Resettlement efforts for Lai Chau hydropower plant accelerating

Over 1,800 of the 2,000 households living in the area designated to be the reservoir of Lai Chau hydro-power plant have been relocated to new resettlement areas in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau.

These areas in Nam Nhun and Muong Te districts have access to paved roads, schooling, electricity, power and other welfare facilities like cultural houses and medical stations.

The displaced will also receive farming land to ease their transition.

The remaining households will move into their new homes by the second quarter of this year, according to the provincial Department of Planning and Investment.

Nearly 90 percent of the funds allocated for compensation has been disbursed, said Acting Chief of the resettlement project Tran Van Dung.

Construction on the 1,200MW Lai Chau hydropower plant began in early 2011 in Nam Hang commune, Nam Nhun district, with a total investment of 35.7 trillion VND (1.7 billion USD). The reservoir is scheduled to be filled in June this year.

When completed, the plan will generate electricity and regulate water supply to the Red River Delta during the dry season and power socio-economic development in Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces.-

Cham islanders to get electricity in October

About 2,600 people living in Cu Lao Cham (Cham Island), off the central province of Quang Nam's Hoi An city, are expected to be provided electricity in October.

The electrification will take place through a submarine cable system under a project implemented by the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).

The 485-billion VND (22.7 million USD) project is funded by the State budget and the EVN's Central Power Corporation. The industry and trade ministry approved the project in early February.

The project will include 15.5km of submarine cables, 30km of lines over land and eight transmission stations.

At a meeting this week to kick off the project, Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Dinh Van Thu ordered the local authorised agencies to provide favourable conditions to the project's investor and contractor in implementing it.

The Hoi An city authority has been asked to support the project in land clearance activities, he said.

Thu also required the central power corporation to quickly select a location to build an electricity operations centre on the island, which is about 18 km off Hoi An City.

The islanders currently get electricity for only six hours a day through diesel generators, which is costly and inadequate for meeting the needs of daily life and production activities.

HCM City to display metro train replica this weekend

The Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways will put on show the train replica of the Metro Line No. 1 connecting the downtown area and Suoi Tien Park in District 9 for public viewing from March 15, The Saigon Times Daily reported.

The blue train replica made of aluminum and stainless steel will be on display at Long Binh Depot in District 9 for visitors to comment on the design and colour of the train.

After getting comments from local residents and experts, the city will make a final decision on the type of train used for the Metro Line No.1.

As planned, Japan will hand over the first metro train to HCM City in late 2016, and 16 other trains will be transferred before the first track comes online in 2020.

In June 2013, the HCM City Management Authority for Urban Railways signed an agreement worth 370 million USD with Japanese company Hitachi to buy trains and equipment for the first metro line under construction at the moment.

The track consists of a 17.1-kilometer elevated section from Ba Son Shipyard in District 1 to Long Binh Depot near Binh Duong province. The underground section will connect the Opera House and Ba Son Shipyard.

It will take passengers no more than 30 minutes to commute between downtown HCM City and Suoi Tien Park with a maximum speed of 80 km per hour on the underground track and 110 km per hour on the elevated section.

Funeral service held for painter Le Ba Dang

A funeral service for renowned French-Vietnamese painter Le Ba Dang was held in Paris, France on March 12.

Envoy Dang Giang at the Vietnamese Embassy passed on messages of condolences of Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Hong Nam, who is Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, and Nguyen Van Cao, Chairman of the Thua Thien-Hue People’s Committee, to the family of the deceased.

He read a letter of condolence from Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Ngoc Son, which praised the painter’s contributions to the country, especially in campaigns to gather the international community’s support for Vietnam’s struggle against the US imperialists.

Born in 1921 in Bich La Dong village, Trieu Phong district in the central province of Quang Tri, Dang immigrated to France in 1939 and joined its anti-fascism movement. After being released from Nazi Germany prison, he pursued his studies at Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse.

He had his first one-man show in Paris in 1950 and gained prominence throughout Europe over the next thirty years with several international prestigious awards and medals, such as “Artist with great talent and humanity” award by the US’s International Institute of Saint Louis in 1989, “Arts and Cultural Medal” in 1994 by the French State, and “Honouring the Vietnam Nation” title in 2005.

