Vingroup starts construction of VinUni University in Hà Nội

Delegates start the construction of VinUni University in Gia Lâm District, Hà Nội.

Conglomerate Vingroup officially started construction of its VinUni University (VinUni) in Gia Lâm District, Hà Nội today.

Located inside the VinCity Ocean Park urban area, VinUni will be built in an area of 23 hectares. It will include the main building, student dormitories, a sports complex and technical and support areas.     

The university is designed by well-known architects from multinational groups like AECOM and HBA, and assessed by Vingroup’s strategic partners including Cornell University and University of Pennsylvania.

VinUni’s main building is a 10-storey construction with a tower reaching 108m in height. All of the lecture halls and study rooms are designed flexibly and equipped with the latest technologies to meet advanced teaching and training techniques such as team-based learning, project-based learning and action-based learning.    

The student dorms are nearly 10,600sq.m with a canteen, medical room, study area and a convenient store and relaxing area for students. The sports complex consists of a cente with an indoor swimming pool, a football ground, a gym and an outdoor sport area.       

"VinUni will be built following the highest international standards for a university,” said Vingroup Vice President Lê Mai Lan at the groundbreaking ceremony. “Students will be provided with the best chance to study with professors and teachers from leading universities, institutes and medical systems around the world."

"At VinUni, students will have the chance to experience the most advanced and latest educational technology, facilities and laboratories,” said Lan. “We believe VinUni will create a breakthrough in higher education quality in Việt Nam, towards international standards.” 

The university is scheduled to open in 2020 as a non-profit organisation built on a par with international standards, integrating the elite model of higher education in the world. 

"Crazy" car hits motorbikes, killing one and injuring four

The scene of the accident on Tuesday in HCM City. — Photo infonet.vn

One person died on the spot and four others were seriously injured after a car hit four motorbikes at about 6pm in HCM City’s Nguyễn Hữu Thọ Street, District 7, on Tuesday.

A police investigation is ongoing. The driver of the car – a Toyota Innova – allegedly lost control of the vehicle and struck one motorbike before driving ahead into three others.

The people on the motorbikes hit the road and slid about 30m before the car crashed into a road barrier, plunged into the nearby grass and finally came to a halt.

After the accident, the injured were immediately taken to a local hospital for treatment. Traffic was at a standstill for nearly three hours while police cleared the scene.

The accident occured just three weeks after a drunk driver in the city crashed into several motorbikes and taxis on October 21, leaving one person dead and several others injured. 

Luxury cruise ship brings 3,500 foreign visitors to Vietnam

A view of luxury cruise ship World Dream

 

Luxury cruise ship World Dream, with around 3,500 international visitors on board, docked at Tien Sa Wharf in the central coastal city of Danang this morning to start their two-day visit.

This is the first time this year the ship of Genting Hong Kong’s Dream Cruises brought foreign tourists to Vietnam. It is scheduled to make a similar itinerary on November 20 and 21.

Saigontourist Travel Service Company took the tourists to various places of interest in Danang, and the ancient town of Hoi An, a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage site in neighboring Quang Nam Province.

Tomorrow, they are scheduled to take a sightseeing tour to Ha Long Bay, a World Heritage site in the northern province of Quang Ninh. Some visitors are also scheduled to visit the capital city of Hanoi. The cruise ship will leave the country later on the same day.

In the year to September, Saigontourist had served over 280,000 tourists on board international cruise ships, a 3% rise over the year-ago period. November is among the peak season for this market segment.

Two die, two injured in traffic accident

The scene of the accident that killed two soldiers and injured two others. — Photo news.zing.vn

Two people died and two more were seriously injured in a traffic accident on Tuesday morning in Sơn Mỹ Commune, Hàm Tân District, in the southern province of Bình Thuận.

The four victims were soldiers from the Land Forces Regiment No 812 under the Bình Thuận Military Command, the online newspaper Vietnamplus reported.

Senior lieutenant colonel Huỳnh Quốc Thụ, an official from the Bình Thuận Military Command, said the soldiers were on there way to a training exercise when they were hit by a lorry travelling in the wrong lane.

The dead soldiers have been named as Nguyễn Văn Cường, 21, and Đặng Trọng Nghĩa, 21.

The two injured soldiers were named as Mai Văn Thái, 21, and Nguyễn Văn Thống, 22, and are undergoing treatment in HCM City.

Police are investigating the case. 

Vietnam ministry alerts of Chinese human flesh-sourced medicine

Human flesh-made capsules seized at South Korea’s South Chungcheong. Photo: EPA

Health Departments need to public information of the capsules and warn the people not to trade or use any unclear drug. People once find out medicine of unknown origin should report to authorized agencies while health authorities need to cooperate with customs, market watchdogs, and police to tighten the control on the issue.

The Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAVN) under the Ministry of Health has announced that it will not allow the register, production, import, or circulation of any Chinese drug made from human flesh.  

The announcement was made after international media reports saying that the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) in late October had issued a warning of having thousands of human flesh-sourced capsules in the Nigerian market. The drug is smuggled from China. 
The DAVN immediately sent an alert to health authorities in the centrally-governed cities and provinces affirming the announcement. 

Municipals health departments are asked to warn the people not to trade or use the capsules or any unchecked drug. People once find out medicine of unknown origin should report to authorized agencies while health authorities need to cooperate with customs, market watchdogs, and police to tighten the control on the issue. 

Relating to this kind of drug, the NIA said that South Korean customs on September 30, 2018 disclosed that they had seized 2,751 Chinese capsules made from fetus, dead newborns, and human flesh illegally imported to South Korea by some Chinese people. 
Makers believe that the drug help boost the immunity and can cure cancer, diabetes, and some incurable diseases. 

Meanwhile, the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said that there have been 18.7 billion viruses, including hepatitis B virus, in these capsules. 

South Korean customs stated that the making of this drug is a crime against humanity and may result in serious health problems. 

A Chinese health official after talking with Moji Christianah Adeyeye of the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said that this kind of capsules has been used in Southeast Asia for a long time and this drug is similar to that made from fetus. 

Doctor Tran Van Phuc from Hanoi-based Saint Paul Hospital said that fetus, to some extent, is good for health as it contains protein, carbonhydrate, vitamins, progesterone, steroid, and gonandotropins

But doctors have warned of possible diseases infection from fetuses. 

After the news on this drug, many Vietnamese Internet users said that it’s unacceptable to make the capsules available in Vietnam as it goes against the country’s culture and traditional belief.

Vietnam attempts to expand media coverage nationwide by 2025

The move is expected to enable 70% of people in remote areas access to government communication channels on national radios and televisions.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a strategy on national information development by 2025 and vision to 2030 with an aim to raise media coverage in the whole country.  

As per the strategy, the government targets to help all people in remote, border areas and islands access newspapers or online newspapers as a way to carry on dissemination tasks and narrow the gap between readers in urban and rural areas. 

The move is expected to enable 70% of people in remote areas access to government communication channels on national radios and televisions. 

To reach the goals, all administrative organizations, particularly ministries and equivalent agencies, and People’s Committees of centrally governed cities and provinces use online portals and social networks to conduct dissemination by the year. 

In another move, Vietnamese press will be streamlined according to the National Press Development Planning and Management by 2025. Accordingly, the number of scientific magazines will be increased while 80% of press agencies will operate open-space editorial offices. 

In addition, some multi-media press agencies will be founded focusing on public orientation. 

Vietnam has 849 newspapers, including 86 under central organizations’ control; 664 magazines and 67 radios and televisions; 195 online newspapers and 178 news portals nationwide. 

Soc Trang: Ooc Om Bok festival offers cultural activities

"Ngo" boat race at last year's Ooc Om Bok festival

Ooc Om Bok Festival, also called the Festival of Worshiping the Moon, will take place in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang from November 16-22, with various activities to celebrate the traditional Khmer festival.

A moon-offering ritual, lantern-release ceremony, photo exhibition, Khmer traditional dance festival and trade and cuisine fair will be held during the event.

Notably, a “Ngo” boat race - the highlight of the festival - is scheduled for November 21-22, bringing together 48 teams from Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Hau Giang and Vinh Long provinces.

In addition, there will be a workshop on enhancing local small- and medium-sized enterprises’ capacity to approach the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0).

According to Danh Phuong, deputy head of the board for ethnic minority affairs of Soc Trang province, the event aims to preserve and promote traditional values of Khmer people while popularising local strengths in economy, culture and tourism.

Ooc Om Bok is three main festivals, along with Sene Dolta and Chol Chnam Thmay, that Khmer people celebrate every year. It begins around 7-8 pm on the evening of 14th of the 10th lunar month when the moon’s position is high in the sky. Khmer people celebrate at home outdoors or at Khmer pagodas, praying for good luck, happiness, good weather and bumper crops.

HCM City identifies babies in need of measles shots

HCM City is providing free vaccinations for infants against measles and rubella as part of a Ministry of Health campaign to prevent a repeat of the 2014 measles outbreak 

Health centres in Ho Chi Minh City are working to verify how many children aged one to five have not been immunised against measles for a national campaign to provide free two-in-one vaccines against measles and rubella starting this month.

