New terminal for crowded Danang Airport by 2017

Vietnam Airport said it will invest VND3.2trn (USD152.4m) to build a new international terminal at Danang International Airport to meet demand from increasing passenger numbers.

The new terminal will be located adjacent to the existing terminal which went into operation in 2011 with annual capacity of six million passengers. In 2014, the terminal served five million passengers and is expected to reach capacity at the end of this year.

The Ministry of Transport said construction of the new international terminal was urgent.

The new terminal will cover 40,000 square metres and have 40 check-in counters and nine gates. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2016 and will be completed by June 2017 in time for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum to be held in Danang City that year.

Disabled air travellers hampered by lack of proper airport equipment

Disabled people in Vietnam are facing difficulties in air travel because of the lack of transfer equipment for them at airports.

In early May, a disabled passenger, was unable to board a Jetstar Pacific flight because the airline did not have the equipment necessary for boarding.

In April, two employees of Vietjet Air were fined for refusing to allow a disabled passenger to board a flight from Danang to Hanoi.

Nguyen Thi Van, the passenger, said everything was fine when she went from Hanoi to Danang, but the employees claimed she not have been allowed to board. She managed to get a flight with a different airline to return to Hanoi.

The airline accepted responsibility but said she should have told them 48 hours before departure of her special needs so boarding equipment could have been arranged.

Vietnam Airlines said some 4,000 disabled passengers a month require special equipment for boarding.

But the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) said only five of 21 airports have the appropriate equipment.

Airlines serving Tan Son Nhat and Danang airports rent equipment from the airports.

Vo Huy Cuong, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, said the ACV had been asked to review the situation and create plan to supply more equipment to airports.

More rare timber seized in Thua Thien-Hue

After seizing 4.5cu.m of rare timber last weekend, border guards in central Thua Thien-Hue province yesterday announced the seizure of more illegal forest timber in A Luoi district.

Border guards stopped three locals who were transporting 1.5cu.m of dao, a local endemic forest tree, down a stream.

One of the transporters admitted that he was going to sell the timber to a dealer in Huong Tra district.

Across several localities in the Central region, forest timber is preferred for making furniture and for use as construction material.

Earlier, border guards captured 11 armed men and seized nearly two tonnes of rare timber from them.

Fisherman found dead following storm in Thanh Hoa

A 19-year-old fisherman in central Thanh Hoa Province, reported missing after a whirlwind struck his boat, was found dead yesterday, according to the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Earlier on Saturday, fisherman Vu Ngoc Anh, along with two other fishermen aboard the boat TH 1248-TS, were fishing in the sea, 30 nautical miles from northern Hai Phong City's Bach Long Vy Island when a whirlwind struck. It reportedly flooded his boat and two other nearby fishing boats.

One fisherman on Anh's boat was also killed, while 13 fishermen in the two other boats survived the storm.

Local authorities are now assisting the victims.

Also on Saturday, two fishermen in northern Quang Ninh Province were found dead after a whirlwind struck the area they were fishing in.

Vaccine didn't cause baby's death, says officials

The Department of Preventive Medicine has confirmed that there was no connection between the quality of a vaccine and the death of a 13-day-old boy in Thanh Hoa Province last week.

On May 8, the baby boy was taken to the communal clinic of Xuan Thang Commune, Tho Xuan District, Thanh Hoa Province to receive his BCG vaccination.

The baby first underwent routine skin testing and was reported fine after the normal 30 minute waiting period. He was then injected with the vaccine at about 8am.

According to members of the family, the baby started to cry at 11am and was then breastfed. An hour later, he developed breathing problems and was taken to the clinic, where he became unconscious. When the family took him to the General Hospital of Tho Xuan District, doctors said the baby had died.

On the same day, 283 other children were vaccinated with the same vaccination and showed no signs of distress.

A sample of the vaccination, however, was taken for testing and forensic examination. The Professional Consultants' Council on Complications During Vaccination has since concluded that the cause of the baby's death remains unknown and there was no connection between the death and his having been vaccinated.

Hai Phong launches first district e-government system

The Ngo Quyen District People's Committee yesterday launched its e-government system, marking the first location to implement this pilot model in Hai Phong City.

The e-government system seeks to reduce administrative procedures, time and spending for people and enterprises. The system will help improve transparency and efficiency for local authority's operations through minimising paper work, simplifying administrative procedures and sharing data between governmental organisations.

