Ha Noi to collect over $13 million of road maintenance fee

The Ha Noi People's Committee has set a target to collect more thanVND286 billion (US$13.3 million) as road maintenance fee from motorcyclists in the city during 2015.

In a recently issued decision, the committee said the charge would be VND50,000 (US$2.4) per year for motorcycles of less than 100cc and VND100,000 ($4.8) for motorcycles of 100cc and above.

The committee asked the city transport department and the road maintenance fund to supervise localities in the implementation, management and effective use of the collected fee source.

In addition, the city also asked districts and towns to submit monthly results of the fee collection to the road maintenance fund and the city's finance department, so that reports could be submitted to the city authorities and the transport ministry.

Newspapers fined for violating dietary supplement advertising code

Inspectors from the Ministry of Information and Communications have fined the Doi Song va Phap Luat (Health and Law) and Suc khoe cong dong (Public Health) newspapers for violating an advertising code.

The Ministry of Information and Communication (MOIC) said the two newspapers had committed an administrative violation by advertising the An Thuy Khang dietary supplement in their January 16, 2015 issue and the Yuca TD dietary supplement in issues from January 21 to 27, 2014, which was not in compliance with the rules and did not carry content approved by the relevant authorities.

The two newspapers were fined VND25 million (US$1,157) each and have been asked to correct the advertisement for products in accordance with the law.

The fines were levied in compliance with point A, Clause 2, Article 70 of a Government Decree and regulations on administrative violations in the culture, sports, tourism and advertising sectors.

Earlier, the Ministry Inspectorate had imposed administrative fines on Viet Nam SunTek One Member Co. Ltd. of VND 3.5 million (US$162) for selling equipment that is yet to be approved by MOIC.

NA discusses permits for hospitals and healthcare staff

All of the country's private hospitals and staff have received operating and working licences, compared to 73-95 per cent of staff at public hospitals, a representative of the Ministry of Health said yesterday at the 10th plenary session of the National Assembly's Social Affairs Committee held in HCM City.

"There are more than 257,000 people who need to have working licences in the medical sector nationwide, along with 1,200 public hospitals, 169 private hospitals, 30,000 individual clinics, 232 antenatal clinics and 11,800 medical stations," Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen said.

In 2012, the Health Ministry set up a database system to manage the granting of working and operating licences. Since then, the system has updated profiles of 200,000 people working in the sector.

"In the future, the Ministry will grant working licences through the internet to create the most favourable conditions for people to work in the field," Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said.

At the session, National Assembly delegates discussed the State's management of granting licences and the need to find qualified human resources, particularly people who will work in rural and remote areas.

They also discussed the granting of licences for medical stations in various industries, Eastern medicine clinics, and clinics working with military and civil units.

"The most difficult aspect about granting working licences in the healthcare sector is the limitation of human resources at provincial health departments," Minister Tien added.

She explained that a new sub-department for management would be created.

"A legal framework for granting licences is nearly completed," she said.

Truong Thi Mai, chairwoman of the committee, suggested that the Ministries of Health and Defence should work together and issue temporary solutions to complete the granting of operation and career licences for all clinics working with military and civil units before January 1, 2016.

Young scientists vie for final spot in international competition

Young Vietnamese scientists are set to compete at an international science competition called FameLab.

The final will be held in Viet Nam on April 22 to find a Vietnamese representative to attend the FameLab international final in London in June.

The judges include Professor Mai Trong Nhuan, journalist Ta Bich Loan and Dr Dam Quang Minh.

FameLab is a science communications competition for young scientists, engineers and researchers and has attracted more than 5,000 young participants from over 25 countries.

The 12 contestants with the best speeches from the qualifying rounds will attend a training course in science communications skills with UK specialist Malcolm Love. He is in public engagement in science and is chief trainer for Famelab.

Lao students in Vietnam welcome their traditional New Year

Lao students at Pham Van Dong University in the central province of Quang Ngai celebrated their traditional New Year Bun Pi May on April 13.

With a number of traditional rites and folk songs and dances performed by Lao and Vietnamese students, the event contributed to strengthening the Vietnam-Laos friendship.

Lao students said they were pleased to welcome the festival in Vietnam.

Bun Pi May takes place annually from April 13-15 with a number of ritual activities and local customs, including bathing Buddha statues, splashing water and praying for a year of luck, happiness and fruitful harvests.

Hanoi cares for disabled, orphans

Through effectively implementing policies and practical measures in recent years, Hanoi has helped improve the quality of life of orphans and the disabled.