In 1992, he was ranked as one of the most famous painters in the world by Cambridge University.

In 1968, Le Ba Dang and many other renowned painters like Picasso, Matta and Pigion signed the petition for “A day of intellectuals for Vietnam” in Paris calling for the end of the Vietnam War.

HCM City launches history contest

Ho Chi Minh City launched the “Tu Hao Su Viet” (Proud of Vietnamese History) contest on March 12 as part of activities to celebrate 40 years of the Southern Liberation Day (April 30).

The contest has two separate competitions, an online essay writing competition and a team competition, both under the theme of “HCM City – Proud of 40 Years of Development”.

According to the organiser, around 5,000 contestants have thus far registered to join the online contest, open for registration through March 28. Results will be announced on March 31.

The team round, which commenced in January, is divided into three rounds, the qualifying round, the semi-final and the finale.

To be held on April 10, the finale will focus on Vietnam’s history during the US war between 1955 and 1975 and especially on the General Offensive and Uprising in the Spring of 1975 between January 1 and April 30; the revolutionary tradition of municipal Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union; and the city’s achievements in the past four decades.

The contest is intended to raise the youth’s sense of responsibility in preserving the value of national history and educate them on historical lessons and values.

The award ceremony will take place at the City's Youth Cultural House on April 30.

“Real Life Journey” assists impoverished children

The “Real Life Journey” campaign was launched by the National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) in northern mountainous Son La province on March 12.

This year’s “journey” includes 15 cycling events throughout the country to promote road accident prevention and environmental protection, raise funds and present bicycles to disadvantaged children.

Some 1,000 bicycles will be distributed to impoverished children in 25 cities and provinces nationwide.

During the launching ceremony, AIA Life Insurance Group Vietnam presented local children with 50 bicycles and 50 gifts valued at 90 million VND (4,215 USD).

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Hong Lan highly spoke of the support from sponsors for Vietnamese children and expressed his hopes that the NFVC will continue working closely with sponsors and localities to run the campaign effectively.

He also expects the “Real Life Journey” events to help raise a strong sense of communal responsibility for childcare and protection.

Established in 2014, the “Real Life Journey” and its series of charitable cycling events has provided impoverished children with roughly 900 bicycles and 2,000 scholarships and gifts thus far.

Vietnam responds to World Kidney Day

Bach Mai, a major hospital in Hanoi, held a public meeting on March 12 as part of efforts to raise local awareness on kidney failure and mobilise community support for patients.

The activity was organised in response to World Kidney Day, initiated by the World Health Organisation.

Approximately 8,000 people are diagnosed with kidney-related diseases every year in Vietnam, amounting to 6.73 percent of the country’s total population, said doctor Nguyen Huu Dung, head of the artificial kidney unit of Bach Mai hospital.

Domestic estimates reveal a 90 percent mortality rate among patients with full-blown kidney failure.

At present, Bach Mai’s doctors are taking care for a close of 650 patients with kidney failure.

Binh Phuoc: Impoverished, ethnic minority groups fight malaria

The Global Fund to Fight Malaria coordinated with the Phuoc Long town medical centre in southern Binh Phuoc province to provide locals with mosquito nets between March 10 and 11.

A total of 24,500 insecticide-treated bed nets were distributed to impoverished and ethnic minority households as well as other disadvantaged individuals in the town.

The charitable event was intended to reduce the number of malaria cases from mosquitoes, particularly during the upcoming rainy season, as part of a plan to fight malaria in 2015 sponsored by the Global Fund.

The National Target Programme on Healthcare has been effectively implemented by the province in recent years, particularly in communicable disease prevention with no recorded outbreaks.

Leprosy, poliomyelitis and neonatal tetanus have also been eliminated, significantly reducing the mortality rate of newborn babies and children under 5 years old in the locality.

Medical facilities and equipment have been substantially improved.

Remote sensing technology helpful in flood monitoring

A project applying remote sensing technology in flood forecasts, warnings and monitoring in Vietnam proved effective, as heard at a seminar in Hanoi on March 12.

Adopting spatial-based and information & communications technology, the project ran from April 2011-March 2014 in northern Vietnam’s Red and Thao river basins.