Further, the e-government system will provide on-line services for residents. The district's residents will be provided private user names for using on-line services, paying fees, submitting documents and receiving communications.

The Ministry of Information and Communication deputy minister, Nguyen Minh Hong, noted that successful results from the pilot model would later be expanded to remaining districts, as well as other provinces and cities in Viet Nam.

The Ngo Quyen e-government system was established following an e-government trial held in central Da Nang Province in July last year.

Drug trafficker gets life sentence

Bac Ninh Province's People's Court today sentenced Nguyen Van Hoan, 50, to life imprisonment for possessing and trafficking heroin, unlawful detention and causing social disorder.

According to the indictment, police arrested Hoan in June, 2012, for unlawful detaining a man who borrowed money from him and causing social disorder.

While searching his house, they allegedly found 305 grams of heroin and methamphetamines, weapons and equipment for making heroin.

In May, 2012, Hoan and his accomplices are said to have illegally seized Hoang Van Hai in an attempt to make him pay the money he borrowed from Hoan.

In April, 2014, the court tried Hoan and seven other accomplices. Hoan was sentenced to death for drug possession and trafficking and the rest charges.

At an appeal trial court in October, 2014, Hoan's lawyer asked for the death sentence to be repealed because he claimed the court was unsure if Hoan had possessed the heroin.

The appeal court annulled the extreme sentence, but upheld the rest, giving Hoan 21 years in jail.

At today's trial, Hoan, again denied he possessed the drugs found at his house, saying they belonged to Bui Quang Son, who is wanted by the police. However, Hoan admitted some responsibiliuty because the drugs were found in his house.

The judges replied that it was unreasonable to think that Hoan didn't know about the drugs. The court then handed down a life sentence to him for illegal possession of about 168 grams of heroin. He was also fined VND150 million (US$6,900).

Experts call to maintain financing for malaria prevention

Health experts voiced concern that reduced funding from the State Budget and international donors would cause a lessening of efforts to prevent the spread of malaria in Viet Nam.

At a national conference on sustainable investment for malaria prevention this morning, participants noted that Viet Nam would face a high risk of malaria outbreaks, as reductions in the spread of malaria in the country might prove to be unsustainable.

The health ministry's Preventive Medicine Department director, Tran Dac Phu, said that a reduction of 50 per cent in State budget funding during 2014-15, along with less international financing in the coming years, would threaten the continuation of reducing malaria in Viet Nam.

"Increased population movements, trade exchanges between regions, especially in the Indochina region, and Artemisinin resistant malaria found in many areas, have become a major challenge for malaria control and elimination efforts in the region, including in Viet Nam," said Phu.

Mobilising enough financial resources at national and international levels would be an important step in reducing malaria infections and fatality rates, and step-by-step eliminating malaria in Viet Nam and the region in the coming years," added Phu.

The National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology director Tran Thanh Duong estimated that Viet Nam would need total funding of more than VND1.75 trillion (US$82 million), including $48.3 million from international donors, for malaria prevention programmes during 2016-20.

The institute's statistics showed that malaria infection rates had fallen to 3/10,000 people in 2014, from 155/10,000 people in 1991. Also, the number of malaria fatalities had been reduced to 6 last year, compared to nearly 5,000 in the 1990s.

Some 11 million people have been protected annually thanks to the use of mosquito killing insecticides, along with about 1 million doses of malaria medicine being provided free of charge to those living in malaria-infested areas.

The World Health Organisation reports that malaria remains a major cause of death and illness in the world, with an estimated nearly 200 million annual cases and some 600,000 deaths each year. Countries sharing borders with Viet Nam reported 4,000 to greater than 41,000 malaria infections in 2013.

Residents trash Ha Noi apartments

Many residents in old or low-cost apartment buildings throw rubbish on the stairs, in the lifts and other public areas. They also use common space to store unused furniture, toys - or to hang clothes.

Cramped living quarters are often given as an excuse. Nguyen Thi Tam, from CT6 residential block in Ha Dong District's Kien Hung Ward, said many residents were ignorant about the need to keep public areas clean and tidy.

"The transformer station in my block once blew up because someone threw a lit cigarette butt into a ventilation pipe leading to waste storage bins," she said.

Although no one was injured, two motorbikes were burnt and there was a blackout in the building for three days," Tam said.

Nguyen The Hung, who lives in Xa La residential area, said that she often saw nylon bags, cigarette butts and candy wrappers in the elevator.

Despite being cleaned every day, there is still rubbish in the elevator due to people's lack of awareness, Hung said.

