Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has told relevant ministries to suspend licensing private sector projects to export sea sand.

Binh issued the order at a meeting in Hanoi on Tuesday on illegal mining of sand and pebbles which has stoked great public concern. He told relevant agencies to launch campaigns to crack down on illegal sand mining from March 15 to June 1.

A report of the Government Office said the illegal mining of sand and pebbles has become widespread in many parts of the country.

Statistics showed there have been 80 mineral mining plans including those for sand and pebbles approved by local governments. There have been 108 waterway dredging projects with the involvement of private firms, with 50 of them completed and 55 others underway. About 506 sand pumping sites have been licensed.

Violations include pumping more sand and pebbles than permitted, and failing to complete the required steps for environmental impact assessment, deposit money for environment rehabilitation, and ensure traffic safety.

In waterway dredging projects, contractors often pump more sand than allowed, use machines different from what is approved, declare lower sand volumes, and underpay resource mining fees.

Therefore, the Government Office ordered a halt to the exportation of sea sand which is overexploited by waterway dredging projects involving private investors so that they could map out proper sand pumping and use plans.

The office suggested stopping licensing new projects in which investors can pump sand for sale and boosting checks and oversight.

The Government should issue regulations governing waterway dredging and upgrade of navigational passages to prevent firms from illegal sand exploitation. It is important to support research and production of material replacing natural sand and offer policy incentives to organizations and individuals who use resources economically and replacement material.

It is crucial to review river sand mining and revise the zoning plan for sand ports in provinces to make it easy to control sand resources. Provinces are told to step up management of sand mining in the rivers along their administrative borders and get tough on illegal sand exploitation.

Representatives of local governments at the meeting threw their weight behind the Government Office’s proposals.

A representative of Hung Yen Province pledged the northern province would license new sand mining projects, saying that there are only two projects of this kind valid until 2018 to meet construction demand in the province.

Hung Yen does not encourage sand mining from riverbeds since this would cause landslides along river banks and impact the lives of local people.

Asked by the Deputy PM why it was difficult to deal with illegal sand exploitation, delegates complained it was hard to detect violators as they operated at night. Hanoi is the only city in the country that has filed criminal charges in one case.

Nguyen Quoc Hung, vice chairman of Hanoi, said the city had virtually stopped illegal sand exploitation. Checks have been strengthened at the licensed projects in the city.

Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Quy Vuong said illegal sand exploitation and relevant violations had caused serious consequences. Sand would be exhausted if bold measures are not taken to prevent it.
 
HCMC-Phan Thiet hi-end train service ready soon

A high-end train service between HCMC and Phan Thiet City will start on March 20, giving passengers, especially tourists, a new choice to travel between the two cities.

The SPT1 train departs from Phan Thiet at 13:10 and arrives in HCMC at 17:17. It stops over at Binh Thuan, Bien Hoa and Di An stations. The SPT2 train departs from HCMC at 6:40 and arrives in Phan Thiet at 10:26, with stopovers in Di An, Bien Hoa and Binh Thuan stations.

The ticket price ranges from VND137,000 to VND187,000 per passenger, except for holidays.

According to the Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, the train has a modern interior design. Its sleeper cars have four- and six-bed cabins while those with seats only have large space for baggage.

The company launched a new high-quality Saigon-Nha Trang train service on February 22.

WISE network comes online

The Women's Initiative for Self-Empowerment (WISE) was launched on March 8, International Women's Day, to support women entrepreneurs in Vietnam and the Mekong River region to fulfill their business ambitions.

Established by the Saigon Innovation Hub (SIHUB) in partnership with the Mekong Business Initiative (MBI), a development partnership between the Asian Development Bank and the Australian government, WISE is aimed at connecting women-led startups with investors and consultants.

The executive board of WISE will be in charge of organizing activities and events on a regular basis to provide knowledge for newly-operated startups or women wishing to start up business.

WISE activities will initially take place in HCMC and then be expanded to the northern and central regions of the nation, and neighboring countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Huynh Kim Tuoc, director of SIHUB, said WISE strives to become the best network for female entrepreneurs.

WISE will cooperate with organizations and partners which are capable of offering programs to back women’s startups, Tuoc added.

WISE is sponsored by SIHUB but also relies on voluntary contributions by members.

