Binh Thuan: 714,000 USD to surmount water shortages

The southern central province of Binh Thuan is set to spend 15 billion VND (714,000 USD) to support localities to surmount water shortages caused by prolonged drought.

The amount will be spent on supporting local people to buy tap water; drill wells; purchase water pumps; invest in water pipes and build water supply works.

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, water levels in 16 reservoirs in the province have plunged to alarmingly low levels of 10-30 percent.

The Ham Tan and Tuy Phong communes are the hardest hit localities by drought with nearly 40,000 people and 1,000 hectares of cultivated crops affected by water shortages.

As of June 6, eight water supply projects in the districts of Ham Tan, Tuy Phong, Ham Thuan Bac and Tanh Linh had to cease operations due to insufficient water.

Due to water shortages, local people have to buy water from 60,000 VND (2.9 USD) to over 100,000 VND (4.8 USD) per a cubic metre.

Police department for smuggling control launched

The Ministry of Public Security launched the Police Department for Smuggling Criminal Prevention and Control (C47) under the General Police Department on June 10.

Addressing the launching ceremony, Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang said the formation of the department is designed to mobilise forces and equipment to enhance the efficiency of combating smuggling, ensuring order and security, and better enforcing laws and policies on socio-economic development.

He asked the C47 to promptly become operational, control the situation and give advice to all levels of government on measures and solutions to deal with smuggling, trade fraud, fake commodities and copyright infringements.

The department should also focus on eliminating smuggling organisations and fake commodity manufacturing hotspots, he requested.

The minister also directed the C47 to collaborate closely with other authorised agencies; the Border Guard; Coast Guard; and tax, customs and market management forces and localities while expanding international cooperation.

Over $39 mln to renovate national road crossing Central Vietnam

The Ministry of Transport on June 14 started work on the upgrade of National Road 26 crossing central coastal Khanh Hoa province and the Central Highland province of Dak Lak with a total investment of 860 billion VND (39.5 million USD).

The project will renovate the 8.1-kilometre road section from Km 3 + 411 to Km 11 + 504 in Khanh Hoa and another 7.5 kilometres from Km 91 + 383 to Km 98 + 800 in Dak Lak, which will be enlarged to 12 – 14 metres in width with four lanes.

Conducted under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract, it is expected to be operational by the end of 2016.

The same day, work also began on the construction of a 2.9-kilometre bypass in Ninh Hoa Town, Khanh Hoa province which will allow vehicles to run at 80 kilometres per hour.

Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong said the project will contribute to the socio-economic development of not only the two provinces but also Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands region.

He urged the contractor to work closely with local authorities in land clearance and ensure construction quality and schedule.

Ho Chi Minh statue constructed in Russia

A ceremony commencing the construction of a statue of the late President Ho Chi Minh was held in Russian Ulyanovsk city, the birthplace of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, on June 11.

The 5-metre bronze statue will be built on an area of more than 2,000 square metres, next to the Ho Chi Minh boulevard in Zasniazhsky district. The construction cost is covered by Vietnam while its technical consultancy and sculpture work are supported by the Russian side.

Speaking at the event, Le Ngoc Hoa, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An People’s Committee, said the work aims to be a place for the Vietnamese community in Russia to honnour their beloved president and to cement a close long-lasting ties between central Nghe An province and Ulyanovsk.

The Russian city’s representative expressed local delight and support towards the statue erection, while pledging to decorate and make the Ho Chi Minh boulevard one of the city’s best streets by September 2, Vietnam’s National Day.

The construction work is scheduled to finish within November.

Thua Thien-Hue: drug users benefited from methadone treatment

After six months of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in central Thua Thien-Hue province, about 75 percent of drug addicts using the therapy have seen improved physical and mental health; many of them found jobs and have settled down.

According to the provincial Department of Health, the methadone centre on Nguyen Van Linh street in Hue City, the first of its kind in the province, has received a large number of applications for treatment since it opened in November last year.

When attending the centre, drug users are provided with an initial intake assessment which includes health check-ups and psycho-social evaluations, and then free methadone doses that suit their needs together with medical advice during the treatment process.

In addition, doctors and medial workers educate patients and their family on the benefits of MMT.

To date, the locality has opened two MMT centres treating 150 drug users, 75 percent of who have reached the stabilisation phase and improved mental health. About 35 of them found jobs with the help of the centre after their recovery.

