Hanoi's apartment services fees remain unchanged

Viet Hung new residential area, Hanoi.

The Ha Noi People's Committee has approved the charges for services in apartment buildings in the city this year.

The service fees are the same as of last year.

The minimum and maximum fees for services in buildings with elevators are VND800,000 (US$38) and VND1.65 million ($79) per 100sq.m, respectively.

In buildings that have only staircases, the rates will be VND450,000 and VND500,000 per 100sq.m respectively.

Vice-Chairman of the People's Committee Nguyen Van Suu said the rates did not cover luxury services such as swimming pools, tennis grounds and sauna.

The management boards of apartment buildings are empowered to decide the service fees in pursuant to the city's rates framework.

In case a building does not have a management board, the service fees will be decided with the agreement of more than half the total number of its residents.

Relevant agencies, such as the city's departments of construction, finance, natural resources and environment have been asked to oversee the apartment service fees being charged and to propose changes, if needed, to match the permitted rates.

Ha Noi's People's Committee started imposing an annual framework of apartment service fees two years ago, after conflicts over the issue arose in the city.

3 escape death as tourist boat sinks in Ha Long Bay

Three crew members of a tourist boat escaped death after the boat sank while laying at anchor in the world-renowned  Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh on July 12.

The Thanh Phong tourist boat, codenamed QN-6018, was anchored near Reu Island in Ha Long and the weather was reported to be normal, news website VnExpress reported.

Water then flowed into the boat, causing it to sink. Three crew members jumped out of the boat and swam to safety.

Local authorities said the boat may have hit rocks lying scattered across the edge of the island when the tide ebbed and holes developed.

Rescuers would soon tow the boat ashore, they said.

Vietnam Summer Camp 2015 to traverse the nation

Over 160 young Vietnamese expatriates from 21 countries globally will engage in various activities nationwide during the 2015 Vietnam Summer Camp from July 13-31.

The “Proud of Vietnam” event will open in Hanoi on July 16 and close in the southern metropolis Ho Chi Minh City, taking participants to major landmarks from the north to the south.

Before the opening ceremony, State President Truong Tan Sang will receive some of the representatives at the Presidential Palace.

The summer camp will be hosted by the Foreign Ministry’s State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs.

Fishermen updated on marine safety knowledge

Nearly 100 fishermen in four communes of Tinh Gia district in the central province of Thanh Hoa were provided with knowledge on sea and islands as well as safety and communications at sea on July 13.

The training was introduced by the provincial border guard command and the central coast radio stations.

Fishermen received information on the East Sea, maritime agreements between Vietnam and other countries, Vietnam’s law on the sea and sovereignty over sea and islands, and other useful information.

The provincial border guard command and the central coast radio stations will open training classes for fishermen in 10 key communes in six coastal districts of Thanh Hoa in 2015.

Tra Vinh develops sustainable prawn-forest production

The Department of Agricultural and Rural Development of the Mekong Delta’s Tra Vinh province is encouraging local farmers to grow clean prawns in tandem with improving mangrove forest production.

Since 2013, the sector has invested more than 300 million VND (14,000 USD) in developing green and clean prawn farms with 20 households in Hiep Thanh commune, Duyen Hai district.

Under the project, farmers have also been offered technical and technological assistance to enhance the effectiveness and quality of prawn farming in mangrove forests.

The farms are equipped with irrigation filter systems and are well maintained in a bid to ensure adequate supply of nutrition and light for prawn growing.

According to the Tra Vinh Centre for Agricultural and Fishery Promotion, the project has helped develop local forests while increasing local farmer income.

HCM City marks 226th French National Day

A ceremony to mark the 226th anniversary of the French National Day (July 14) was held in HCM City on July 13.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the HCM City Chapter of the Vietnam-France Friendship Association Le Quoc Hung stressed the relationship between the two countries has developed in politics, economics, culture, education, science and technology and security- defence.