According to a report released by the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC), the Hanoi Women Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (HAWASME), and MBI in October last year, enterprises with women holding senior positions or led by female owners have a high sense of responsibility and integrity in terms of business management, ensure full compliance with social insurance obligations, and have low bad debt.

HAGL announces new sponsor

Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) Football Club and HAGL-Arsenal-JMG Academy on Tuesday announced its new sponsor VPMilk, replacing Nutifood.

VPMilk will offer VND50 billion in sponsorship in 2017 and 2018. HAGL general director Vo Truong Son said VPMilk would carry out many programs to improve the physical conditions for footballers of the HAGL team.

VPMilk will bring experts to HAGL – Arsenal – JMG Academy to give consultancy on nutrition in daily meals to help improve physical conditions of local footballers. In the near future, VPMilk and HAGL will search for more opportunities for overseas training and competition for their athletes.

Next month, VPMilk would invite a football team from Japan to compete in Vietnam. It is expected that there will be a training trip in Europe at the end of the year.

In summer 2017, VPMilk will join hands with HAGL – Arsenal – JMG Academy to search for football talents nationwide. Hoang Anh Gia Lai Football Club is ranked No. 9 on the list of V – League in 2017. After eight matches, HAGL has had three wins, one draw and four losses.

VPMilk has entered the local market since July 2014. The company has launched its brands for mothers and kids, including IQLac Pro and IQLac Pro Mom in August 2016 and is planning to introduce more products for the elderly and people with malnutrition in 2017.

Thousands of visitors visit Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival

The sixth Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival and Central Highlands Gong Culture Festival 2017 themed “Converging quintessence – Promoting identity – Linking to develop” yesterday closed at March 10 Square in Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak province.

The nearly a week culture event attracted around 25,000 visitors, including 3,000 international arrivals. 235 domestic and foreign enterprises took park in the event displaying 734 pavilions.

Within the framework of the event, more than 30 memorandum of understanding (MoU) about boosting cooperation between coffee firms were signed. 

Additionally, 100 domestic and foreign bartenders joined the fourth bartending competition.

The 2017 Central Highlands Gong Culture Festival launched six main activities with a participation of nearly 600 domestic and international artists, contributing to raising awareness about preserving and proving Gong cultural value of the Central Highlands region.

Health sector sets up scientific council to clarify incident's cause

The Ministry of Health yesterday requested to set up a scientific council as per the law to clarify the cause of the incident in the Polyclinic and report to the Ministry before March 18.

After reading articles published on newspaper of the incident and the 168 Hanoi Polyclinic violations, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered the Ministry of Health to urgently probe the case and report  to the PM before March 14.

The Department of Health and Bach Mai Hospital were assigned to support patient Tran Thi Thu Trang’s relatives during treatment. The Polyclinic must transfer all patients to other infirmary. The Department of Health and related agencies must summon the Chinese doctor who had provided treatment to patient Trang to write report of treatment procedure. 

Before, on March 5, patient Trang from the northern province of Quang Ninh arrived in the 168 Hanoi Polyclinic for prenatal and gynecological check-up. Yet in the evening of the same day, her relatives were informed that she had fell into coma and was taken to Bach Mai Hospital for emergency treatment while she was totally healthy before. Seriously, the Chinese doctor who provided treatment to Tranf fled away from the clinic. 

Women’s economic empowerment – strong commitment of Vietnam: minister

“Economic empowerment for women is a strong commitment and one of the priorities of the Vietnamese Government,” Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung said in a speech at the General Discussion during the 61st Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women on March 13.

Dung, who also chairs the National Committee for the Advancement of Women, said that Vietnam has obtained considerable achievements in this field as reflected in laws and policies. Its legal framework has been improved and is compatible with the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, conventions of the International Labor Organisation, and the Beijing Platform for Action about women.

With its own efforts and assistance from development partners and UN organisations, the country has realised the Millennium Development Goal on gender equality.

The proportion of women in the labour market is nearly 73% and the rate of female enterprise and farm owners 24.9%. According to a 2016 World Economic Forum report, Vietnam ranked 65 out of 144 countries on the gender gap index, while the female-to-male ratio of labour force participation was 0.92 – nearly reaching the equality level, the minister noted.

Numerous activities have been implemented to support entrepreneurship training and promote access to financial and credit sources, Dung said, adding that “the role and status of Vietnamese women in all aspects of social life have been raised significantly.”