It is estimated that more than 470 people in Thua Thien-Hue province are currently addicted to heroin, cannabis, ecstasy and others. Of them, 60 percent get injections and are at the greatest risk of HIV transmission.

The MMT is a cost-effective method that costs nine times less than traditional treatments in rehab centres. It not only allows addicted people to stop using drugs, reduces their risk of HIV transmission and improves their quality of life, but also is associated with a reduction in criminal activity.

To improve MMT effectiveness, the province plans to provide drug users with mental counselling and soft skill training to help them find jobs.

It will also ramp up promotional campaigns on the significance and benefits of MMT programmes and work to improve the capacity of MMT doctors and medical workers.

Vietnam-Cambodia hospital records sound operation

The Cho Ray-Phnom Penh general hospital, a Vietnam-Cambodia joint construction, posted an annual revenue increase of 36 percent in the first five months of this year.

According to Director Nguyen Hoang Nam, after one-year operation, the hospital has so far treated more than 100,000 patients and performed approximately 500 successful surgeries.

It also actively engaged in charitable activities in Cambodia, such as free checkups for more than 2,000 poor people and free eye surgeries for almost 100 patients.

There are currently up to 40 Vietnamese doctors working in the hospital and helping train the Cambodian medical staff here.

The hospital always values and works towards high-quality medical services and treatment, Nam emphasised.

The Cho Ray-Phnom Penh general hospital was build with a phase-1 total investment of nearly 38 million USD and became operational since January 13, 2014.

Ba Ria- Vung Tau: Satellite equipment installed on fishing vessels

The vessel monitoring system (VMS), each worth 135 million VND (6,280 USD), has been installed on 270 fishing boats in the southern province of Ba Ria- Vung Tau as part of the French-funded Movimar surveillance project, implemented since 2013.

Movimar satellite technology is a modern system helping fishermen receive updated weather forecasts as well as latent risks and communicate with the mainland and other boats in case of incidents.

The Vung Tau Coast Radio Station set up a centre for Movimar equipment maintenance, providing local fishermen with free repairs. A technician of the station recommended fishermen double-check their equipment to avoid electricity incidents before operating offshore.

Local fishermen expect that more fishing vessels will be provided with the satellite equipment to ensure their safety, making contributions to protecting the nation’s sovereignty of lands and sea.

Ninh Thuan farmers receive rice support in response to prolonged drought

The central province of Ninh Thuan distributed 2,000 tonnes of rice supported by the Government to farmers in local drought-hit areas on June 11.

The most heavily-affected districts are Thuan Nam, Bac Ai, Thuan Bac, Ninh Hai, Ninh Phuoc and Ninh Son.

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dang Thi Phan said the Government has supported the province with some 3,500 tonnes of rice.

Local authorities vowed to strictly supervise the distribution of rice to the target areas, she said.

At present, 31 of the 47 communes are being affected by the drought, which is forecast to last until September. Over 18,900 families are believed to be waiting for rice support.

According to the provincial People’s Committee, over 500 hectares of winter-spring crops were underproductive and cultivating activities were hampered across 16,000 hectares due to water shortages.

Meanwhile, more than 900 heads of goats, sheep and cows died as a result of food shortages.

The province has evacuated 17,600 livestock to more abundant-food areas as part of efforts to prevent damages caused by the lingering drought.

Due to the El Nino weather pattern impacts, rainfall in the locality stands at about 300 millimetres, 40-50 percent below average. Water volume in 20 reservoirs is standing at 7.9 percent of their designed capacity.

US-funded disaster mitigation centre opened in Quang Tri

A disaster prevention and mitigation centre funded by the US Pacific Command was inaugurated in the central province of Quang Tri on June 10.

Construction on the centre began in January 2014 at a cost of more than 9.2 billion VND (nearly 428,000 USD).

A representative of the provincial People’s Committee said Quang Tri pledges to optimise the use of this facility and hoped that the US Pacific Command would continue assisting in upgrading local infrastructure and technological equipment, ultimately helping improve the province’s disaster risk management and climate change adaptation capacity.

Quang Tri regularly suffers great losses from severe weather conditions such as storms, floods and whirlwinds. It is currently struggling with one of the worst droughts in history, which has devastated crops and heavily impacted livelihoods.