Nguyen Binh Minh, another resident, said many people still fought to get into a lift, refusing to wait until people got out.

Minh said people from all walks of life and with a mix of customs and traditions often shared common areas. "Awareness about respecting common areas play an important role in developing new traditions of civility."

According to cultural expert Nguyen Thi Kim Lien, besides improving each resident's awareness, the role of management boards was also important.

However, the role of the boards was often limited because of the small numbers of staff compared to the thousands of residents they are paid to look after.

She suggested there should be co-ordination between residents and management boards to build a collective awareness.

A movement in Bac Nghia Tan Ward is a good example. Dao Van Thu, head of residents group No 27 in the ward, said residents were unanimous in their support for a movement to promote cultural life.

"In 1999, residents from A3 apartment block started a movement to take advantage of stair space for community activity. They set up a small library at the entrance to the stairs so that residents came to read books and chat with each other. This improved solidarity and a better lifestyle," he said.

The movement has now expanded to many apartment blocks in the ward.

The movement not only calls on residents to behave themselves in a civil manner in common areas, but also to improve their awareness and thus educating small children, Thu said.

"Every day children pass by the common areas and see people reading books or newspapers. If they enjoy a good lifestyle, they will become good citizens," he said.

Vu Duc Quy, who lives in Xa La residential area, said, "All city people should teach their children how to use stairs and elevators. They should be taught how to behave in a good manner and how to protect the environment."

Binh Thuan copes with prolonged drought

Residents in the central province of Binh Thuan are facing a severe drought that is halting agricultural production, according to the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Ham Tan, Ham Thuan Nam and Tuy Phong districts are the most heavily-affected by the drought.

Locals are also experiencing a serious shortage of fresh water with bottoming water levels in almost all water reservoirs in the locality.

Farmers in Tuy Phong district have halted rice farming on more than 400 hectares due to water shortages and over 10,000 households in Ham Tan district are facing prolonged water shortages for personal use.

The current drought is attributed to low rainfall in 2014. The current water level of reservoirs is about 21 million cubic metres, equivalent to only 10 percent of the total capacity.

As a result, Binh Thuan cultivated only 25,000 of the 33,000 hectares of paddy field in the 2014-2015 Winter-Spring crop.

Binh Thuan’s agricultural sector is working with local authorities to mobilise resources and roll out long-term measures to cope with the dire situation.

War heroes repatriated from Laos

The Central province of Ha Tinh held a solemn memorial service on May 13 for the remains of 25 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who lost their lives during wartime in Laos.

Representatives from Laos’ Bolilkhamxay province, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the High Command Zone 4 as well as Ha Tinh provincial leaders and locals attended the ceremony.

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee showed his deep gratitude to the fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the Vietnam-Laos friendship.

After the memorial service, the sets of remains, which were collected in Laos during the 2014-2015 dry season, were reburied at the Nam martyrs’ cemetery in the locality.

Millions of Vietnamese soldiers laid down their lives for national liberation during the two resistance wars against French and US forces as well as in international missions in Laos and Cambodia.

Thousands of fallen soldiers are still unaccounted for across Vietnam and the two neighbouring countries.

The search for, gathering, repatriation and re-interment of the martyrs is conducted annually, receiving due attention from the Party and the State.

HCM City plans big celebrations for Uncle Ho’s birthday

Ho Chi Minh City plans to organise a number of activities to celebrate the 125th birthday of the late President Ho Chi Minh for whom the city is named after.

On May 17, the city will inaugurate a monument dedicated to the late leader and move a statue of President Ho Chi Minh meeting children to the municipal Children’s House.

The monument is a valuable sculpture capturing the spirit and personality of the leader as well as his special love of locals in the city.

An exhibition themed “Uncle Ho with the South – the South with Uncle Ho,” will run from May 17-19. An art performance honouring the late leader will also be held in Ho Chi Minh Monument Park during which the municipal Party Committee will present Party badges to 2,153 local Party members.

The city will also pay a floral tribute and offer incense to the late leader as well as honour outstanding individuals and collectives with excellent performance in studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example from 2014-15.

Winners of a contest to create literature, media and art on studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example will be announced and their work will be presented on Ho Chi Minh City Television.

A number of smaller exhibitions on various topics will also be organised to honour the great leader.-

Precious rains save crops in Central Highlands Dak Lak

People in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak celebrated as more rain fell on May 12 following showers the previous day, finally signaling the end of a prolonged drought and providing much-needed water to thousands of hectares of crops.