The Ministry of Health is undertaking the campaign to increase immunisation coverage to prevent a repeat of the measles outbreak in 2014.

HCM City’s Preventive Health Centre reported that 400 people are suspected to have contracted measles so far this year.

The city has seen a rise in measles cases since the end of September, and the centre warned it would continue if the number of children without measles shots was not reduced.

The vaccination campaign will end next January, Dr Nguyen Tri Dung, the centre’s head, told a recent meeting with health centres in all 24 districts.

The Thu Duc District Health Centre worked with the local education division to obtain a list of children aged between one and five at kindergartens and nurseries.

It then asked managers and teachers of kindergartens and nurseries which children are yet to get two doses of the measles vaccine.

This process revealed that 4,803 children need to get vaccinated. Centre officials wrote to these children’s families to say they should take them to the nearest health centre for vaccination.

But Dung said this is not an effective method since many families fail to carry out the task.

The centre should instead collaborate with kindergartens and nurseries to provide vaccines there, he suggested.

The Tan Phu District Health Centre is collaborating with the population division to visit each family to draw up a list of unvaccinated children and tell their families about the campaign.

Dr Nguyen Huu Hung, Deputy Dead of the city’s Department of Health, said it was important to identify which children in the community had not been immunised.

In September and October, the city carried out a free programme to vaccinate children born in 2016 and 2017, but Hung said it did not reach enough children.

The Preventive Health Centre said recently that several hospitals and other vaccine centres do not give children measles shots at nine months, waiting instead until they are one year old to give them a combined measles-rubella shot despite the Ministry of Health’s recommendation that children should be immunised against measles at nine months.

The Department of Health has since instructed all hospitals and immunisation centres to comply with the ministry’s instructions.

Ministries asked to review proposed changes to Hanoi master plan

An aerial view of Giai Phong street in Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi 

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has asked relevant ministries to review the proposal for changes to be made to the Hanoi construction master plan for 2030, with a vision towards 2050.

The official assigned the Ministry of Construction to coordinate with the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, and relevant state agencies to appraise the proposal, while making the Hanoi People’s Committee responsible for providing all necessary information and documents related to the proposed changes.

The changes will be made for Dong Anh district’s Xuan Canh, Mai Lam and Dong Hoi communes to create space for the construction of a National Exhibition Centre and auxiliary facilities. 

The adjustments will be implemented in accordance with management regulations, which were issued along with the Master Plan approved by the Prime Minister.

Under the Prime Minister’s Decision No.1259/QD-TTg dated July 26, 2011, Hanoi will become a political, cultural, educational, and science-technology hub of the country, as well as a centre for economics, tourism, trade, and services for the Asia-Pacific region.

The capital city will be developed based on a model of urban clusters, with one central urban area and five satellite towns connected to it by a belt-transport system.  

The central urban area will be expanded from the city center in four directions, from the enlarged areas to Belt Road 4 in the west and south, to Me Linh and Dong Anh districts in the north, and to Gia Lam and Long Bien districts in the east.

It and the five satellite towns will be separated by green corridors, which will account for 70 percent of the city’s natural areas. The five satellite towns – Hoa Lac, Son Tay, Xuan Mai, Phu Xuyen, and Soc Son – will each have different functions and characteristics.

Their goal will be to support and share demand with the central urban area in terms of housing, training, industry, and services. They will contribute significantly to reducing population pressure on the capital and creating a driving force for socio-economic development. 

Tra Vinh builds Khmer cultural, tourism village

Ang pagoda in Tra Vinh 

The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh recently launched the construction of a Khmer cultural and tourism village at a total cost of 25.8 billion VND (1.12 million USD). 

Of the figure, 8 billion VND was sourced from the local budget, while the remainder came from the private sector. 

Lying in Luong Hoa commune’s Ward 8, in Tra Vinh’s province’s Chau Thanh district, the village boasts Ba Om pond, Ang pagoda, Khmer ethnic cultural museum, Tra Vinh Pali Khmer school, Khmer cultural village, Lo Gach pagoda, Oc Eo relic site, a parking area, and a night market. 

Duong Hoang Sum, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Tra Vinh is home to over 300,000 Khmer ethnic residents, accounting for nearly 32 percent of the local population. 

The province boasts 142 Khmer Theravada Buddhist temples, as well as the Ok Om BoK, Sene Dolta and Chol Chnam Thmay festivals. In particular, the Ok Om Bo festival has been recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. 

