Vietnam Farmers’ Union has new Central Committee

The 7th National Congress of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union (VFU) has elected a new Central Committee for the 7th tenure (2018-2023) with 119 members 

The 7th National Congress of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union (VFU) has elected a new Central Committee for the 7th tenure (2018-2023) with 119 members. 

The number showed a reduction of 6 members compared to the VFU Central Committee in the 6th tenure. 

The VFU’s 7th National Congress opened in Hanoi on December 12 with the presence of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Nguyen Phu Trong. 

The event drew 999 delegates representing more than 10 million farmers nationwide.

According to a report at the congress, in the 2013-2018 period, the union held 130,000 agro-forestry-fishery training courses for more than 15 million officials and farmers, while building and transferring over 14,000 models of technology application to agro-forestry-fishery production to farmers.

The union has held more than 410,000 technology training courses for nearly 25 million members, along with 62,000 production models involving nearly 6.32 million farmers.

In the next tenure, the union aims to have at least 60 percent of members accessing the Internet, and 100 percent of union’s officials receiving training on new agricultural knowledge and communication skills.

National Student Entrepreneurship Festival 2018 to open 

The National Student Entrepreneurship Festival 2018 will take place at the National Economics University in Hanoi on December 16, the Ministry of Education and Training announced at a press conference in Hanoi on December 12. 

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Nghia said the festival aims to inspire students to dream and voice their startup ideas and then call on businesses to invest in them. 

Nearly 80 projects in science-technology, business, finance, education, healthcare and agro-forestry-fisheries will be on display. 

Seminars and forums on supporting student entrepreneurship amid the fourth industrial revolution, scientific research and startup incubators in tertiary education establishments will also be held. 

A highlight of the festival will be the competition “Students with startup ideas 2018”. Launched in September 2018, the event has attracted nearly 200 entries from more than 200 high schools, colleges and universities, mostly in technology, education, healthcare and social affairs. The 15 best projects have been listed for the final round scheduled for December 16. 

For students’ projects, first prize will include 100 million VND (4,300 USD) and support from investors while 70 million VND will be granted to the second prize and 50 million VND to the third prize. 

The first prize for high school students will be worth 50 million VND while the second and third prizes will value 30 million VND and 15 million VND, respectively.

Workshop spotlights history of excavation of Thang Long Citadel

An excavation area in the Thang Long Imperial Citadel (Source: hoangthanhthanglong.vn)

A workshop on the history of excavation of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel was held by the French Cultural Centre (L'espace) and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS)’s Institute of Archaeology in Hanoi on December 12. 

The event was part of activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-France diplomatic ties and 25 years since the formation of the French Academy of the Far East (EFEO) in Hanoi. 

Scientists, experts and archaeologists at the event shared their stories related to archaeological excavation at the citadel. 

Dr. Nguyen Gia Doi, Director of the Institute of Archaeology underlined the significance of the event which spotlights cooperation between Vietnamese and French archaeologists during the excavation of the the Imperial Citadel. 

Many French research projects on cultural heritage preservation have been highly appreciated by Vietnamese researchers, Doi said, affirming that Thang Long Citadel is an invaluable cultural heritage of Vietnam.

Prof. Dr. Andrew Hardy, Chief Representative of the EFEO said the Thang Long Citadel is a relic complex associated with the history of Thang Long Imperial City, affirming this massive architecture structure has become the most important relic in the system of Vietnamese relics as it reflects many historical events.

Sharing the excavation process of the relic site, Associate Professor, Dr. Tong Trung Tin, who was in charge of the excavation project, said the excavation from 2002-2004 aimed to carry out a survey for the construction of the National Assembly (NA) House. The earliest remains discovered at the site quickly attracted the attention of domestic scientists and those from international organisations. 

In December 2002, the excavation was made on a total area of 19,000 sq.m at the the centre of Ba Dinh political area. The largest archaeological excavation in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia revealed traces of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel during its 13-century history.

Unique architectural traces and millions of valuable artifacts reflect the history from Chinese domination (the 7th-9th century), throughout the dynasties of Ly, Tran, Le, Mac and Nguyen (1010-1945). 

Tin stressed the need to build a plan to preserve the relic site while expanding the excavation.

On the occasion, a book on the excavation of the site published by the The Gioi (World) Publishing House and the Institute of Archeology was introduced to participants.

Social housing meets 28 percent of workers’ demand

Vietnam has to date completed 87 social housing projects with some 28,800 apartments for workers at industrial parks (IPs), meeting just 28 percent of the demand, according to the Ministry of Construction.