He said the multi-faced cooperation between HCM City and France and especially the Rhone-Alpes region and Lyon city has also developed.

France ninth of 70 countries and territories investing in the southern city, he added.

Many French investors, businesses and non-governmental organizations are taking part in humanitarian projects and others in economics, culture, education, society, healthcare, HIV/AIDS prevention and control and the environment, making practical contributions to the city’s development.

For his part, Consul General Emmanuel Ly Batallan thanked the city’s leaders and citizens for their positive sentiments towards French people.

He said he wished relations between the two sides would be strengthened and developed moving forward.

Vinh Long builds houses for revolutionary contributors

The Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long is working to accelerate a housing policy for those who contributed to the country during its previous struggles.

This year, the province aims to complete construction of and upgrades to 2,834 houses at a total cost of more than 70 billion VND (3.2 million USD).

Local authorities are also intensifying communication campaigns to mobilise greater community support for the programme, including manpower, financial assistance and donations of land and construction materials.

According to Le Quang Dao, Director of the Vinh Long Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, there are currently 48,000 people expected to benefit from the policy, which could help them escape poverty and secure a stable life.

Training session looks to foster gender equality in Vietnam

Representatives from 40 cities and provinces nationwide participated a training session on social works towards gender equality and the advancement of Vietnam’s women in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province on July 13.

The event was jointly organised by the National Committee for the Advancement of Women in Vietnam, the Oxfam organisation, and the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Experts from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs briefed the attendees on the communication plan on gender equality in politics, the implementation of the National Programme on Gender Equality over the past five years and orientations for the 2016-2020 period, and the combination of gender equality in labour and employment policies and laws.

The function aimed to promote the dissemination of the State guidelines and State policies and laws on gender equality, raising the awareness of women’s leadership.

It was also meant to help increase women’s participation at all-level Party Committees, People’s Councils, and the number of female National Assembly deputies between 2015 and 2021.

UNESCO tourism training course begins

Twenty-five tourism lecturers and management officials from the central provinces of Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Nam took part in a professional training course that opened in Hue city on July 13.

The international-standard course, running through July 17, features hands-on skills and experience in guiding tours of world heritage sites as well as possible solutions to arising problems.

Le Huu Minh, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said almost all UNESCO-recognised heritage and preservation sites lack an international-standard tourism management tool.

UNESCO has helped heritage site localities develop a strategy that incorporates sustainable tourism development into the preservation of heritages and cultural values, he added.

The course, co-hosted by UNESCO, the International Labour Organisation and the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is part of efforts to produce a contingent of qualified tour guides working in world heritage sites as well as build up a training establishment that offers compulsory qualifications to tour guides in the central region.

Phu Tho to finance doctors' doctorates

Phu Tho Province will give doctors working in state hospitals VND900 million (US$42,800) each to pursue doctorate degrees.

Director of the Phu Tho Department of Health Ho Duc Hai said the province wanted to improve the quality of its medical professionals. It expects that with the financial support the province will bring in 27 doctors with doctorate degrees by 2020. The studying period is three years.

Hai said the Government approved the province's plan to build a high-tech general hospital with specialised centres for tumours, cardiovascular diseases, obstetrics and paediatrics. It would need highly professional doctors to staff the new hospital and use the new, more modern equipment.

But Vuong Truong Thai, deputy director of Lam Thao District Hospital, said the project would not work. Lam Thao and many other district hospitals in the province urgently needed more doctors, but the Government would be sending them away to study instead of work where they're needed.

On the average, each hospital needed 10 to 20 more doctors to meet local residents' needs for examinations and treatments, Thai said. Many hospitals even had to bring retired doctors back to work.

The province has trained two doctors with doctorate degrees since 2009. It doesn't offer doctors benefits with their salaries so it's hard to attract well-trained professionals, Hai said. But doctors seemed eager about new support.

Dr. Dao Van Khai of Tam Nong District General Hospital said that the project would help doctors increase their professional skills, and he hoped the support would include more modern equipment for hospitals.