While the rain was not heavy, it fell for hours in the districts of Ea H’Leo, Krong Nang, Krong Buk, Cu M’gar, Cu Kuin, Buon Ho town and the city of Buon Ma Thuot , the central hub for coffee and pepper farming in the province.

Over the last two days, Dak Lak has enjoyed rain with average precipitation of 50 millimeters .This has reduced the risk of forest fires and alleviated water supply shortages for local daily use.

The drought badly damaged over 50,600 hectares of crops and triggered a lack water tomore than 20,000 local households, causing an estimated economic loss of nearly 1.7 trillion VND (79 million USD).

According to the Central Highlands Hydro-Meteorological Station, this year’s rainy season is expected to start later than usual (near the end of May) and there will be less rainfall than seen in previous years across the region.

Vietnamese in Cyprus look towards homeland

Hundreds of Vietnamese nationals in the Republic of Cyprus joined friends in the host society in a ceremony held on May 10 in the capital of Nicosia to mark 40 years since Vietnam’s national reunification day.

The event heard that April 30, 1975 was an important historical milestone for Vietnam, ushering the country into a new era of independence, reunification, democracy, equality and civilisation.

Vietnam overcame difficulties to industrialise and modernise as well as actively diversify its relations with partners around the world.

The Southeast Asian country is a reliable friend, partner, and responsible member of the international community, raising Vietnam’s position in the global arena.

Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with over 180 countries and set up economic links with over 200 nations and territories.

It is a member of many international organisations and forums such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The Vietnamese community in Cyrus called upon the international community to support Vietnam in the fight to safeguard peace, stability and development in the East Sea, as well as advocate ending unilateral acts threatening peace, stability and security in the region.

The meeting and its art performances and photo exhibition on Vietnam’s sea and islands drew attention from locals and foreign tourists.

Sustainable investment for malaria prevention discussed

A national conference was held in Hanoi on May 13, focusing on sustainable investment for fighting malaria.

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Public Health and the World Health Organisation, the event was attended by representatives from relevant agencies and international organisations in Vietnam.

Recent unofficial statistics show that there are 15 million Vietnamese people living in malaria-impacted areas, and treatment drug resistance was recorded in five provinces across the country.

According to Director of the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology Tran Thanh Duong, the State budget for malaria prevention was about VND100 billion (US$4.6 million) each year from 2010 to 2013, helping provide mosquito-repellent and medicine to millions of people.

Through the tireless efforts made by ministries, sectors and localities and the support from the Government, the number of malaria cases reduced remarkably from 155 cases per 10,000 people in 1991 to only three per 10,000 in 2014. The malaria mortality rate also saw a strong decrease with only six deaths reported in 2014.

However, the country still records nearly 30,000 incidences of malaria annually, including about 110 patients with malignant malaria.

Last year, the State budget sources funnelled into disease prevention decreased by half and grants from international organisations have been cut, posing challenges to the country’s target of full elimination of malaria.

Additionally, the number and quality of personnel operating in the field has yet to meet demand, especially in remote areas.

Foreign representatives warned that the disease is likely to break out again if preventive measures are not implemented drastically and the investment for the work is neglected.

Vietnam hopes to eradicate malaria by 2030. From 2011-2020, the country aims to offer universal access to early-diagnosis and timely and effective malaria treatment at public and private medical establishments while providing vulnerable communities with prevention methods.

Safety Fun Run to educate garment workers about safety and health

About 4.500 garment workers in the South are set to join Better Work Vietnam’s annual fun run this year on May 17 in Binh Duong to highlight the issue of health and safety in the apparel industry.

The 2015 “Safety Fun Run” is the sixth event of its kind organized by Better Work Vietnam – a partnership between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation – to strengthen connections among workers, employers, buyers and the wider community to raise awareness on key health and safety topics facing workers.

The theme of this year's event is "Worker's Health" with the aim to promote healthy living and good nutrition through practical education and guidance.

A study by non-profit organization Business for Social Responsibility on women’s health showed that workers at some factories in the apparel and footwear industries face a range of common ailments, including upper respiratory tract infections (coughs and colds), headache, fatigue, and diarrhea.

Recent focus groups conducted by Better Work also revealed cases of workers skipping meals and factory doctors identifying signs of poor nutrition.