Over the past few years, a number of disaster mitigation measures have been carried out in Quang Tri, such as conducting communication activities to raise public awareness, updating flood scenarios, designing solutions to cope with super typhoons and regularly checking and repairing disaster prevention facilities like dams, reservoirs and docks.

However, these moves have not been fully effective due to limited financial resources.

Outstanding ethnic students to receive scholarships

A cultural programme to award scholarships to ethnic minority students nationwide who performed outstandingly in the 2014-2015 school year will take place in Ho Chi Minh City on June 13.

Themed “Lighting the dreams”, the event will be co-organised by the Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund under the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and Ho Chi Minh City Television.

At the June 10 conference to introduce the programme, former Vice President and Chairwoman of the Vu A Dinh Fund Truong My Hoa said the fund has implemented a number of projects to assist ethnic minority students nationwide in parallel with 5,000 scholarships provided to outstanding students annually.

Since the beginning of the year, the fund has received 37 billion VND (1.7 million USD) from individuals and organisations.

Thus far, the scholarship fund has helped build nine schools, including two primary schools on the Truong Sa Lon and Sinh Ton islands of Truong Sa archipelago, and over 50 houses and tens of concrete bridges in disadvantaged areas.

Samsung Electronics Vietnam opens modern village

Samsung Electronics Vietnam (SEV) Co. Tlt has opened Samsung Nanum Village to bring a more modern life to resident of the northern Bac Ninh province’s Thuy Hia commune.

Built at a cost of more than 20 billion VND (909,000 USD), with 15 billion VND (681,820 USD) funded by SEV and the remainder from local funding, the village has a cultural house, a kindergarten, primary and secondary schools, along with a medical centre.

Starting construction in October 2013, the village, whose name means sharing in Korean, is expected to provide a comprehensive environment for the commune’s children.

The village is one of Samsung corporate citizenship initiatives that targets low-income and underprivileged areas for sustainable, economic development.

Architect Ryu Choon-so, who designed the World Cup 2002 stadium in the Republic of Korea, devoted himself to creating the design model of the village.

Thua Thien-Hue province promotes readership at post offices

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue will equip communal post offices with computers, internet and books to promote local readership.

Readers will be able to update their knowledge on a range of fields from science-technology, agricultural production, business experience and legal documents.

The provincial library staff also called for donations of books and newspapers for children at the post offices.

Each post office will have at least 500 books and is expected to welcome 10-20 readers per day.

The Ministry of Information and Communication recently approved the project improving computer usage and public internet access in Vietnam as funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The project supported Thua Thien-Hue with 280 computers and 41 printers at different sites in the provinces, including 21 communal post offices.

The post office in Thuong Quang mountainous commune, for example, serves nearly 20 readers and internet users on a daily basis.

So far, Thua Thien-Hue has 111 communal post offices.

The commune cultural post office (CCPO) is an important policy in Vietnam to reduce the gap between rural and urban areas and increase the public access to information technology knowledge.

The programme was initiated by the Ministry of Information and Communications in 1998, aiming to provide postal and basic telecommunications services, free books and magazines for people in rural areas, especially in difficult communes.-

Thanh Hoa: Construction of first vessels built under Gov’t decree gets credit

A State-owned bank will provide loans for the construction of the first two ships to be built in central Thanh Hoa province under a Government decree supporting fisheries development, as formulated in credit contracts inked on June 10.

The Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) will loan 12.1 billion VND (556,600 USD) over 15 years to a local resident of Nghi Son commune to build a steel fishing vessel with 811CV engines. The total construction cost is 15.9 billion VND (731,400 USD).

The Long Hai Trading, Transportation, Sea Product and Processing Joint Stock Company based in Hai Binh commune will get a 15-year loan of 6.2 billion VND (285,200 USD) from Agribank to build a wooden logistics ship. It will take 8.8 billion VND (404,800 USD) in total to build the 829 CV vessel.

The two debtors have had efficient fishing and logistics activities and good financial strength, as confirmed by the Thanh Hoa People’s Committee.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)’s decision, Thanh Hoa will build 90 fishing vessels with engines of at least 400 CV and four logistics ships under the Government decree.

Decree 67/2014/ND-CP, taking effect from August 25 last year, provides basic policies to encourage fishermen to build high-capacity and steel ships capable of fishing offshore, a practice that could earn fishermen higher incomes and contribute to protecting the country’s territorial waters.

As many as 2,079 new off-shore fishing ships and 205 logistics ships will be built under the Decree, according to the MARD.