However, he admitted that the country still faces challenges. While female workers mainly work in informal sectors, there exists a gap in employment quality, employment status and income between male and female workers. Most businesses headed by female entrepreneurs are micro small scale with informal activities and gaining low profit.

Women’s ability and potential is still often undervalued. Other challenges include natural disasters, epidemics, labour market, finance, the changes of employment structure due to the 4th Industrial Revolution, low global economic development in recent years and trade protection.

Facing this, the Vietnamese Government plans to support women, especially young women, to access skill training in emerging fields, particularly in science, technology, technical education and mathematics. It will prioritise spending on social security and caring infrastructure to help women reduce family burdens and increase their access to social protection. More investment will also be poured into improving the productivity and income of women in agriculture, he added.

In another speech on behalf of the ten ASEAN member nations, Minister Dung said: “ASEAN Member Countries have accomplished a great deal in the advancement of women at the national and regional levels.”

However, they also recognise that there are still barriers to be removed to ensure women and men enjoy equal economic opportunities and that the ASEAN Community as a whole enjoys prosperity and sustainable growth.

He said that the bloc will strive to address the constraints in all dimensions. Gender mainstreaming, increasing women’s participation in the labour force, economic, social and political spheres, and ensuring access to education and vocational training are essential for the empowerment of women and securing the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms for women.

The 61st Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women takes place at the UN headquarters in New York, the US, from March 13-24 under the theme “Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work”.

As part of the session, Minister Dung also addressed fringe events, including a discussion on enhancing women’s role in agriculture and rural areas in Vietnam, and a workshop on dealing with harmful practices of male preference held by the UN Population Fund.

NA leader visits cherry blossom in Hanoi

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan on March 13 visited the cherry blossom exhibition in Ly Thai To Park Hanoi, which kicked off on March 10.

The NA leader lauded the effective coordination between Hanoi and relevant agencies in organising the meaningful event, serving locals and tourists in the capital city.

Also on March 13, the organising board decided to prolong the event by another one day to March 14 as the exhibition has still attract many visitors who come to enjoy the typical flower from Japan. The organisers reviewed and replaced withered flowers to serve visitors.

The event was earlier extended by one day.

Vietnam Idol’s first runner-up launches album

After two years’ break, first runner-up of Vietnam idol 2015 Nguyen Bich Ngoc launched her debut album on Wednesday, reports Tuoi Tre.

The album Dream Girl with the music composed by Bich Ngoc and lyrics by Ngoc and another author named My Ngoc is remixed by American producer David “DQ” Quinones (DQ). DQ has worked with some of the world’s leading singers like Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Demi Lovato, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Derulo, Usher, Lil Wayne, and Kelly Rowland.

DQ said that Ngoc has such a vibrant and unique voice. Ngoc shared that Dream Girl is a story about herself and she wishes to inspire other girls to be confident on their appearance and to fight for their dreams and passion. After the Vietnam idol contest, Ngoc has mastered her piano and composing skills.

Alcohol poisoned students out of danger

After receiving intensive treatment, three of poisoned students were discharged while six are still in the Bach Mai hospital’s Poison Center but they get out of danger, said Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen of the center.

Until now, six of them recovered; they could talk and be discharged from the center in a few next days. 

Four of them suffered weak vision as a consequence of poisoning and two suffered brain infection; therefore, the center will conduct more tests. 

Before, a group of 12 students drank wine on a celebration of Women’s Day on March 8; later nine of them were hospitalized to the center for alcohol poisoning. 

Following alcohol poisoning cases in Hanoi lately, the Department of Food Safety and related agencies paid visits to nearly ,100 eateries and food shops to seize and destroy 140 liter of wine and seal 1,300 liter as alcohol reported without origin and having high content of methanol. 

Over 200 stores had to pay fines of VND380 million of violations of food safety.

Southwest region,Japan prefecture boost ties in environment protection

The Steering Committee of the Southwest Region received representatives from Japan’s Hiroshima Prefecture in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on March 13.

Sato Yoshio, head of the Hiroshima department of commerce, industry and labour, said Hiroshima has strengths in environmental treatment solutions and expects to form connection with Mekong Delta provinces having demand in the field.

The Japanese side proposed coordinating with the committee, Soc Trang province and Can Tho city in organising a business connectivity conference in September this year.