The figures were released at a seminar on the matter, which took place at the National University of Civil Engineering (NUCE) in Hanoi on December 12.

Statistics from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour revealed at the event showed 1.7 million of 2.8 million Vietnamese workers across IPs nationwide have demand for housing.

Even in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, only 10 and 15 percent of IP workers’ need for housing had been met, respectively.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, as of December 2017, Vietnam housed 360 industrial parks, attracting millions of workers, leading to a big wave of migration from rural to urban areas.

Pham Dinh Tuyen from the NUCE faculty said demand keeps increasing. He pointed to a current trend that rural youths, after working in the cities, rarely go back to their hometowns.

Discussions at the seminar revolved around a series of causes that lead to the scarcity for social housing, including complex administrative procedures and low profit rate for investors.

Outstanding firms for labourers to be honoured

A ceremony to honour the 60 outstanding businesses for labourers is set to be held in Hanoi on December 15, heard a press conference announcing the 2018 ranking on December 12.

The list, which ranked the best firms for labourers nationwide, was compiled by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

This year, businesses with more than 7,000 workers and more accounted for 47 percent of total participants, while firms earning 100 billion VND in profit made up 55 percent, said the organisers.

The chosen firms have met criteria in ensuring social welfare, health insurance, social security, training workers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and tax payments to the State. 

Better transport connectivity needed to drive Mekong Delta’s development

A conference in Soc Trang province on December 12 underlined the need for transport infrastructure connectivity in the Mekong Delta to fuel local development.

According to the Ministry of Transport, there are four modes of transport in the Mekong Delta, namely land, inland waterways, sea and air transport. 

About 131.7 million tonnes of cargo were transported in the region last year. Freight transportation has grown by about 6.2 percent annually between 2010 and 2017. Up to 70 percent of the freight was transported by water, and the remaining 30 percent by land.

Meanwhile, passenger transport served 707.7 million people in the delta in 2017, growing by 3.4 percent from 2010 to 2017. Land transport is responsible for about 83 percent of passenger volume, while inland waterways transport serves more than 16 percent.

Air transport remains modest compared to the potential of the region, which is the biggest agriculture and aquaculture hub of Vietnam and home to about 19 million people.

At the conference, participants pointed out the necessity to complete infrastructure for all four modes of transport to connect localities within the Mekong Delta, as well as the region with other Vietnamese regions and foreign destinations.

They urged opening new expressways and upgrading arterial roads in the region, noting that some traffic bottlenecks have appeared, several stretches of National Highway 1A have been degraded, while some important roads or bridges haven’t been connected, making local transport infrastructure fail to meet development demand.

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The said the Mekong Delta boasts plenty of advantages, but is still less developed than other regions in Vietnam.

He called for the early completion of some transport projects, including Trung Luong – My Thuan and My Thuan – Can Tho expressways, Dai Ngai Bridge linking Soc Trang and Tra Vinh provinces, and the expansion of Can Tho airport. 

The official also underscored the need for a deepwater port for the whole Mekong Delta region to reduce goods transportation costs and time.

Speaking at this meeting, Secretary of the Soc Trang Party Committee Phan Van Sau said it is necessary to develop a gateway seaport for the region, with Tran De port the main facility in this province.

Tran De Estuary is the most suitable location for a deepwater port of the Mekong Delta since it is located at the centre of the region and near Nam Song Hau National Highway, which is favourable for goods transportation.

Making a development plan on this seaport has been permitted by the Prime Minister, he noted.

Waste treatment company fined for discharging untreated wastewater

Untreated waste at Đại Lào Waste Treatment causes severe pollution. — Photo zing.vn

Lâm Đồng Province People’s Committee on Sunday fined the investor and operator of Đại Lào Waste Treatment Plant in Đại Lào Commune, Bảo Lộc City, VNĐ232 million (US$9976) for discharging untreated wastewater into the environment, the online news outlet zing.vn reported.  

Specifically, Friendly Green Environment Company was charged VNĐ40 million ($1720) for releasing wastewater exceeding regulated standards by 10 times.

Authorities also applied additional sanctions which required the company to hand over a total of more than VNĐ230 million to the local budget.

The company has also been instructed to stop discharging untreated wastewater and clean up its mess. 

Seminar spotlights conservation of rare langur in Quang Nam

Grey-shanked douc langurs in Nui Thanh’s Hon Do mountain (Photo: baoquangnam.vn)

A seminar took place in the central province of Quang Nam on December 12 to discuss ways to protect the grey-shanked douc langur found in the local Nui Thanh district.