According to Hanoi’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the city has nearly 100,000 people with disabilities and almost 10,000 orphans.

The capital city is caring for around 2,520 disadvantaged people, most of who are handicapped or orphans, at 11 community social centres.

Hanoi sets aside 800 billion VND (37 million USD) from its annual budget for social beneficiaries, including the handicapped and orphans.

In the past five years, the Hanoi Disabled People Association mobilised 34 billion VND (1.57 million USD) for providing 343 disabled people with vocational training, 1,709 wheelchairs, 2,389 scholarships, and nearly 1,000 free medical examinations.

Dinh Hanh, Chairman of the association, said to care for social beneficiaries in Hanoi, current efforts are commendable, helping to encourage kind acts from individuals and organisations.

Besides receiving assistance, many of the disabled have become shining examples, creating jobs not only for themselves but for others as well.

Nguyen Trung from Kim Lien, Dong Da district, surmounted his childhood paralysis to receive a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages and become an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Trung and his friend then founded the ‘For a Bright Future’ group with the goal to help the disabled overcome hardships and improve their lives.

He also opened a workshop to manufacture and repair wheelchairs at home.

Another aspiring story comes from one of the 8,000 blind people in Hanoi.

Tran Duc Nam in Xuan Non commune, Dong Anh district, went blind after a traffic accident when he was in the sixth grade, but continued as a student, ultimately attending the Hanoi Open University.

Nam was able to build his own two-storey house from his savings.

There are also admirable stories from those who have donated their time and skills to the disadvantaged and orphans.

Nguyen Thi Coi, a retired teacher in Hoang Van Thu ward, Hoang Mai district, has taught nearly 600 children, including over 200 disabled children.

Nguyen Thi Vui, Head of the cooperative Ngo Ha in Chuyen My commune, Phu Xuyen district, has opened around 70 classes to provide professional training to more than 2,000 disabled people and orphans in Hanoi and neighbouring provinces.

The association suggested the city should boost media campaigns to elicit sympathy and responsibility from the community to offer their assistance to the disabled and orphans.

Cruisers to boost Hoa Binh tourism

The Hoa Binh Tourism Company has launched two new three-star cruisers to serve tourists in the Hoa Binh Lake in the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh , expected to contribute to boosting local tourism.

The ship Hoa Binh 68 with a capacity of 180 passengers and Hoa Binh 86 designed to serve 120 passengers are equipped with modern facilities including bars, music stages, outdoor restaurants and coffee shops.

According to Bui Ngoc Lam, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hoa Binh is becoming an increasingly attractive tourist destination.

So far this year, the locality, about 80km northwest of Hanoi , has welcomed over 30,000 visitors to sail the Hoa Binh Lake and visit various local tourist destinations like the Tien Pagoda and the Lac Village in Mai Chau district, he noted.

The two cruisers are expected to help Hoa Binh make full use of Da River tourism with beautiful landscapes and diverse historical and spiritual destinations.

Social media begin to have a voice in Vietnam

It is now more common for Vietnamese Internet users to express their opinions, objections or protests on social networks, and sometimes end up seeing the changes they have demanded really put in place.

This can be evidenced by several recent headline-grabbing issues, which indicates that authorities are apparently listening to what their citizens discuss on Facebook or Twitter, and that social media currently have a certain say in Vietnam, which has been unfairly alleged to block social networks.

Last month a plan to chop down 6,700 trees across Hanoi in three years was halted less than halfway through, seemingly following strong criticisms against it on both social and conventional media.

Hanoi authorities had cut down only 500 trees when the capital city’s leader suspended the plan.

Shortly after the tree-cutting plan was made public, a Facebook page was created, aimed at attracting 6,700 followers, equaling the number of trees set for the ‘massacre,’ to show protests against and call for an immediate cessation of the plan.

The page was more than supported by Facebook users as it was quickly followed by over 62,000 people, who expressed their outrage at the plan, as well as fears that it would damage the city’s image.

The Facebook page was believed to be one of the main causes that sent the city’s leader to make such a U-turn on its decision.

Elsewhere in Ho Chi Minh City, a noodle stall has gained fame, and got back a seized sign, thanks to social media influence.

The Bun Bo Gan stall, which sells Vietnamese noodle soup with beef, would not have been able to pique curiosity in customers citywide had its hilariously written rules sign and banner not been shared at lightning speed on Facebook.