Forest destruction cause for alarm in Central Highlands

Deforestation and the ensuing depletion of forestry land has become an alarming problem in the Central Highlands region.

In the first six months of this year, there were 3,641 violations reported, according to the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands Region.

They included 93 cases of land transgressions and removing trees to create farm land. A total of 236 hectares has been destroyed.

Deforestation and illegal timber removal was reported mostly in natural forests, border areas, natural reserves and national parks where forest protection is known to be poor, the committee said.

Illegal timber trading along the border was complicated by inefficient prevention measures. Meanwhile, forest replanting and recovery work was limited, added the committee.

To arrack the problems, the committee urged localities to strictly follow the Prime Minister's directions on forest protection and deforestation control.

Regional localities should also increase State management over forests and forest land, strengthen inspections, address violations and have forestation plans.

It also advised localities to request enterprises and investors to plant trees to replace destroyed areas.

 Agricultural restructuring key to farmers’ life improvement

Agricultural restructuring is of fundamental important for the stable development and better competitiveness of the country’s main farming production zone--the Mekong Delta, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat has said.

If agricultural restructuring is successfully implemented and production organization is rationalized, the new rural development program will be successful and farmers’ life will be improved in the delta, he added.

So far, 12 provinces in the Mekong Delta have implemented agricultural restructuring projects and they have achieved significant successes.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, two years after implementing the restructuring program, the 12 provinces have converted 78,375 hectares of low yield rice areas into other crops such as vegetables, watermelon, sesame, bean and dragon fruits. It has yielded 20-30 percent higher economic effectiveness compared to rice farming.

Corn cultivation has brought farming households a profit of 1.5-1.8 times higher than rice in Dong Thap and An Giang.

Many areas have successfully applied large scale production models basing on their advantages.

Minister Cao Duc Phat said that surveys in some provinces showed that production models had been changed a lot with higher mechanization ratio, increasing productivity and reducing post-harvest loss. At present, the area of rice land tilled by machines has reached 96 percent.

New effective production models comprise indoor shrimp farming in Bac Lieu and Kien Giang, pangasius fish farming under value chain in Dong Thap.

Hau Giang province has chosen ten products in its position of strength for agricultural restructuring, said deputy chairman of the province People’s Committee Truong Canh Tuyen.

They have converted 3,000 hectares of ineffective sugarcane and rice crops into other plants giving higher economic effectiveness.

The province has also assisted farmers to modernize their production modes and apply technologies to lower cost price and increase profit. Initial achievements comprise 6 percent increase in agricultural production value. Some households earn an annual income of VND1-2 billion (US$46,000-92,000).

Tra Vinh province People’s Committee reported a year on year increase of 6.7 percent agricultural production value last year, the highest ever thanks to agricultural restructuring.

Despite the above achievements, many limitations should be cleared to succeed in agricultural restructuring.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said that some provinces have built restructuring projects but faced short market information and low connectivity, making them confused in implementing the projects. The Government has encouraged expanding the large scale paddy field model, but it has developed very slowly accounting for only 3.3 percent of total production area.

Production under VietGap and GlobalGap quality standards has met with difficulties because of high expenditures. Cooperatives’ operation is still weak affecting connectivity models.

Mr. Nam said that provinces should change from small scale into large scale production, apply advanced technologies and produce in accordance with consumption demand in the market.

Local authorities should speed up restructuring production, purchase, processing, preservation, and consumption systems and build connectivity chains in planting, breeding and seafood farming, he added.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, deputy chairman of Dong Thap province People’s Committee, said that large scale production model had been determined as a right direction of agricultural restructuring.

However, land area allocation limit to a household has been a barrier for this. Therefore, there should have a pilot tax exemption on the limit exceedance to some farms so that they can expand production scales, he proposed.

Mr. Lam Van Man, deputy chairman of Soc Trang province People’s Committee, said that weak infrastructures serving agricultural production and seafood farming has caused environment and water pollution killing shrimps across wide areas.