Gifts delivered to disadvantaged children in Hanoi

As many as 40 disadvantaged children who benefited from free eye surgery programmes received gifts at a ceremony on June 12 in Hanoi.

This forms part of activities under the programme for children’s eyes funded by the National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) and Prudential Life Insurance Company.

The programme, launched in 1998, has helped nearly 30,000 children across the country recover their eyesight, spending nearly 31 billion VND (1.45 million USD).

Between 2012-2014, as many as 700 children with eye defects received free treatments thanks to donations from Prudential Vietnam worth 1.6 billion VND (74,766 USD).

Under the agreement signed in October 2014 with the NFVC, the company will grant 10.5 billion VND (490,654 USD) to the free eye surgery programme from 2015-2021.

During the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Hong Lan hailed the significant contributions the programme has made to the ocular health of thousands of children.

She highly valued the efforts of the fund and involved staff of the National Institute of Ophthalmology in the programme.

Vietnam has more than 1.5 million disadvantaged children, including 1.2 million children with disabilities, of the 26 million children across the country, according to Lan.

The National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) plans to raise 75 billion VND (3.5 million USD) this year from domestic and international resources to protect and care for children and provide educational assistance.

The target was determined during a NFVC Sponsorship Council meeting chaired by Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, who is also Chair of the council, on March 24 in Hanoi.

According to an NFVC report, the fund mobilised a total of 97 billion VND (4.55 million USD) in 2014, exceeding its annual target by 26 percent.

Its support activities benefited over 86,800 disadvantaged children across 63 cities and provinces nationwide.

Since its establishment, the NFVC has mobilized more than 4 trillion VND (186 million USD) and aided 28 million children.-

American news agency’s visit to witness Vietnam

A high-ranking delegation from the multinational American news agency the Associated Press (AP) made their first visit to Vietnam from June 7-13 to get a first-hand understanding of the national context.

According to AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt, Head of the delegation, the trip also aims to highlights ties between Vietnam and the United States and organise activities to cement mutual understanding, friendship and diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The delegation was received by State President Truong Tan Sang, visited the family of General Vo Nguyen Giap and launched a photo exhibition titled ‘Vietnam war through AP photos’.

In addition, the agency held forums and discussions between AP and Vietnamese reporters, visiting Trang Bang district in the southern province of Tay Ninh and Hanoi.

The AP, which is headquartered in New York, provides news to around 1,700 newspapers and 5,000 video and radio programmes in the world.

The AP was actively involved in the Vietnam War and contributed to changing the American public’s view of the war through its vivid images.

The photo of Venerable Thich Quang Duc setting himself on fire in 1963 by Malcolm Browne and the photo of the girl burned by napalm bomb by Vietnamese American photographer Nick Ut in 1972 are among their most famous portrayals.

Evidence-based policymaking to alleviate poverty

The Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences held the fourth annual Nopoor meeting in Hanoi on June 12, focusing on evidence-based policy making for poverty alleviation.

Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Vietnam Franz Jessen said Nopoor is an EU initiative with 20 agencies from 17 countries worldwide working to study poverty developments around the globe.

The project is being carried out in Vietnam and has helped the country to develop international cooperation and integration strategies, he said.

It is expected to help the Southeast Asian country increase its national competitiveness and address challenges regarding inequality, social welfare, developing a law-abiding state and improving state administration, he added.

Coordinator of the project Xavier Oudin noted there will not be a policy that suits everyone and it is difficult to explore poverty dimensions with time.

He suggested researchers focus on studying the interaction between different aspects of poverty to yield accurate results.

In Vietnam , about 30 million people rose out of poverty in the doi moi (reform) process - a highlight in the country’s poverty alleviation efforts, said Director General of the Centre for Analysing and Forecasting Nguyen Thang.

However, he noted that a number of challenges will face the country in the short and medium term due to limited breakthroughs in economic restructuring.

He recommended building institutions promoting agriculture, the manufacturing industry, construction, trade and services, all of which require a large number of workers.

Emphasis should be placed on tertiary education as well, he continued, explaining that higher education is essential in helping the country avoid the “middle-income trap”.-

Hanoi seminar talks ASEAN Politics-Security Community

The National Assembly’s Committee for External Relations on June 13 held a seminar on the ASEAN Politics-Security Community, one of the three key pillars of the ASEAN Community that is expected to be formed at the end of this year.