Ahead of this year’s Ok Om Bo festival (November 22), Tra Vinh will inaugurate a mural road, the first component in the project to serve tourists. With 29 paintings by five artists, the road will demonstrate cultural, social and religious life of the Khmer ethnic people. 

Dum said the provincial tourism sector served over 652,000 visitors last year, up over 23 percent from 2016, including 15,780 foreigners. The total revenue surpassed 210 billion VND, or 53 billion VND higher than in 2016. 

Tra Vinh set the target of turning tourism into an important economy by 2025 and a spearhead economy by 2030. 

“Vietnam-Laos Special Friendship” Day to be held in Dien Bien

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Minh Hong (standing) addresses the press conference on November 13

The “Vietnam-Laos Special Friendship” Festive Day will be held on December 4-5 in Dien Bien city, northern Dien Bien province, with the aim of promoting images of a renovated Vietnam and the special friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.

At the press conference introducing the event in Hanoi on November 13, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Minh Hong said 2018 marks the 56th anniversary of Vietnam-Laos diplomatic ties and the 41st anniversary of the signing of the Treaty for Friendship and Cooperation between the two countries.

During their respective renovation cause, the two countries have obtained immense socio-economic and foreign affair achievements that helped bolster and expand their cooperation over various fields, Hong said.

The “Vietnam-Laos Special Friendship” Festive Day will have art performances and photo exhibitions featuring the glorious stages of the special relations between Vietnam and Laos.

A seminar promoting trade and tourism of the host province will look to connect local businesses with those from other localities sharing the border with Laos.

The festive day will aim to raise the awareness of sectors and residents in border areas in safeguarding firmly the country’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as peace and stability for the development cause, and raising the country’s prestige in the wider region, Hong said.

The event is co-organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications and the People’s Committee of Dien Bien province.

South Korean, Chinese tourists visit Danang in droves

The number of South Korean and Chinese guests visiting the central coastal city of Danang this year is estimated to post respective increases of 80% and 30% over last year and account for a staggering 80% of international tourist arrivals in the city.

The forecast was based on the rising number of newly launched air routes and flights between the city and South Korea, along with the growth in the number of tourist cruise ships traveling between the two countries.

Data from the Travel Management Agency under the municipal Department of Tourism show that Danang looks to welcome 25 cruise ships, with more than 47,000 tourists on board, mainly Chinese visitors, to the city during the November-December period.

However, the rapid increase in the number of visitors from these two countries to Danang has had drawbacks such as the rise of zero-dong tours and the inadequacy in managing Chinese and South Korean tour guides.

Accordingly, the municipal tourism department has warned local tour operators and hospitality service providers against using illegal payment forms.

In addition, the local authorities imposed fines in over 50 cases for violations committed by tour operators and guides during the year up to October. They noted that most of the violators were from the two source markets.

Earlier, at a meeting gathering the municipal leader and local travel agencies, some participants said that many Chinese tour guides were unemployed during the peak season for tourism in Danang. The municipal Department of Tourism conducted an inspection and refuted this claim, stating that the rumor had negatively affected the two source markets of the city.

The city currently welcomes visitors from 14 countries and territories, including South Korea, China, Japan, the United States, Thailand and Taiwan.

Students learn about role of chemistry at BASF Kids’ Lab 2018

Children enjoy fun hands-on experiments at BASF Kids’ Lab - PHOTO: COURTESY OF BASF

Chemical company BASF in partnership with the HCMC Department of Education and Training held the eighth annual BASF Kids’ Lab at KizCiti Edutainment Center in District 4 of HCMC last week, offering primary students an opportunity to learn about the world of chemistry.

Participants included primary students from districts 6, Binh Chanh and Binh Tan, children of BASF employees and customers, and needy children from Lucky House Social Welfare Center.

Guided by BASF employees and university student volunteers, the children conducted two fun experiments to understand how vitamin C helps improve human health and apply simple science theories to turn a piece of white paper into a vivid, decorated butterfly flying on their fingertips.

“BASF continuously supports the local community through a variety of programs which focus on science education. BASF Kids’ Lab aims to spark interest in natural sciences among the children from an early age,” said Tanachart Ralsiripong, managing director of BASF Vietnam.

“Thanks to the great support from our long-standing partner of HCMC Department of Education and Training, this program has reached more than 4,000 primary students in Vietnam, helping the country nurture future scientists. We would like to roll out this program to many other places in the future, letting more students enjoy this unique program.”

BASF also launched the Virtual Lab, an online platform that offers children a variety of interactive chemistry experiments in Vietnamese. The first two virtual experiments are “Water Purification” and “Red Stain Devil”.