Ha Hoa district in the northern midland province of Phu Tho was picked as a model to run a rain measuring station and an SMS system to alert village and commune chiefs about any disaster risks, said Yusuke Muraki from the Asian Development Bank.

Statistics showed that the maximum water level rise recorded during the project in the Thao River in Bao Ha district and Yen Bai city was 60 centimetres per hour and 40 centimetres per hour on August 18, 2012, respectively. In Phu Tho on July 26, 2012, it was 23 centimetres per hour.

Despite project progress, software technology used in flood alert and monitoring remains insufficient and low-quality in Vietnam, Dinh Thai Hung, a representative from the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, told the seminar co-hosted by the centre and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The project is part of a strategy to assist Vietnamese, Bangladeshi and Filipino governments in the effort.

According to the World Meteorological Organisation’s Asia Disaster Management Agency, Vietnam is among the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters in Asia.

With a 3,260-kilometre coastline, Vietnam is at risk of numerous calamities including flooding, rainstorms, drought, landslides, and whirlwinds. Flooding traditionally causes the most serious damage.

Workshop tackles Mekong Delta land sinking

Vietnamese and foreign specialists working to prevent climate change and land subsidence held a workshop in Can Tho city on March 11 to discuss environmental problems in the Mekong Delta region.

Speaking at the event - which was organised by the Netherlands’ Utrecht University and Can Tho University - Professor Le Van Tri, Director of the Institute of Climate Change Research in the Mekong Delta, noted that the region is faced with risks of land sinking , salt intrusion and declining groundwater sources.

He added that land erosion causes the collapse of vital infrastructure and drastically increases the risk of flooding. Other serious problems include decreased agricultural production, saltwater intrusion of surface water and changing flows in river systems.

Professor Tom Kompier from Utrecht University explained that experts from his department and their counterparts in Can Tho University have cooperated together in conducting research to analyse the geology in the Mekong Delta. They have produced specific measures to limit further land subsidence in the region.

The team has developed a model of the delta’s subsurface land layers to forecast the future rate of subsidence. This will be used to better plan the construction of transport routes, flood-control dykes and rainwater storage areas.

Kompier also stressed the need to raise public awareness about the links between groundwater exploitation and land sinking, drought and bad harvests.

Hanoi benefits from FDI in tertiary education

Speakers at a conference on March 12 organised by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training said that foreign direct investment (FDI) is benefiting tertiary education in 2015.

Currently, nearly 60 foreign educational institutions are investing in the city’s universities, colleges and vocational schools, which have recruited an additional 500 foreign teachers.

The foreign investors have contributed significantly to meeting the city’s needs for studying, mainly focusing on children of foreigners working and living in Vietnam and Vietnamese students studying for international programmes.

Monument to Truong Sa fallen combatants

A foundation stone laying ceremony of a memorial park for 64 Vietnamese naval soldiers who were killed in a 1988 battle against Chinese invaders on Gac Ma (Johnson South Reef) of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Sea will take place on March 13.

The ceremony will be organized in Cam Lam District in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, Dang Ngoc Tung, president of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), who is also a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), said on March 11.

After the ceremony, the official construction of the park will kick off within this year and is expected to be completed in 2016, Tung said.

The construction will be funded by contributions from trade unions, workers, people and agencies nationwide, as well as from donations of Vietnamese communities in foreign countries, Tung said.

After launching a contest in July 2014 to find the best design for the park, the organizers, including the VGCL, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, and the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, have selected two designs that will be combined to create a masterplan for the monument.

The two chosen designs are titled “Hành trình khát vọng” (Journey of Aspiration), created by the Architectural Research Center under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Architecture, and “Những người nằm lại phía chân trời” (Those Falling on the Horizon), whose creator is Ly Thi Lieu, at Oanh Vu Fine Arts and Photography Co. Ltd., Tung said.

On the occasion of the foundation stone laying ceremony, the VGCL will call on every laborer nationwide to donate a piece of brick, valued at VND20,000 (US$0.94), or send a text message saying “GM” to the number 1407 as a contribution to the building of the park.

“The park for the fallen combatants on Gac Ma is aimed at commemorating the sons of the fatherland who sacrificed their lives in the East Vietnam Sea for the protection of our sovereignty,’ Tung said.