The conference will introduce Hiroshima’s technologies in water purification, seawater desalination, and solid and liquid waste treatment, among others.

Vice Chairman of the Can Tho People’s Committee Dao Anh Dung said the treatment of waste water in raising tra fish and waste in pig farms are priorities of his locality.

Urban mud and waste treatment technologies are also needed, he added.

In June this year, a delegation of representatives from the steering committee, Can Tho and Soc Trang authorities will visit environmental treatment facilities in Hiroshima.

In Vietnam, ‘clean-skin’ alcohol as easy to buy as candy

A mass poisoning involving methanol-tainted alcohol in Hanoi has raised fresh alarms on the overlooked market where ‘clean-skin’ alcohol – the alcoholic beverages with no label, no manufacturing information and no nutritional facts is widely available at dirt cheap prices.

Seven college students, including two women, started to develop symptoms of poisoning on the morning of March 9, after throwing a party the night before with 1.5 liters of unlabeled alcohol.

All were rushed to hospital and are still receiving treatment, with Hanoi police announcing on March 12 that they had launched an investigation into the sale of poor-quality alcohol in the Vietnamese capital.

According to the municipal health department, two Hanoi residents died of methanol poisoning, while 24 others were hospitalized between February 22 and March 11.

It is not difficult to find and buy ‘clean-skin’ alcohol in Hanoi. It is always readily available at eateries, sidewalk cafés, pho shops and groceries across the capital.

The most popular products are ‘homemade’ alcohol shipped to Hanoi from the rural areas, with those made from rice fetching VND15,000 (US$0.67) a liter, and those from cassava, VND10,000 (US$$0.45) a liter.

At one rice eatery on Thanh Liet Street, Thanh Tri District, a kind of white alcohol is on sale for VND30,000 (US$$1.34) a liter, with the owner claiming the product to be “good homemade alcohol” from a rural area in the nearby province of Nam Dinh.

The unlabeled bottles of alcohol are placed so drinkers cannot know anything about the liquid they are about to drink.

Sellers of the products insist that these are homemade drinks and do not have information such as the manufacturer’s name or volume of alcohol.

On March 12, Hanoi police said they had tracked the manufacturers of two types of alcohol blamed for some of the recent methanol poisonings; one in the outer district of Dan Phuong and one in Thanh Oai District.

As of March 11, the Hanoi health department had inspected 833 alcohol makers and sellers, slapping civil fines on 75 of those facilities, destroying 120 liters and confiscating 6,500 liters of substandard drinks.

Three out of 35 alcohol samples tested in the department’s lab were found to have excessive methanol content.

Ban Flower Festival 2017 opens in Điện Biên

The Ban Flower Festival and the fifth Culture - Sport - Tourism Festival is in its full swing in the northern province of Điện Biên with a range of activities.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân and representatives from the relevant ministries and departments as well as delegates from Laos and representatives of the local ethnic people in Điện Biên Province participated in the event.

"Điện Biên is proud to be associated with the Điện Biên Phủ Victory, a centre for the ban flower and home to 19 different ethnic groups with diverse cultural features, he said. The preservation of a special national historic relic — Điện Biên Phủ Battlefield, as well as the ethnic minorities’ cultural identity is an important task with great political and socioeconomic value," said Chairman of Điện Biên province’s People’s Committee, Mùa A Sơn.

"Given the importance of the preservation effort, Điện Biên Province hosts the Ban Flower Festival in March every year, as this is when the historic Điện Biên Phủ campaign was launched, marking a proud milestone in the country’s history of its foundation and defence," said Sơn.

This year’s festival features a number of activities that aim to "honour, preserve and promote the tangible and intangible cultural icons of the country as well as 19 ethnic groups of the province."

A music performance by more than 250 artists and actors introduced to the audience the history of Điện Biên, portraying its scenic landscapes and honouring those who had made great contributions to the area.

The festival also includes exhibitions showcasing traditional culture, books as well as folk sports, singing and dancing. The final round of the Miss Ban Flower pageant, to be held on Tuesday night, will see the participation of beauties from five northwestern provinces.

Ban flower is ubiquitous and characteristic of the northwest provinces of Việt Nam and is the symbol of love between a girl named Ban and a boy named Khum in an ancient Thái ethnic legend.