Addressing the event, Chairman of the committee Tran Van Hang said the ASEAN Community is expected to bring a new vitality to the 600-strong ASEAN and the whole region as well.

He said he hopes participants will contribute ideas on building policies and law for active integration into the region, ultilising advantages brought about by the process.

A representative from the Foreign Ministry said the ASEAN Community, with three key pillars of Politics-Security Community, Economic Community, and Culture-Social Community, is will continue promoting its central role in the region and contributing to the maintenance of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The ASEAN Politics-Security Community aims to enhance political and security collaboration among the grouping’s member countries, with the engagement and contributions from outside states, thus ensuring all ASEAN countries share peaceful, equal and harmony environment with each other and with the rest of the world, said the representative.

The community will have a comprehensive approach of security, including politic, economic, socio-economic and environmental aspects, increasing political cooperation and sharing common norms of conduct.

It will also promote a violence-free trend and the settlement of disputes through peaceful measures, while preventing and dealing with disputes, expanding relations with outside partners and maintaining its central role in the regional security architecture.

Participants at the event agreed that the Politics-Security Community plays an important part in the ASEAN Community, especially in the context of rising tension in the region, including the East Sea.

They also focus on prospects and challenges facing Vietnam, as well as the future plan of the community, and measures that Vietnam can apply to continue integrating into the ASEAN.

Binh Phuoc border guards arrest drug traffickers

Border guards in the southern province of Binh Phuoc on June 13 arrested two drug traffickers in Hoa Lu hamlet, Loc Hoa district, Loc Ninh district, Binh Phuoc province, which borders Cambodia.

They are Lu Minh Tuan, born in Tra Vinh province, and Hieng Ra. Both are living in Sanuol district, Kratie province, Cambodia.

The confiscations include 35 grams of synthetic drugs, a mobile phone, a motorbike with Cambodian licence plate.

The case is under further investigation.

As many as of 280 children, who made the most outstanding performance following Uncle Ho’s teachings, were honoured at a national congress in Hanoi on June 13.

Addressing the event, President Truong Tan Sang praised the exemplary children for their achievements in study and active involvement in social activities, which brought practical benefit to the community.

He said as the nation’s masters in the future, the children should continue to lead in emulation movements and contribute to build a strong and prosperous country as wished by President Ho Chi Minh.

The State leader asked Party committees, local authorities, sectors, social organisations, parents, and teachers to pay more attention to child care, protection, and education.

He stressed that children should be given favourable conditions to study, play, join in social activities, and practice a healthy lifestyle.

Activities of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneers Union should be strengthened and diversified in order to attract the participation of children nationwide, he added.

The 8th event of its kind, the congress was organised in Hanoi and the central province of Nghe An from June 10-13. It was part of activities marking the 125th years of President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday.

During the event, participants joined a wide range of meaningful activities, including a ceremony to pay tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh in his Mausoleum, a visit to Uncle Ho’s birthplace and the Temple of Literature.-

Workshop highlights Vietnam-US relations

The Vietnam - US Society and the US Associated Press (AP) held a workshop in Hanoi on June 12 to highlight media and the development of relations between the two countries over the past two decades.

Chairman of the society Nguyen Tam Chien stressed the AP’s contributions to covering the real war in Vietnam through its vivid photos of battlefields.

The photo of Venerable Thich Quang Duc setting himself on fire 1963 by American photographer Malcolm Browne and the photo of a girl burned by napalm bomb in 1972 by Vietnamese American photographer Nick Ut are among the most famous portrayals.

As one of the largest news agencies, the AP is hoped to continue covering Vietnam’s development to readers around the world, including the American people, to increase the Vietnam-US friendship, solidarity and cooperation.

Director of the AP in Asia Ted Anthony said the ongoing visit of the AP delegation to Vietnam aims to mark the normalisation of relations between Vietnam and the US two decades ago, as well as study the situation in Vietnam and organise activities to strengthen bilateral friendship and diplomatic ties.

Representatives from the Vietnam Journalists Association, the Vietnam News Agency, and the Vietnam People’s Army newspaper participated in the event to share experience in digital journalism with AP partners.

The AP, which is headquartered in New York, provides news to around 1,700 newspapers and 5,000 video and radio programmes in the world.