“Healthcare practices and nutrition issues affect both workers’ health and productivity at work”, said Better Work Vietnam Manager Nguyen Hong Ha. “By supporting a healthy workforce, factories are investing not only in better lives for workers, but in better business outcomes too. In this respect it’s a win-win for all”.

Apart from the run (1.5km for females and 2km for males), workers from 33 garment factories will also have a chance to test their own knowledge with quizzes, participate in live performances and exchange experiences with peers from other factories to improve their healthcare and safety practices.

Better Work Vietnam now boasts a membership of more than 350 factories across Vietnam, with a total of more than 430,000 workers – four-fifths of which are female. Fifty-one international buyers currently subscribe to the programme.

Women are paid 24% less than men

For the most part, the world’s women are in low-salaried, insecure occupations, like small-scale farming, or as domestic workers.

The United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women (UN Women) recently published a report entitled “Progress of the World’s Women 2015-2016: Transforming Economies, Realizing Rights”.

Introducing the report, the UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said,”Our world is out of balance. It is both wealthier and more unequal today than at any time since the Second World War. We are recovering from a global economic crisis – but that recovery has been jobless. We have the largest cohort ever of educated women, yet globally women are struggling to find work.”

Unemployment rates are at historic highs in many countries, including those in the Middle East and North Africa, in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as in southern Europe. Where women do have jobs, globally they are paid 24% less than men, on average.

For the most part, the world’s women are in low-salaried, insecure occupations, like small-scale farming, or as domestic workers – a sector where they comprise 83 per cent of the workforce.

In flagship report Progress of the World’s Women 2015-2016: Transforming Economies, Realizing Rights, UN Women’s investigate what this failure means – and propose solutions.

Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka affirmed, “We take a fresh, holistic look at both economic and social policies and their implications for the entire economy. We look particularly at the ‘invisible’ economy of unpaid care and domestic work that anchors all economies and societies.

Conventional measures like GDP have historically been blind to a large proportion of the work women and girls do, and unhearing of the voices of those who would wish to allocate public resources to their relief, for example through investments in accessible water and clean energy.

We suggest the need to apply a human rights lens to economic problem-solving. We propose specific, evidence-based solutions for action by both government and the private sector, to shape progress towards decent, equally paid jobs for women, free from sexual harassment and violence, and supported by good quality social services.

Our public resources are not flowing in the directions where they are most needed: for example to provide safe water and sanitation, quality health care, and decent child- and elderly-care services. Yet water is essential, families still have to be nourished, the sick still have to be tended, children brought up, and elderly parents cared for.

Where there are no public services, the deficit is borne primarily by women and girls. This is a care penalty that unfairly punishes women for stepping in when the State does not provide resources and it affects billions of women the world over.

Data from France, Germany, Sweden and Turkey suggest that women earn between 31 and 75% less than men over their lifetimes. We need policies that make it possible for both women and men to care for their loved ones without having to forego their own economic security, success and independence.

Our globalized economy seems to be working at cross-purposes with our universal vision of women’s rights; it is limiting, rather than enabling them. Where there is no choice, there are few rights.

But there are solutions. The report proposes a number of specific ways in which to mobilize resources to pay for public services and social transfers: for example by enforcing existing tax obligations, reprioritizing expenditure and expanding the overall tax base, as well as through international borrowing and development assistance.

Global corporations also have a central role to play by being employers that offer equal pay and opportunities. Shareholders can and should ask corporations to act with responsibility to the countries in which they operate.

Annual tax revenue lost to developing countries due to trade mispricing, just one strategy used by corporations to avoid tax, is estimated at between US$98 and US$106 billion. This is nearly US$20 billion more than the annual capital costs needed to achieve universal water and sanitation coverage.

With the right mix of economic and social policies, governments can make transformative change: they can generate decent jobs for women and men and ensure that their unpaid care work is recognized and supported.

Well-designed measures such as family allowances and universal pensions can enhance women’s income security, and their ability to realize their potential and expand their life options. Finally, macroeconomic policies can and should support the realization of women’s rights, by creating dynamic and stable economies, by generating decent work and by mobilizing resources to finance vital public services.

Ultimately, upholding women’s rights will not only make economies work for women, it will also benefit societies as a whole by creating a fairer and more sustainable future.

Vietnam Airlines adds 4,040 summer flights

Vietnam Airlines will fly 4,040 additional flights with more than 620,000 seats on 20 local routes to meet the peak summer demand starting May 23 to August 31.

With the increase, the national carrier will provide a total of 3,550,000 seats, up 21 per cent more than normal and 12 per cent compared to last year.