Electricity source has also failed to meet industrial shrimp farming models.

The province has hence proposed the central government to give assistances in the infrastructure system’s development to speed up agricultural restructuring towards sustainable development.

Mr. Tran Minh Chien, deputy head of the Southwestern Region Steering Board, proposed to clearly assign responsibilities between central and local authorities to solve difficulties in agricultural restructuring.

Central Government would care about policies and mechanisms while local authorities should well do planning, he said.

HCMC not lacks blood for treatment, emergent cases

The blood donation in hospitals also ensures enough blood for treatment and emergent cases, reported the Humanitarian Blood Donation Center of Red Cross in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday.

The number of voluntary blood donors has increased in past weeks lately, it said.

In May and in June, the center received over 12,500 and over 14,000 units of blood respectively. Before, around 50-100 voluntary blood donors came to the center daily for donation.

Currently, nearly 250 people a day agreed to give blood excluding people gave blood in mobile vehicles.

Since early this year, the center has received over 85,000 unit of blood from voluntary donors.

The Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion in HCMC has also admitted increasing number of voluntary blood donors lately.

The institute has distributed the blood donation to hospitals in the city. In addition to voluntary blood donation in the Humanitarian Blood Donation Center, the blood donation in hospitals also ensures enough blood for treatment and emergent cases.

More provinces want road maintenance fee lifted

Many more provinces and cities intend to suspend collecting the controversial road maintenance fee from motorbike owners, saying expenses for the collection job outweigh fee revenues.

The HCMC People’s Council has requested the city government to suspend the collection of the fee until a council session at the end of this month. The central coast city of Danang suspended collecting the fee from July 7.    

Danang said its residents oppose the road maintenance fee and that many problems have emerged in the collection process. More importantly, revenue has been declining. Therefore, the Danang People’s Council has decided to suspend the collection and will report to the Government.

Similarly, the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has stopped the fee collection. It is garnering comments from the public to decide whether to continue imposing the fee on motorcycle owners or not.

Hanoi started to collect the fee two years ago but the capital city wants to put it on hold as many districts have bemoaned the proportion of fee revenue allotted to them is not enough to pay for collectors. The city budget has been used to cover the difference.

At a meeting of the Hanoi People’s Council on July 6-7, many delegates threw support behind the cancellation of the road maintenance fee on motorcycles.

The Central Road Maintenance Fund plans to organize a review meeting on this year’s first half, in which the fee collection issue will be tabled for discussion.

According to statistics of the fund, Can Tho and Hanoi cities collected the fee from 20% and 21% of the motorbike owners respectively. Other localities have also reported little revenue.

HCMC is now the only locality in the country which has yet to collect the fee as the city has one of the biggest numbers of motorcycles in use, so it is hard to do the job. City residents are also against it.  

Vietnam arrests American national over alleged major VAT refund scam

Customs officers in Ho Chi Minh City on July 12 nabbed an American national for allegedly raking in at least VND2.2 billion (US$100,900) in a value-added tax refund scam that begun in 2014.

The 39-year-old suspect, reportedly a Vietnamese American whose identity has remained unknown, was caught when he arrived at Tan Son Nhat airport on a flight from Kuala Lumpur with VND624 million (US$28,600) worth of luxury fashion accessories.

Early that day he left HCM City for the Malaysian capital city after allegedly claiming over VND48 million (US$2,200) in VAT refunds for the very same items, including ties, handbags and belts.

The man allegedly conducted the scheme since last year and pocketed over VND2.2 billion, the customs department said, adding that  relevant agencies in HCM City and Hanoi are collaborating in investigating the case further.

Vietnam started offering VAT refunds to foreign tourists in July 2012.

Under Vietnamese laws, goods eligible for the tax refunds must be brand new and worth at least VND2 million (US$95).

Foreigners are given 60 days from the date of purchase to claim the tax.

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