French agency offers record sponsorships to Vietnam in 2014

The French Development Agency (AFD) sponsored a record 89.3 million EUR (about 100.5 million USD) for a number of development projects across Vietnam in 2014, a press conference revealed in Hanoi on June 11.

Notable projects included the pilot metro line No. 3 in Hanoi (69 million EUR), a climate change response support programme (20 million EUR) and the Ngu Ha River rehabilitation project in Hue city (300,000 EUR), highlighted AFD Director in Vietnam Remi Genevey.

In 2015, the agency will continue providing loans for the Vietnamese Government to carry out projects on renewable energy, river delta infrastructure development and climate change adaptation, among others, he added.

On May 19, the AFD signed an agreement to provide Vietnam with a concessional loan of 20 million EUR (over 22.38 million USD) for phase five of the Support Programme to Respond to Climate Change (SPRCC).

The loan adds up to 100 million EUR (over 111.98 million USD) of the agency’s total support to the SPRCC, initiated by the AFD and the Japan International Cooperation Agency in 2009 to assist the local Government in sector reforms to cope with climate change effectively and encourage low CO2 emissions.

Climate change impact prevention is the focus of the AFD’s activities in Vietnam. Between 2006 and 2014, the agency earmarked 471 million EUR for 16 development projects with environmental benefits in the country.-

Challenges to social responsibility, journalism ethics in digital era discussed

A seminar titled “Social responsibility and journalism ethics in the digital era” took place in Hanoi on June 10 to give experts in the field insight into journalism development in the digital era and help narrow technology gaps in the sector in Vietnam.

It was organised by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University and the Vietnamese office of the Germany-based Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation.

Discussions focused on seeking the answer to such questions as why social responsibility and journalism ethnics should be ensured in the digital era and why the digital era makes so many negative impacts on journalism despite the sector’s great stride forwards.

They also touched on principles to ensure journalism’s social responsibility and how to curb the negative impacts while sharing experience and journalism practices.

People are free to do what are not banned by the law. However, what people should or should not do is associated with ethics issues in which each individual should conduct themselves in accord with general ethical principles, and to journalists, it is the matters of conscience and social responsibility, said Deputy Head of the Ministry of Information and Communication’s Department of Press Luu Dinh Phuc.

Echoing his view, Deputy General Director of Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Le Duy Truyen added that the digital era has not only stimulated the rapid development of today’s journalism but also thrown various challenges to professional journalism due to fierce competition.

Truyen stressed the significance of the press’ social responsibility and ethics and called for the conservation of core journalism values which are reflected in the VNA’s working motto – accurate, rapid, relevant and interesting amidst the online information boom.

Recent years have seen an expansion of online newspapers with 98 currently, more than 1,500 licensed online portals and nearly 400 social networks.

Information and communication technology has greatly benefited journalists but also posed many professional ethic issues, particularly truthful and impartial reporting, intrusion of privacy violations, plagiarism and copyright breaches.

Participants proposed that besides establishing stricter laws on journalism and raising awareness of ethics issues among journalists and editors, it is necessary to produce a detailed code of conduct for journalists.

Vietnam improves PCB awareness

Reporters from press agencies in the central region of Vietnam were provided with scientific facts on toxic agents called PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls) at a seminar held in the city of Da Nang on June 12.

The event aimed to enhance media coverage and thus increase public awareness of PCBs, other hazardous agents and their direct harmful effects on human health.

PCBs are toxic agents commonly founded in the land, water, atmosphere, food and adipose tissue of human and animals. PCBs have been demonstrated to cause cancer and a variety of other adverse health effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system and endocrine system.

PCBs are not manufactured in Vietnam but are imported for industrial use such as the insulated oil of transformers, plastic additives and gas turbine petroleum. The country still has thousands of tonnes of oil contaminated by PCBs.

As a member of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) since 2002, Vietnam has committed to minimising the emission of PCB in the environment, ending PCB usage in equipment and machineries by 2020 and destroying PCBs entirely by 2028.

Deputy Managing Director of the PCB management project in Vietnam Nguyen Anh Tuan said the project has measured the volume of PCBs in the country and organised activities to promote the safe management of the toxic agents such as training courses, technical demonstrations and communication campaigns.

Looking forward, the project will upgrade and build more storage facilities for PCBs and provide oil filter equipment, packing materials and fast test-kits for localities in a bid to effectively manage PCB storage.

Delegates also visited a PCB depository centre at the Da Nang Electricity Company.

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