills and the golden bridge are eye-catchers as well,” said Tham Thai Quy from Ho Chi Minh City.

Effective promotional activities have helped Da Nang in its bid to lure more visitors.

Later this year, there will be three direct air routes between Da Nang and Doha of Qatar, Osaka of Japan and Guangzhou, China, to serve travellers.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, Deputy Director of the Tourism Department of Da Nang said the department has advised local authorities to diversify markets and focus on a strategy to tap promising markets such as India, Australia and Western Europe in the coming years. 

“Meanwhile, we still deploy measures and promotional activities in traditional markets to ensure a stable tourist number,” he said.

The fourth quarter signals the wedding and winter vacation seasons for both domestic and international travellers and Da Nang is catching on this trend. With the right strategy, Da Nang’s tourism is bound to thrive.