The “Water Purification” experiment simulates the water recycling process using simple lab materials, while the “Red Stain Devil” experiment shows how dye particles leach out of red cloth, and the working principle of color-care detergent. BASF will launch two other experiments by the end of this year and the remaining five in 2019. It enables children to experience the joy of chemistry anytime, anywhere, with ease and fun.

On this occasion, KizCiti Edutainment Center invited 50 needy children from Lucky House Social Welfare Center to enjoy the facilities in the center and learn about various careers in real life, including pilots or firefighters.

The BASF Kids’ Lab program is an interactive, fun and free chemistry education program designed for kids aged six to 12 years to discover the world of chemistry through simple and safe hands-on experiments. The program has been brought to more than 30 countries across the world.

Saigon Hi-tech Park to hold annual international conference this November

The Saigon Hi-tech Park’s annual conference, themed “Robots and Artificial Intelligent (AI)”, will take place in Ho Chi Minh City on November 16.

Featuring 16 Vietnamese and foreign speakers, including experts from the UK, US and Japan, the event will focus on discussing interactions between human and robots as well as the role of robots and AI in smart city building.

The event also features an exhibition showcasing latest technologies in the area, with local and international exhibitors. 

Le Hoai Quoc, head of the management board of the high-tech park, said robots and AI will help better use resources to increase production and living standards, and speed up the nation’s modernisation and industrialisation.

The conference aims to help authorities understand their importance, thus improve the implementation of preferential policies for high-tech research and development, he added.

Held for four times to date, the conference has attained several successes.

It has encouraged the HCM People’s Committee to include a micro-electro-mechanical systems development project in the city’s integrated circuit industry development programme, and helped form a network of experts in biomedical engineering and implement a British Council-sponsored human resources training project in the field. 

Also worthy of mention is the establishment of a Vietnam – Japan centre for training and technology transfer, which works to train a workforce for robot and automation technologies.

Leaders of Dong Nai honoured with Lao Order of Independence

Governor of Champasak province Bounthong Divixay (second from left) on November 13 presents the Order of Independence of the Lao State to leaders of Vietnam’s southern Dong Nai province. 

Governor of Champasak province Bounthong Divixay on November 13 presented the Order of Independence of the Lao State to leaders of Vietnam’s southern Dong Nai province for their contributions to Vietnam – Laos relations.

On behalf of Lao President Bounnhang Vorachit, Governor Divixay awarded the second-class Order of Independence to Secretary of the Dong Nai Party’s Committee Nguyen Phu Cuong and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dinh Quoc Thai, along with the third-class Order of Independence to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Van Vinh.

The Lao official also presented the first-class Labour Order to the southern province’s Party Committee Office, People’s Committee Office and Department of External Affairs, and the Friendship Order to five organisations and four individuals. 

In his remarks at the event, Divixay said the conferment of these noble decorations is to recognize those who have dedicated themselves to promoting the friendship, solidarity and cooperation between the two countries’ Parties, States and people.

Secretary of the Dong Nai Party’s Committee Nguyen Phu Cuong expressed gratitude for the honour, saying he hopes the long-standing ties between Vietnam and Laos, as well as between Dong Nai and Lao provinces, will ever grow.

Dong Nai currently has two enterprises – Tin Nghia Corporation and Long Thanh Golf Investment and Trading JSC – investing in Laos. 

The province has also regularly organized visits and charity medical checkups in Laos. Universities and colleges in the province have trained 179 Lao students since 2012. 

Trà Vinh helps livestock farms improve productivity

The Mekong Delta province of Trà Vinh will spend VNĐ28 billion next year to help livestock breeders improve productivity.

The Mekong Delta province of Trà Vinh will spend VNĐ28 billion (US$1.2 million) to improve the productivity of farming households that breed livestock.

The funds, which will be allocated next year, include VNĐ14 billion (US$601,000) from the State budget and the rest from the province’s budget.

Besides offering money for artificial insemination of livestock, the province will fund 50 per cent of the costs for livestock breeds for 148 households, build biogas tanks for 2,900 households, and provide bio-pads to treat animal waste for 89 households.

In addition, the province will hold artificial insemination training courses for farmers

Nguyễn Ngọc Hài, deputy chairwoman of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Department, said in the last two years the province had invested VNĐ29 billion to support households that breed livestock.

The money was used to build 5,500 biogas tanks and buy 40 cows and pigs, and 60 liquid nitrogen containers for insemination processes.

The funds were also used to buy 2,800 artificial insemination doses, and to train 29 technicians in artificial insemination.

The province has 208,000 cows and buffaloes, 335,000 pigs, and 4.5 million poultry.