In its media release for the Friday ceremony, the VGCL said the Chinese army on March 14, 1988 used force to occupy Gac Ma Island, which belongs to Vietnam.

Vietnamese naval forces bravely fought against the invaders to protect the island and suffered great loss of life.

During the battle, three Vietnamese ships were set on fire and sunk, three Vietnamese combatants died, eleven soldiers were injured and 70 others went missing, the media note said.

China later returned to Vietnam 10 prisoners of war, while 64 other Vietnamese naval soldiers remained missing and were considered as having perished in the battle, the VGCL said in the note.

Twenty-seven years has passed since the battle, and the Vietnamese people have always remembered the soldiers who sacrified themselves in the combat to safeguard the fatherland, the note said.

Over the past many years, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly affirmed that Vietnam has sufficient legal foundation and historical evidence to prove its sovereignty over both the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos in the East Sea.

Truong Sa is administered by Khanh Hoa Province while Hoang Sa is an island district under the administration of the central Vietnamese city of Danang.

Student violence at schools needs cooperative efforts by teachers, parents

Children needed more instruction, from both parents and teachers, on proper codes of behavior as recent Internet videos seen in Vietnam suggest they are lacking in discipline and social instruction, an expert has said.

Vu Thu Huong, who teaches in the Primary Education Faculty of the Hanoi University of Education, said in an interview with DtiNews that a recent viral clip posted on March 10 showing a schoolgirl being attacked by a group of students at Ly Tu Trong Secondary School in southern Tra Vinh Province was symptomatic of deeper problems.

Huong said there had been a growing number of such Internet clips, but that should not be read as an increase in violence at schools but rather increasing access to social media tools that lend them publicity.

She said both boys and girls were increasingly being seen engaging in violent activity.

“Juveniles often act by instinct," she said. "Most of their fights are unpromted.”

Huong suggested the acting out of violent behavior at school may stem from a student's home environment and be influence by family, neighbours and friends. Teachers should more closely monitor the psychological state of students and intervene where necessary by discussing potential problems with parents.

“Schools seem to focus on providing students with knowledge at the expense of moral lessons,” she said. “Morals are considered secondary."

Huong was concerned that teachers may feel constrained by parental interference in administering disciplinary measures to correct bad behavior that harms other students.

To better inform parents about their role in the education of their children, Huong and her colleagues have organised come 100 classes focusing on child psychology, but she says more needs to be done.

Tattoos for women touches sexist nerve among men in Vietnam

Tattoos are growing in popularity in urban Vietnam, but while ink may be acceptable for men, there is less acceptance of it for women and a degree of criticism, often sexists and insulting aimed at those who want to wear visible and permanent art on their skin -- opinion appears divided.

Opponents of tattoos for women openly suggest they are an indicator of low morals, rather than a modern display of independence and self-identity.

"I don’t think a tattoo makes women more beautiful,"  said Tuan Hai, a master of ceremonies, but his criticism appeared to be directed at women who want to wear the name of someone they love, as do many men, only to regret it after the love turns sour. He sees to ignore the fact that the same can be said of men with tattoos.

“I don’t like women with tattoos," Hai said, but added that he respect a woman's right to express themselves however they wished. "I don’t make assessments about anyone based on the fact they have one or more tattoos."

Psychologist Nguyen Huynh Khac Hieu said people should be aware of prejudices before getting any tattoos.

Hieu said tatoos were like the clothes people wear, except they were permanent and cannot easily be changed or removed. “I think small and nice tattoos, like an apricot in the wrist or ankle, are really lovely," he said.

Actor Manh Cuong said tattoos were art, and women should feel free to get them if they add to her beauty and charm.

“I like women who have small and lovely tatoos, especially on their waist,” he said.

Legal doubts over plan to seize and sell traffic violation vehicles

Government legal experts have cast doubt on whether traffic authorities can sell vehicles confiscated because of a breach in alcohol laws or misuse of designated roadways.

Tran The Quan, deputy head of the Department of Legal and Administrative Reform, has problems with a National Traffic Safety Committee proposal to sell confiscated vehicles of drunken drivers, or motorbikes and bicycles using expressways that prohibit their access.