Former Japanese PM presents wheelchairs to Vietnamese disabled

Former Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio and the Japanese Friendship Association (JFA) presented 60 wheelchairs to disabled Vietnamese children and Agent Orange victims at a ceremony in Hanoi on March 12. 

The recipients come from the northern provinces of Hung Yen, Ha Nam and Thai Binh, among others. 

Hatoyama, in his speech, said it is the third time he has donated wheelchairs in Vietnam and wished to rally more funds for the efforts soon. 

He said that the JFA will help Vietnam clean up dioxin-contaminated areas and make quality wheelchairs. 

Deputy Health Minister Pham Le Tuan thanked the Japanese people for their support to Vietnamese people with disabilities. 

He recalled that former PM Hatoyama met disabled children in Vietnam in 2013 and collected 50 wheelchairs to send to Vietnam for the first time in September 2014. 

In October 2015, he sent another 50 wheelchairs to Vietnam.

Berlin ceremony commemorates Vietnamese martyrs

Buddhist monks, nuns, followers and Vietnamese expats in Germany gathered at a ceremony at Tu An pagoda in Berlin on March 12 to commemorate martyrs who died to protect Vietnam’s borders and islands.

The attendees offered incense and prayed for the souls of the fallen soldiers.

Nguyen Tien Khoi, a veteran who was stationed on Truong Sa (Spratly) island, expressed gratitude towards Tu An pagoda and Vietnamese expats in Berlin for organising the event.

A number of songs extolling the sacrifice of fallen soldiers and the love for the homeland were performed by the Buddhist followers at the event in a patriotic spirit.

HCM City residents make streets green and clean

“Streets without rubbish” is an initiative to encourage Ho Chi Minh City’s residential areas to protect the urban environment. After a few years, the project has proved effective.

257 households in cluster 2, ward 10, district 5, Ho Chi Minh city have kept common spaces clean and dumped trash in the right place for six years. Despite its crowded population, stores and food stalls, the area always looks bright, airy and hygienic with green trees along the sidewalks.

Five out of seven clusters in the district with no more trash and lots of trees have met the qualifications of a “green – clean – and beautiful” cluster.

The “street without rubbish” commitment has been widely advocated by local people. A set of standards and tasks was set up based on each cluster’s circumstance.

Elephant, boat races held in Buon Ma Thuot coffee festival

The Central Highlands province of Dak Lak held its traditional elephant and boat race in Lak district on March 12 as part of the ongoing sixth Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival. 

Thirteen elephants demonstrated their skills by running and swimming. 

Meanwhile, a boat race drew nearly 100 participants in two, four and five crew-members competitions.

The events aim to raise public awareness of cultural conservation and promotion of ethnic groups in the Central Highlands, thus boosting tourism in the locality.  

Dak Lak province has been dubbed the home of tamed elephants, though their population has declined sharply from 502 in 1985 to 84 in 2000 and fewer than 60 in 2010.

To conserve its elephants, the province launched a project worth 61 billion VND (3.1 million USD) for a healthcare and research facility on elephant reproduction and conservation in 2014.

Hanoi works to ensure labour safety, hygiene

The action month for labour safety and hygiene will start in Hanoi on May 1 as part of the city’s effort to raise public awareness of occupational safety as well as promote enforcement of the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene.

The city will give a push to the labour safety and hygiene training in local businesses, helping them update necessary information to tackle labour accidents, fires and explosions at the workplace.

Enterprises are ordered to improve working conditions, take drastic measures to reduce workplace pollution and occupational diseases while carrying out detailed inspection of explosion prevention process at the workplace.

The action month also includes conferences and seminars on improving working conditions and medical healthcare for employees, especially those who are working in high-risk sectors.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Ngo Van Quy said that two inspection groups will be set up to examine 50 occupational accident-prone businesses and ten steering boards will be established to ensure labour safety and hygiene in districts and towns.

Relevant authorities must give harsh punishment to any violation of labour safety and hygiene, which leaves great damage to human and assets.

There were 169 labour accidents, killing and injuring 179 people in 2016, tripling the number in the previous year. In addition, 831 fires took place in the city, leaving 19 dead and 18 injured. Total damage was estimated at 80 billion VND (3.5 million USD).

Most of the accidents were recorded in the fields of construction and electricity.