VNA will offer 2,400 flights during the peak time, between June 20 and August 10.

The domestic routes to benefit from this program are Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City/ Nha Trang/ Da Nang/Da Lat/Phu Quoc/Buon Me Thuot/Quy Nhon/Tuy Hoa/Vinh/Dong Hoi; HCM City - Nha Trang/ Da Nang/Da Lat/Phu Quoc/Buon Me Thuot/Quy Nhon/Dong Hoi/Con Dao; and Da Nang – Hai Phong.

South- central region suffers drought & water shortages

Currently, the south- central provinces of Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen and the central highlands province of Dak Lak have experienced prolonged drought and extreme water shortage in agricultural production and daily life.

Vice director of Department of Agricultural and Rural Development of Ninh Thuan province Phan Quang Thuu yesterday reported that the province has received no rain during past four months, therefore local residents and cattle are facing to food and water shortages.

Hectares of vegetable and fruit crops are withered by hot weather. Annually, rainy season comes from September to November; therefore, dry weather is predicted to shoulder over the provinces on the large scale.

Statistic showed that thousands of cattle dead from lacking of food and water in Bac Ai, Thuan Nam districts. At present, over 150, 000 cattle also are threatened due to water and food shortages. A number of local water reservoirs also are dried out that have affected directly to production and daily life.

Binh Thuan province has suffered long term heat wave in previous months, causing water shortages on the large scale.

Department of Agricultural and Rural Development of Binh Thuan province warned that nearly 530 hectares of fruit crops and 2, 000 hectares of planting and 23, 800 households with 220, 000 residents and 190, 000 buffaloes and cows are facing water shortages.

Tuy Phong is the most seriously affected district by prolonged drought during recent months. Nearly 800 hectares of rice and vegetable crops were met the challenges of drought and water shortages.

Meanwhile, in Ham Tan district, hot weather destroyed nearly 1, 200 hectares of planting. Everyday, nearly 1, 000 households in Tan Duc and Thang Hai district loss VND 100, 000 to purchase fresh water from Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Dong Nai.

With seriously water shortages, Vietnam Red Cross Society supported 15 million litters of fresh water to residents in Ninh Thuan’s Thuan Nam and Bac Ai district.

Earlier, Vietnam Red Cross Society offered 900 plastic water tanks at a total cost of VND 1, 135 billion for poor households, ethnic minority people in Ninh Thuan, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa and Dak Lak.

Vietnam not issue certificate of food safety to Ghanaian toxic palm oil

The Vietnam Food Administration, a part of the Ministry of Health, responsible for managing food hygiene, safety, and quality, yesterday said it has not issued certificate of food safety  to palm oil from Ghana of Kemtoy Miyan Cash & Carry, which the UK’s Department of Food Safety is asking to remove from market due to containing the illegal dye known as Sudan IV, which is genotoxin and carcinogen.

After receiving the warning from the UK’s Department of Food Safety that Kemtoy Miyan Cash & Carry’s palm oil from Ghana is being withdrawn from sale as the oil contains  banned Sudan IV that are used for coloring solvents, oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes, Vietnamese food safety authority has asked related agencies to check the circulation of the products in the market.

Reports from agencies said that from December 1, 2008, Vietnam Food Administration has not issued certificate of food safety to Ghanaian palm oil; however, the food authority will keep updating the news of the oil to consumers.

Sudan dyes are synthetic organic compounds that are used as dyes for various plastics and other compositions. Medical experts said that Sudan IV or Sudan dyes are used in industry and it ranks the toxic dyes as studies have examined Sudan I's effects on animal and human DNA and found a mutagenic result.

Unsafe products to be destroyed: Inspectors

Since the food safety violations has become rampant lately, Nguyen Thanh Phong, head of the Department of Foodstuff Safety, said that in May and June, his department liaising with related agencies will set up two teams to inspect selling and importing food additives and materials for processing food.

Inspectors will pay unscheduled visits to these businesses which had committed food safety and hygiene violations before.

The Vietnam Food Administration, part of Ministry of Health, and related agencies will set up inspection teams in the North. In the South, the Department of Food Safety worked with the Ministry’s Institute of Hygiene and Public Health and Bureau of Food Safety to establish inspection teams.

Inspectors will take samples for tests and issue harsh penalties to business who sell unsafe foodstuff without clear indication of origin and expiry food. Inspectors will destroy unsafe and unlabelling products not let them circulate in the market.

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