Quan said the plan needs more thought, particularly as violators may be using transport borrowed from another person.

"This proposal is not very fair," Quan said. "If a crime is committed using a stolen of borrowed vehicle, the vehicle is returned to the rightful owner. And even in the event of a driver being drunk, or driving a motorbike illegally on an expressway, no actual crime has been committed, but rather a traffic violation."

Quan suggested stiffer fines, set at the value of the vehicle, might be a better option.

The National Traffic Safety Committee has proposed confiscation of vehicles where the driver fails a blood-alcohol test and exceeds a measure of 0.08, equivalent to six beers consumed in the space of one hour. Motorbikes and bicycles using expressways should also be confiscated, rather than merely impounded.

The proposal would see confiscated vehicles sold at auction and the proceeds given to the poor.

RoK provides US$600,000 to enhance physical therapy capacity

A signing ceremony for an agreement sanctioning a pilot project worth US$588,973 to enhance capacity of physical therapy education in Vietnam in the 2015-2016 period took place in the central province of Quang Tri on March 12.

The pilot project aims to support the Quang Tri Medical School in training lecturers, technicians and physical therapists as well as to further develop programmes to enhance their capacity and framework curriculums on physical therapy and providing practice equipment. Students joining the programme will receive vocational certificates. The pilot project will help strengthen the province’s health care services in the future.

At the ceremony, Quang Tri province’s representative appreciated the Republic of Korea’s support, particularly from Medi Peace, in charity and humanitarian activities in the province.

Earlier, Medi Peace worked with Quang Tri province on the ‘Vision for Vietnam’ project, valued at US$538,800, in the 2012-2014 period. The project supported rehabilitation for disabled children, hunger eradication and poverty reduction among disabled children’s families, provided medical equipment, presented wheelchairs to disabled children and helped train rehabilitation workers.

Quang Tri province has suffered extreme consequences from war, and Medi Peace’s support to the province has contributed to the local socio-economic development.

HCM City estimates annual bus ad revenue at VND170 billion

The HCMC Department of Transport expects the city can collect an additional VND170 billion (US$7.9 million) for its budget a year if advertising is allowed on commuter buses.

The department told a meeting with the Economic-Budget Committee of the HCMC People’s Council on Tuesday that it has submitted a pilot bus advertising scheme to the city government for consideration before forwarding it to the council for approval.

The department proposed placing advertisement on 156 buses on 10 routes in the downtown area with a total of 1,500 bus trips a day.

At present, the city has 2,344 commuter buses and putting advertisements on all these vehicles could fetch VND170 billion a year.

Pham Van Dong, head of the economic committee, said at the meeting that the advertising scheme should be implemented soon as it will help ease bus subsidy pressure on the city government.

As many as 593 million people used public transportation last year, down 4.7% against the year earlier and meeting only 9.9% of commuter demand. Meanwhile, the city’s subsidies for commuter buses have increased year after year.

Many other cities and provinces have approved bus advertising but the authorities of HCMC still fear that it could affect cityscape.

First hospital upgraded from apartment building

Phuc An Khang International Hospital in HCMC’s District 2 was put into service on March 11 after it was upgraded from an apartment building.

The hospital on Dong Van Cong Street in Thanh My Loi Ward was transformed from the five blocks of Thai Binh Plaza Apartment Building, which was completed in 2012. It is expected to help reduce overload at State-run hospitals in the city, particularly those in District 2.

Some VND2.5 trillion (US$117 million) was invested to convert the apartment building into an international-standard hospital with 500 beds.

In the initial phase the hospital has 100 beds for obstetrics, pediatrics, trauma and blood vessel treatments, among others.

The hospital gets technical assistance from hospitals in Singapore, Germany and France as well as Tu Du Maternity Hospital and the HCMC Heart Institute in this city.

The hospital is equipped with modern medical devices and machines including MRI HIFU 1.5T, Microdose SI and Clarity FD20 to treat cervical cancer, bone cancer and cardiac diseases.

From March 21, Phuc An Khang will offer free breast and cervical cancer checkups for women and later reduce 50% of the frees for them. The hospital also admits medically insured patients.

VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VIR