Japan provides non-refundable aid for social projects in Vietnam

The Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City signed on March 10 an agreement on providing non-refundable aid worth 344,489 USD for Vietnam. 

The agreement is part of the the Japanese Government’s non-refundable aid programme for Vietnamese localities. 

The provinces benefiting from the newly-signed agreement are HCM City, Central Highlands Dak Lak province, south central coastal Ninh Thuan province and, southern Tra Vinh province.

Accordingly, the aid will be used to build kindergartens, water supply systems, buy medical equipment for hospitals, and products for the hearing impaired.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Japanese Consul General Kawaue Junichi underlined the growing friendship between Vietnam and Japan. Japan is the biggest provider of aid for Vietnam, 
particularly for socio-economic, cultural, education and transport fields.

He expressed his hope that the aid will be effectively used to benefit local residents.

Y Suon Bya, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Krong Pac district, Dak Lak, pledged that local authorities will ensure effective management, use and maintenance of the works.

From 1995 to early 2016, the local-level non-refundable aid programme of the Japanese Government supported 169 projects in 26 southern provinces and cities in Vietnam through grants worth over 13.5 million USD. The aid goes mostly to education, health, agriculture and rural infrastructure.

Work starts on Hanoi water plant

Work on the construction of the Duong river surface water plant started on March 9 in Phu Dong commune in Hanoi’s Gia Lam district.

Located on nearly 62 hectares, the plant will be developed in three phases. The first phase, which will cost around 5 trillion VND (225 million USD) and have a capacity of 300,000cu.m per day, is scheduled to be completed by 2020.

At the ground-breaking ceremony, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said the project would play an important role in providing a sustainable supply of clean water to the capital city.

“Upon completion, the plant will supply clean water to three million people in 168 wards and communes across eight districts in Hanoi; to residential and industrial zones along Road 179; and the neighbouring provinces of Bac Ninh and Hung Yen,” Chung said.

Chung also asked local authorities, Duong River Surface Water Plant JSC’s project management board, investors and contractors to ensure that the project process, quality, labour and environmental safety are not compromised and that every effort must be made to start the plant’s test runs by the second quarter of 2018.

“This is a key national project. It will meet the city’s demand for clean water and contribute towards speeding up urbanisation in Hanoi and its neighbouring provinces,” said Do Thi Kim Lien, Chairwoman of the Duong River Surface Water Plant JSC. “The project will help improve the local people’s quality of life by reducing diseases caused by polluted water and environment.”

The plant’s capacity will reach 600,000cu.m per day by 2030 and 900,000cu.m per day by 2050.

Its clean-water piping system is the longest and most intricate in the country, running 76km long with two river-crossing sections over Hong and Duong rivers, and various sections running through railways, national and provincial roads.

At the ceremony, the company donated 12 billion VND (526,000 USD) to Gia Lam district’s Social Welfare Fund for charity constructions for needy people in Phu Dong and Trung Mau communes.
 
Border youth friendship village handed over to Laos

The Vietnam – Laos border youth friendship village was handed over to the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union in Khamkout district, the Lao province of Bolikhamsay on March 9. 

Addressing the ceremony, First Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee Le Quoc Phong said the village is a symbol of bilateral cooperation between the two youth unions. It will provide a place for young people to settle down, and serve as a key force in socio-economic development, national defence and security in the border area. 

He hoped that the Lao side would effectively run the village and continue to build new production models to spur local socio-economic growth, contributing to strengthening friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations’ youngsters. 

Lying in the villages of Noongkook, Kengbit, Sopnhuong, Pholom and Nakham, the project sprawls over 1,034ha and costs 75.2 billion VND (3.26 million USD) in non-refundable official development assistance, 5.53 billion VND (240,000 USD) of which was sourced from the Lao government for site clearance. 

The next component will be developing rubber cultivation and processing to create jobs to local young residents, using fund from the Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG). 

Built in August 2012, the village is currently home to a community cultural house, housing for youngsters, a kindergarten, a medical station, a canteen and an agro-forestry technology display area. 

In coordination with the two youth unions, the VRG has planted 500ha of rubber and built 10 houses for local young people. 

Following the ceremony, the two youth unions presented gifts to 10 households living in the village. 

On the occasion, young medical staff from the central province of Ha Tinh offered free health check-ups and medicines to over 300 Lao residents.


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