It was also Facebook users who strongly blasted a decision to seize the rules sign by local authorities, who said it had caused traffic disorder, referring to crowds of curious people reading the rules that ‘ban’ diners from “talking behind the store owner’s back” or complaining about his dish.

The authorities later did an about-face to return the seized sign to the store and promised to sanction those who had taken it away.

This, alongside the U-turn the Hanoi administration made on the controversial tree-felling plan, shows that authorities really listened to what the Vietnamese said on social networks.

Vietnam had 11.22 million Facebook users as of February 28, 2013, ranking 22th in Asia, according to visualizing.info, a website that provides visualized statistical data.

Startup-news website Tech In Asia said without citing any reference that the figure nearly doubled to 22 million, or nearly a fourth of the country’s population, in January last year.

There are currently very few countries where social sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are blocked.

But it is apparently not the case in Vietnam, where officials at levels as high as the prime minister has spoken openly about the use of social networks.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has even ordered that authorities provide the public with official and accurate information in a timely manner on social media.

“It is impossible to ban or prevent people from posting information on the Internet,” the premier said at a meeting in mid-January.

“The most important thing is that we should provide our official, accurate, and timely information on social media, thereby building trust in the people.”

Vietnam is among countries where Facebook enjoys the fastest growth, and the Vietnamese government leader acknowledged that social media sites as such “can be accessed easily through mobile phones.”

“Tens of millions of people are using the Internet and social media, so we need to post the government’s official information on social networks,” he reiterated at the same meeting.

A cabinet member, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, also has her own Facebook page, whereas many state bodies in the southern province of Dong Thap are also communicating with members of the public via the world’s largest social network.

Minister Tien made public her Facebook in March, and is now followed by about 147,000 people at the time of writing.

The health minister sees her Facebook page as a channel to interact with members of the public, who have indeed urged her to supply timely assistance to those in need.

Minister Tien asked the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital to admit a two-year-old boy who was in critical condition over snakebite while his minority ethnic family could not afford to rush him to the hospital, according to her Facebook update on Monday last week.

Last month, the minister also helped the daughter of a soldier who was killed in a battle against Chinese forces to protect Gac Ma Island, part of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, in 1988 to get a job in the north-central province of Nghe An after being told about her case via Facebook.

Minister Tien also received many Facebook comments that informed her of people who needed medical aid, and she then assigned relevant agencies to handle the cases, all of which were made public on her social media channel.

Local newspapers and media agencies in Vietnam also enthusiastically embrace social media, as most of them are interacting with their viewers, readers, and audiences via Facebook.

VTV, the national television station, is running many programs that encourage viewers to interact via the shows' Facebook pages, such as “Bua Trua Vui Ve” (Happy Lunch) and “Chung Cu 22+” (Apartment Building 22+).

While watching the programs, viewers have the feeling that they are participating in them by helping guest players answer their quizzes through their smartphones or computers, and take photos and post them on the shows’ Facebook pages to win gifts.

First walking street seen as a misstep for HCM City

As Ho Chi Minh City hurries to make final preparations for its first pedestrian-only street, some experts start to wonder if Nguyen Hue is really the right place for it.

With only a few more days to go before the grand opening of the walkway on April 20, what they say now probably won't matter much, but it indicates the city could have gone with more pleasing options.

Architect Ngo Viet Son said the city authorities might have been too hasty in launching a walking street to celebrate the upcoming April 30 Reunification Day and did not think carefully about long-term issues.

“At first glance Nguyen Hue is similar to a walking street in Shanghai, but it's actually very different. The Nanjing Street in Shanghai is specialized in trading and services, while Nguyen Hue has mostly office towers and hotels.”

Several other experts concurred that the city should have chosen Bui Vien -- a famous street in the city’s backpacker area -- for a walking street.

According to Son, Nguyen Hue and nearby streets have high-rise buildings with insufficient parking lots.

“The walking street will worsen the dearth when visitors have no parking space to visit the area,” he said.

Nguyen Thanh Lam, an overseas Vietnamese who has traveled extensively, said any pedestrialization plan should not affect existing businesses on the street and the traveling of locals.

Robert Tran, an investment consultant, said he often meets his customers in offices on Nguyen Hue.

“With the scorching sun and temperature reaching 40 Celsius degrees sometimes, I already feel tired after walking for a short distance,” he said.

Nguyen Hue should only ban vehicles after 6 pm to avoid traffic gridlocks in the center, he said.