About 50 individuals of the rare species reside across 25 hectare of natural forests in Nui Thanh’s Hon Do mountain.

Currently, Quang Nam in collaboration with the biodiversity preservation centre Green Viet are running a project on conserving the langurs in Nui Thanh for 2019 – 2028. The project costs over 100 billion VND (4.3 million USD), of which 63 billion VND (2.7 million USD) are sourced from the State budget and the rest funded by some international organisations.

According to the Green Viet, the langurs are the only group in the world that can be easily observe in the wild. The findings mean a great opportunity for research and conservation work, but present a risk of being hunted by locals and poachers for the animals.

At the seminar, Nguyen Van Thinh, Vice Chairman of the Nui Thanh district People’s Committee, recommended the conservation project pay attention to the development of sustainable tourism to create better livelihoods for local residents and reduce human impacts on the habitat.

Bui Phuoc Chuong, a biodiversity expert, said Quang Nam’s ongoing work to expand the 25 hectares to 100 hectares is key to increasing the habitat area and to tackling the separation and isolation of the herd due to locals’ production activities.

The protection of the group must be intertwined with associated scientific research, education, and conservation genetics, he advised. 

Vietnam houses between 1,500 to 2,000 grey-shanked douc langurs in forests across the five provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Kon Tum, and Gia Lai. The langur is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list as one of the world’s 25 critically endangered primates.

Over 25 bln VND for Trieu Tuong mausoleum excavation

At the site (Source: hatrung.thanhhoa.gov.vn) 

The People’s Committee of central Thanh Hoa province has decided to earmark over 25 billion VND (1.08 million USD) for the study and excavation of the Trieu Tuong Mausoleum site in Ha Long commune, Ha Trung district. 

Accordingly, the site will be excavated on a total area of 2,800 sq.m from 2018-2019, including the gates facing the four directions, temples, lakes, and wells mentioned in ancient documents.

The mausoleum was built at an order by King Gia Long in 1803 in Gia Mieu village, Ha Long commune, Ha Trung district. It is the homeland of the nine lords and 13 kings of the Nguyen Dynasty which lasted from 1802 to 1945. The mausoleum has special architectural and artistic value.

The project aims to restore the ancient citadel, Trieu Tuong temple, Gia Mieu communal house, and Ong communal house, as well as the Nguyen Huu family worship house. It will also provide facilities for tourists visiting the site.

Authorities are expected to complete the excavation and rebuild facilities on the inner mausoleum area by 2020.

Many historians consider the site as a miniaturized version of the Hue Imperial Citadel. It includes many buildings inside a complex with a total area of 50,000sq.m, surrounded by lakes and brick bridges.

According to documents, two layers of walls surrounded the site like a citadel. The inside space is divided into three main areas. The middle portion is composed of temples dedicated to Nguyen Kim (1468-1545) and Nguyen Hoang (1525-1613), the ancestors of the Nguyen kings. The eastern part of the site houses a temple dedicating to Nguyen Kim’s father Nguyen Hoang Du (?-1518), while the western portion is reserved as a residential area for mandarins, soldiers, and families guarding the mausoleum.

The Trieu Tuong Mausoleum site has deteriorated completely over time, and now only its foundation remains.

Job fair, HR forum to be held in Biên Hòa City

Trinh Nguyen Tuan Anh, founder of King Broker, announces a job fair will be held in Bien Hoa City on December 26. 

Hundreds of academics, company bosses and human resource professionals in the southern province of Đồng Nai and neighbouring areas and young workers will take part in a job festival in Biên Hòa City on December 26.

Around 10,000 jobs would be on offer at the fair and attendees would share their experience in developing human resources during the time of industry 4.0, King Broker, the organiser, said.

Participants will also discuss how to optimise company operations, improve hiring efficiency and keep talented employees.

The best practices at companies in the country and elsewhere will be shared.

Trịnh Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, founder of King Broker, said: “The job festival is organised with the aim of helping companies in Đồng Nai find good workers.

“To have good human-resource management policies, companies need to keep up with global trends and update their knowledge on managing human resources.”

At the event, employers and workers can post their information on a common system and be connected with each other.

A training programme will be organised to teach workers in interview skills and fresh graduates about what companies expect from them.

Game shows with prizes of up to VNĐ30 million (US$1,400) will also be organised. 

53 scientists and farmers awarded new agricultural honour

Head of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education Võ Văn Thưởng (second right, front) gives the award to an individual on Tuesday evening.

Some 53 individuals, including four women, were honoured as “the Scientist of the Farmer” (Nhà khoa học của nhà nông) on Tuesday evening for their outstanding contribution to the nation’s agricultural sector.

This is the first time a meeting has been held to bestow the honour. The event was organised by Việt Nam Farmers’ Union, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Việt Nam Union of Science and Technology Associations.

The honoured individuals include 21 people with PhDs and 14 farmers. The youngest honouree is Nguyễn Văn Tuấn, 38, a farmer from the northern province of Bắc Kạn, while the oldest is Professor Trần Duy Quý, 70, of Hà Nội.

One of the award’s recipients, farmer Nguyễn Hồng Chương from the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng, left school in eighth grade but has succeeded in building many agricultural machines including equipment to sow seeds, mill mud and sort crops.

PhD Đoàn Xuân Cảnh of the Food Crops Research Institute under the Việt Nam Academy of Agricultural Sciences has researched a dozen new types of vegetables and fruits with higher productivity and presented them to farmers.

Speaking at the ceremony, president of Việt Nam Farmers’ Union Thào Xuân Sùng said the event would be held annually from now on.

The honour aims to encourage scientists and farmers to continue their research to contribute to the nation’s industrialisation and modernisation. 

Mortar shells discovered in Can Tho

The 82mm mortar shell was discovered in Ninh Kiều District. 

On Tuesday, a group of construction workers discovered a mortar shell by chance while digging for a house foundation in An Nghiệp Ward, Ninh Kiều District in the southern city of Cần Thơ.

The district authorities said the mortar shell, 82mm in diameter, was left over from the resistance war and had become rusty.

The shell was destroyed by local authorities, Vietnam News Agency reported.

In a separate incident at about 8am on Monday, an explosion occurred at the construction site of the Búng Xáng Lake embankment in the district’s Xuân Khánh Ward. Two people were injured.

The explosion happened underground while the workers were leveling the road surface.

The two injured people are under treatment at the Cần Thơ General Hospital.

The Cần Thơ Military Command said the explosion was caused by another bomb that remained from the resistance war. 

More children given access to kindergarten

Teachers check the weight and height of children at a kindergarten. Việt Nam strives to provide more children with access to preschool education. 

Việt Nam plans that by 2020, at least 92 per cent of five-year-old children will be able to access kindergarten education.

This is one of the targets of the Project of Preschool Education Development in the 2018-25 period, which has been approved by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.

The project aims to develop a system of kindergartens that is suitable to the socio-economic conditions of different provinces and cities and meets schooling needs of children.

Under the project, child care will be improved so that it meets international preschool education norms towards international integration. The project will also better prepare children to enter primary school.

The project should ensure that by 2020 the rate of underweight malnourished children will decrease by 0.3 per cent per year, while the rate of malnutrition that stunts child growth will decrease by 0.2 per cent per year. At least 70 per cent of teachers in kindergartens will have college qualifications.

Another target of the projects is that at least 42 per cent of kindergartens reach national norms by 2020.

From 2021 to 2025, the project aims to make sure 95 per cent of five-year-old children can access schooling and at least 50 per cent of kindergartens reach national standards.

The project will use different measures such as completing policies related to preschool education, renewing management and improving instruction related to the issues. School curricula will also be renewed and teacher quality will be improved.

Funding for the project will come from the State budget, businesses and other organisations.

The Ministry of Education and Training will chair the project in co-ordination with related ministries and sectors. 

Public security ministry seeks cause of market fire in Vinh City

Fire-fighters try to put out the fire on Sunday afternoon.

Police from the Ministry of Public Security and the central province of Nghệ An is investigating the cause of a fire that occurred on Sunday afternoon at warehouses near Vinh Market.

The fire has been estimated to have caused billions of đồng in damage.

According to a Vietnam News Agency correspondent, the warehouses contained clothes, kitchen utensils, pots, dishes, safes and business documents.

Hoàng Thị Khương, a trader who lost her clothing kiosk in the fire, said the goods she lost were worth over VNĐ1 billion (US$ 43,000), plus VNĐ30 million ($1,290) that had been her safe.

“The list of people who owed me money was also lost in the fire,” she said.

Lương Thị Dự, another trader, said she also lost about VNĐ250 million ($10,750) after the fire destroyed her warehouse.

Colonel Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, deputy head of the provincial Police Department, said the police were working hard to find the cause of the fire.

A dozen fire engines and hundreds of firefighters were sent to the scene on Sunday, and it took them four hours to bring the blaze under control.

Spotted-babylon snails never fail for these farmers in Kien Giang

A spotted babylon breeding establishment in Tiên Hải Commune in Kiên Giang Province’s Hà Tiên City. 

Tiên Hải, an island commune in Kiên Giang Province’s Hà Tiên City, plans to breed more spotted babylon snails, which are highly valuable.

The key economic sectors in the commune, home to 16 large and small islands as well as two submerged islands, are fishing and aquaculture.

Its sea areas are pristine and have great potential for aquaculture.

Local farmers traditionally breed fish like gudgeon, cobia and seabass in floating cages near coastal areas.

Phan Thanh Bình, vice chairman of the commune’s People’s Committee, said that two years ago aquaculture companies discovered that the area was good for spotted babylon snails because the sea was clean and quiet.

They began breeding the snail on a pilot basis and achieved high profits, he said.

Phạm Thiện Nhân, owner of a spotted babylon breeding establishment in Tiên Hải’s Hòn Tre Hamlet, said he began breeding in Phú Quốc District in 2006 and produced baby snails to sell to other breeders.

“Last year I began breeding the spotted babylon in Tiên Hải because the commune’s environment is suitable for farming the snail,” he said.

Breeding lasts for three to five months.

The best time to release spotted babylon juveniles into the breeding area is in late afternoon when there is little sunlight. This ensures a high survival rate of the snail.

Nhân breeds about 4 million spotted babylon juveniles on a 2,500sq.m breeding area with a depth of three metres, about 300m from the coast.

He harvests about 20 tonnes a crop and earns a profit of about VNĐ3 billion (US$129,000).

Spotted babylon juveniles are fed with fresh ground crab in the first two months of the breeding period so they can absorb calcium to develop their shell.

From the third month, the snail is fed with fresh ground fish, mostly anchovy.

The snail is fed in the morning and afternoon each day. Uneaten food is removed immediately to avoid water pollution.

The commune’s spotted babylon snails are mostly sold to Phú Quốc District and HCM City. The snail is in high demand for its delicious taste and high nutrients.

The spotted babylon is sold at an average price of VNĐ300,000 ($13) a kilo in the market.

Because of high demand, the commune’s local authorities are asking the Hà Tiên City Economy Division to provide courses on breeding the spotted babylon to local farmers.

The commune will also lease sea areas for local farmers to breed the snail, according to local authorities.

Spotted babylon breeding establishments in the commune have pledged to share experiences and farming techniques to those who want to breed the snails. 

Ministry asks for hygiene keeping after flooding

The Lộc Trì No 1 Primary School in the central province of Quảng Trị was flooded and students must quit school. 

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has sent a letter to directors of health departments in some provinces and cities asking them to ensure personal and environmental hygiene and prevent diseases amid typhoons.

The letter was sent after heavy rains last Friday caused serious landslides and flooding from Quảng Bình central province to Phú Yên central province. Health experts warned the floods will lead to pollution and disease break outs.

The MoH asked local health departments to instruct residents on personal and environmental hygiene, food safety and disposing the bodies of dead animals.

Provinces and cities were told to repair damaged areas after the flooding, and to spray chemical substances after burying dead animals to prevent infectious diseases.

Medical workers were told to get ready to support the grassroots level medical stations when they are in need, with the risk of diseases heightened.

Meanwhile, the provincial medical sector must supply enough medicines, chemical substances and equipment to serve disease prevention and control in areas affected by flooding.

Local residents were advised to regularly clean their basins, wells and personal items. 

No Vietnamese citizen killed or injured in France’s Strasbourg attack

The Vietnamese Embassy in France has confirmed that there is no Vietnamese citizen killed or injured in a gun attack at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, one of the busiest cities of France on December 11.

The attack happened at around 8pm (local time) during which a gunman killed at least three people and injured 13 others before fleeing the scene. 

Right after getting information of the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam asked the Vietnamese Embassy in France to keep close contact with local authorities who promised to update the Vietnamese side if there is any report of Vietnamese victims.

The embassy was also requested to continue keeping a close eye on the incident, while staying in touch with local authorities, thus timely applying citizen protection measures if necessary.

France’s Ministry of Interior has issued security alert 3 - the highest level of "Attack Emergency".

Although there has been no order to close schools, markets and entertainment centres, local authorities have asked locals to strictly follow their orders and directions.