Nguyen Hue, at the heart of District 1, will officially become a walking street on April 20. Workers are currently rushing to repave the street, build fountains and plant new trees on the street in the city center, which has been frequently turned into a Flower Street during Lunar New Year festivals.

Architect Son said HCMC authorities should make other streets pedestrian-friendly or exclusively for walking. Even Dong Khoi would be a much better choice, despite its proximity to Nguyen Hue, he said.

“Dong Khoi is good for a walking street, with many shops, malls, cafés and other services. Large trees on the sidewalks make it comfortable for pedestrians to walk.”

“Meanwhile, Bui Vien also satisfies all criteria for a walking street with shops, services and sidewalk eateries,” he said.

Lam, the overseas Vietnamese, agreed that Bui Vien should have been turned into a walking street because it is being used by many pedestrians.

“As the first step, the city could turn it to a one way street and controlling the speed to avoid dangers for pedestrians, especially from 6 pm until late,” he said.

A HCMC-based urban planner, who wanted to remain unnamed, said the city authorities actually thought about making Bui Vien a vehicle-free street ten years ago.

“This westerners’ neighborhood has so many vehicles threatening the safety of a high number of tourists. Why didn’t the city authorities turn it into a walking street?”

Trucks caught dumping untreated industrial waste

The Environmental Crime Division of the Dong Nai Province police are questioning two truck drivers and Vedan Company—a food seasoning maker—for illegally dumping 50 tonnes of untreated industrial waste.

The waste was reportedly dumped on a patch of empty ground in a residential quarter of Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province.

The Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper reported that at around 3pm on last Thursday, two trucks carrying the plate numbers 60N-5679 and 60L-4079 and respectively driven by Nguyen Huu Chung, 43 and Nguyen Minh Quang, 51, both of whom are natives of the same province, were caught in the act of dumping foul-smelling, black mud-like waste.

The two drivers allegedly confessed that they were hired by a person, who claimed to be Hoang Duc Phat, living in Long Thanh District (also in Dong Nai Province) and working for the Vedan Company.

They also admitted that Phat had paid them VND1.3 million (US$51) per truck load of 14 tonnes to carry the waste from the company in Long Thanh District to a patch of empty ground in Khu pho 3, Long Binh, Bien Hoa City.

As agreed upon, the drivers Chung and Quang had driven into the company at 7am on Thursday to load the waste.

After they succeeded in emptying the first load, they had returned to the dumping site and were caught unloading the second batch of waste.

Concerned agencies are investigating to determine whether the waste was from the Vedan company or not.

They suspect the waste is from a production line of monosodium glutamate.

A representative from Vedan told Viet Nam News that said the company would give its official comments to the press tomorrow.

In 2011, the Vedan company was made to pay VND220 billion (US$11 million) as compensation to 875 households for environmental damage caused by waste discharged into the environment.

Paper firm gets deadline to reduce sewage discharge

The An Hoa paper company was found discharging sewage more than the permitted level, Pham Van Luong, deputy director of Tuyen Quang Province's Natural Resource and Environment Department, said.

A joint inspection team from the provincial department's inspectorate, environment protection department and other relevant agencies found that though the joint stock company had temporarily stopped production for periodic machine maintenance from March 1 to 26, it still discharged sewage into the Lo River.

The authorities took two water samples, and the test results showed the sewage quantity exceeded the permitted level.

The provincial's People's Committee has given the company a deadline of May 31 to finish its sewage treatment systems, to ensure that the discharge of sewage is within the permitted level.

The An Hoa Company began operations in 2011. It has been fined several times for violating environment regulations, with the latest one being in August 2014, when it was fined for not treating sewage properly before discharging it into the river.

Vietnam helps Laos develop infrastructure

The Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) sealed credit contracts to provide roughly US$147 million for the construction of two infrastructure projects in Laos.

Accordingly, the bank is lending US$26.84 million to the Lao Government to build a 97-kilometre road, and US$120 million to launch an infrastructure development project in a district in Houaphan province.

The loans have a 15-year duration with a three-year grace period at an annual interest rate of 3%.

BIDV Chairman Tran Bac Ha, who is also President of the Association of Vietnamese Investors in Laos (AVIL), stated the signed contracts reflect the bank’s efforts to support Lao Houaphan and Xieng Khouang provinces in line with a cooperative agreement made by the two countries’ governments.

Lao Finance Minister Liane Thykeo said BIDV, through its credit offerings, has contributed to Laos’ overall economic growth and cementing the Vietnam-Laos friendship.

The bank will also provide US$30 million for construction on a dam in Laos after a contract signing event scheduled for May.

The combined value of credit contracts between BIDV and the Lao Government has thus far reached US$200 million.

Compensation for delayed, cancelled flights

Delayed or cancelled flights will cost airlines at least VND100,000 more in compensation to each affected passengers under a new proposal by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to the Transport Ministry.

Flights that take off 15 minutes later than scheduled are considered delayed, while a cancellation occurs when flight schedules still exist in the system 24 hours before takeoff, but the airline does not operate the flight.

On domestic routes, each passenger delayed will now get VND300,000 if the flight is longer than 500km, and VND400,000 flights of more than 1,000km.

Compensation on international routes will remain at US$25 for any flight less than 1,000km, US$50 for 1,000km and more and US$150 for a flight of 5,000 km or more.

The CAA said passengers should lodge complaints with the airlines if they think the compensation is insufficient, and can sue airlines over compensation within two years from the date of their scheduled flights.

The Ministry said the current compensation rate is low and caused dissatisfaction among passengers.

Airliners may not have to pay compensations if flights are delayed or cancelled because of weather, aviation security, government order or if passengers are informed of the delay 24 hours prior to takeoff.

Disagreement remained on whether airliners have to compensate passengers for technical or mechanical problems.

 Police nick man who snatched handbag from foreigner

A 22-year-old man has been arrested for snatching a handbag containing an iPhone 6 from a Chinese woman in downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

Police in Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward in District 1 on April 12 said they were preparing to hand over Nguyen Thanh Tai to the district police for investigation on charges of “property robbery by snatching.”  

The victim is a Chinese woman who was walking along with her compatriot on a street on April 11.

At 8:30 pm that day, a police team was patrolling in the district when they found Tai traveling on a motorbike in a suspicious manner.

The team secretly followed him to Nguyen Cu Trinh Street, where Tai sped up and approached the two foreign women, who were then walking along the roadside with a handbag on the shoulders of one of them.

Tai immediately snatched the bag from the foreigner and ran away.

The police team then chased the snatcher, who accelerated and darted through many streets.

The team caught up with the man at the intersection of Tran Dinh Xu and Tran Hung Dao streets.

Police then seized him and recovered the bag, which was returned to the victim later.

Besides the iPhone, the bag also contained some important personal papers of the Chinese woman, police said.

Last week, the district police also apprehended two street robbers for snatching a cellphone from an American tourist, following a chase in which police kicked at their motorbike, causing them to fall to the ground.

The detainees were Tran Phuong Nhat Tam, 35, and Tran Thanh An, 34, who had many previous convictions, police said.

Rally Indochina to raise funds to stop child trafficking

Riders set off on the Rally Indochina 2015 from Hanoi on April 13, heading south on the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail to raise donations for the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation and fight child trafficking.

The final leg of the rally will finish in Hoi An on April 15.

Rally organiser Mark Wyndham said the 2,000km rally, which is jointly organised by Explore Indochina and Hoi An Motorbike Adventures, covered the network of former tracks and trails during the Anti-American War.

Mark said Rally Indochina was open to any bikers with a sense of adventure and a desire to give something back to children who were less fortunate than them.

Riders are driving Soviet vintage 650cc Urals and 125cc Minsks down the Ho Chi Minh Trail to experience some of the best riding that Asia has to offer.

The riders will spend two nights in Hue and take a trip down the Perfume River to visit the Blue Dragon Centre.

Over the past four years, over 60 motorcyclists from around the world have raised US$165,000 for the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation to fight child trafficking in Vietnam.

Seminar studies Europe’s experiences in ensuring ethnics’ rights

Experiences of the Europe in ensuring rights of ethnic minorities were shared at a seminar in Buon Ma Thuot city of the Central Highlands Dak Lak province on April 13.

The event was jointly held by the Government’s Committee for Ethnic Affairs and the European Union Delegation to Vietnam, and attracted the participation of leaders from 14 central localities.

The exchange of opinions on international standards on human rights between European and Vietnamese officials at the seminar was expected to improve the knowledge and understanding about issues related to human rights, particularly those of ethnic minority groups.

Participants also discussed and made recommendations for socio-economic development programmes in mountainous and ethnic-inhabited areas in the years 2016-2020.

The achievements and challenges involving the making and enforcement of policies on ensuring ethnics’ rights were also on the agenda.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri