Son La asked to focus on hi-tech agriculture

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc suggested that the northern mountainous province of Son La focus on developing high-tech agriculture to boost its economic growth at a working session with local leaders on July 17.

PM Phuc hailed the Party Organisation, authorities and locals of Son La for their efforts to record high economic growth and maintain good relations with Lao localities.

However, he noted that Son La is still a poor province with high poverty rate and low competitiveness. He asked the province to exert every effort to fulfil socio-economic targets for the year.

Son La should focus on ensuring security and order in the border, while paying greater attention to business development.

He also suggested the locality continue boosting high technology agriculture and seek markets for local products as well as speed up the building of new-style rural areas and increase the cultivation of herbal trees.

At the same time, the province should also take more care of locals in resettlement areas for the construction of Son La hydropower plant. Son La should also develop its tourism in a sustainable way, with special attention to preserving cultural identities of local ethnic minority groups, making tourism a spearhead sector.

Son La has a natural area of 14,174 square kilometres, with 250km border sharing with Lao provinces of Houaphanh and Luang Phrabang. With a population of 1.2 million, the province is home to 12 ethnic minority groups.

Son La is still a poor province with the ratio of poor households reaching 31.44 percent in 2016.

Last year, the province’s gross regional domestic products (GRDP) was 9.2 percent, while its budget collection was over 4 trillion VND and per capital GRDP reached 25.4 million VND.

In the first six months of this year, the province’s economic growth hit 5.15 percent.

In 2016, the province welcomed 1.85 million visitors, earning nearly 900 billion VND in revenues. In the first half of 2017, tourists to Son La numbered over 1 million, with most of them going to Moc Chau and Van Ho. Its forest coverage reached 42.5 percent. 

Along with fruit cultivation, the province also has 22,000 milk cows which produced 37,000 tonnes of milk in the first six months of this year.

Son La has 43 enterprises and cooperatives with 86 agricultural products meeting VietGap standard.

Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh’s recent visit to Malaysia hailed

Malaysia and Vietnam are exploring opportunities to further enhance bilateral ties, especially on security matters and areas of mutual interest, according to Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama.

This was discussed at a meeting between Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his Vietnamese counterpart Truong Hoa Binh during the latter’s recent three-day visit to Malaysia.

In a statement after the meeting, Ahmad Zahid expressed his hope that the engagement between Malaysia and Vietnam during the July 11-13 visit would pave the way for lifting bilateral relations to a new level.

The Malaysia-Vietnam relationship, which enters the 44th year now, has progressed well in a comprehensive and substantive manner, he said, adding that both countries enjoy solid ties in various sectors including trade and investment, education, security, defence and people-to-people relations.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said Malaysia was confident that relations with Vietnam could be further improved, especially in areas like trade and investment, finance, defence and security.

Other areas included agriculture, education, manpower, culture, youth and sports, tourism and transportation, he said.

Last year, the value of trade and investment between Malaysia and Vietnam amounted to 10.3 billion USD.

Following the signing of the Malaysia-Vietnam Strategic Partnership agreement in 2015, both countries agreed to increase two-way trade and investment to 15 billion USD by 2020.

Earlier, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry issued an announcement on the visit, saying that it was expected to open new opportunities for Vietnam and Malaysia to continue consolidating their ties as well as create foundations for the two nations to build a closer relationship and further enhance mutual understanding.

Workshop shares experience in adapting to population aging

Adaption to population aging is the focus of discussion at a two-day workshop that opened in Hanoi on July 17.

Jointly held by the Health Ministry and the Asia – Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat, the event has drawn 200 delegates working in different fields from the APEC economies, the United Nations’ agencies, international organisations, socio- political organisations, research institutes and universities.

Addressing the event, Deputy Health Minister Pham Le Tuan said Vietnam has around 10.1 million elderly people, accounting for 11 percent of the population. There are two million people aged above 80.

The rate of elderly people in Vietnam is forecast to reach 17 percent by 2030 and 25 percent by 2050, according to Tuan.

The Deputy Minister expressed his hope that the workshop will help APEC economies, especially Vietnam, make policies, set targets and develop action plans to adapt to the population aging in the coming time.

The workshop is also expected to help turn challenges from the process into opportunities for socio-economic development, he added.

Experts developed scenarios on population aging in APEC, covering challenges and opportunities in different fields.

They shared initiatives on community- and family-based elderly nursing models as part of measures to adapt to population aging.

These suggestions will be discussed at the Health Policy Dialogue, the meetings of the Health Working Group and Health Ministers’ meetings in the framework of the third APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM 3) in HCM City in August.

The population of the APEC economies accounts for 40.5 percent of the world’s total but nearly 50 percent of the elderly on the globe. Most APEC economies are facing the population aging issue, particularly China, Russia, the US and Japan.

The demographic change will have great impacts on economic growth, employment, saving, investment, health care and social security, among others.

Images of Laos go on display in Hanoi

Dozens of photos featuring the landscapes and people of Laos are on display in downtown Hanoi in order to celebrate the friendship between Laos and Vietnam.

Titled “The Beauty of Lao Country and People”, the exhibition is part of a series of cultural activities themed "Vietnamese Culture & Tourism Days in Laos and Lao Culture & Tourism Days in Vietnam 2017". The event aims to celebrate the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation between the two countries.

“Our Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism has organised various activities on this important occasion,” Bouangeun Xaphouvong, Lao Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism told Vietnam News, “This exhibition displays the most up-to-date images on our process of building, protecting of our country as well as the joint efforts by Vietnamese and Lao people in the process, as well as the friendship and love between the two peoples.

“The exhibition also expresses Lao people’s warm heart and feelings to their Vietnamese friends. We will never forget the support from Vietnamese Party, Government and people,” he said. “Now we are still going forward side by side in the development process together with other countries in the region and the world.”

The exhibition runs at the Vietnam Centre for Exhibition, Culture and Arts, 2 Hoa Lu Street, till July 21.

Hanoi reports over 1,200 cases of dengue fever within a week

Hanoi has reported an additional 1,200 cases of dengue fever from July 10 to 17, reported the City Department of Health.

The districts that recorded most of the cases were Hoang Mai (207), Dong Da (193), Hai Ba Trung (90), Thanh Xuan (84), Cau Giay (83), and Ha Dong (78).

Since the beginning of the year, the capital city has witnessed more than 5,300 cases of dengue fever, including one death in Dong Da district.

To deal with the unpredictable development of dengue fever, Hanoi’s health sector has used fogging machines to kill mosquitoes in living quarters. The optimum droplet size for space spraying against mosquitoes is up to 50metre.

Since June, Hanoi Centre for Preventive Medicine has sprayed the insecticide against mosquitoes at more than 30 wards that have detected outbreaks of dengue fever.

Vietnam mulls 45-minute Saigon-Can Tho train service

A construction of a railway route from Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta hub of Can Tho is being reviewed, which is expected to have positive contribution to the regional development if really launched.

First proposed in 2008, the train route project connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho has undergone several phases of research and discussions.

If the scheme is executed, a journey between the two cities will take only 45 minutes instead of the current three-hour drive.

It will also have a positive impact on the socio-economic development of the two cities, as well as such neighboring provinces as Long An, Tien Giang, and Vinh Long.

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong has recently requested the municipal Department of Transport to finalize the plan before submitting to the Ministry of Transport for approval.

The railway route is expected to run along National Highway 1, passing a series of emerging urban areas, which cover some 11,720 square kilometers and are home to 14 million people.

The train route will provide services for passengers and freight transport at speeds between 150 and 200 km per hour.

The project was originally aimed at alleviating the high pressure from transport demand on roadway and waterway.

By 2020, about 31.8 million passengers will travel in the area on a yearly basis and some 2.9 million metric tons of freight will need to be transported every year.

An assessment made in 2008 showed that the Ho Chi Minh City- Can Tho railway path would cost some US$2.8 billion, excluding the expenditure needed for area clearance.

A more detailed plan in 2013 suggested that the railway route would cost over $7.2 billion, of which site clearance accounted for VND48.7 trillion ($2.1 billion).

The proposed route will span over 173 kilometers, passing 14 terminals, with the two main terminals in Di An Town in Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City’s neighbor province, and in Can Tho City.

In late 2013, the Southern Science and Technology Institute proposed that the primary terminal be placed in Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City instead of in Dinh Duong.

This would shorten the entire route to 134 kilometers, while the estimated cost was $3.6 billion.

Speaking with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, a leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport stated the agency would ask the Southern Science and Technology Institute to establish a detailed scheme for the project.

The transport department will also seek the best approach to mobilize capital for the construction.

Literary works honouring Vietnamese war heroes awarded

A ceremony to grant 42 awards to literary works about Vietnamese war invalids, martyrs and significant contributors to the nation’s revolution was held on Monday in Hà Nội.

Jointly held by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Vietnam Writers’ Association, the ceremony is among the activities organised to commemorate the 70th anniversary of War Invalids’ and Martyrs’ Day (1947-2017).

Honorary awards were presented to three writers - Lê Văn Ba, Đặng Vương Hưng and Minh Chuyên. In the prose category, the organisation board awarded three first prizes, six second prizes, five third prizes and six fourth prizes. In the poem category, there was no first prize; however two second prizes, 11 third prizes and five forth prizes were rewarded.

According to Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Đào Ngọc Dung, the literary works writing contest to honour Vietnamese war martyrs, invalids and significant contributors to the nation’s revolutionary struggle was supported tremendously by Vietnamese writers and poets nationwide during its launch from January until June.

The contest received over 800 literary works, many of which have never been officially published in any form. The works, written from 1947 to 2017, have left a strong impression on the readers and are associated with generations of Vietnamese people. They have also condensed the great determination and revolutionary ideology of many Vietnamese youth who volunteered to fight on the battlefields for the nation’s independence, freedom, peace and reunification.

“Millions of Vietnamese heroes courageously fought and fell in the two resistance wars against French and American colonists and the border war in the north, becoming an everlasting source of inspiration for many Vietnamese writers and poets to compose significant works. The image of these soldiers, particularly the war martyrs, invalids and brave heroes, was recaptured beautifully and made immortal through these works. The aim is to honour their noble sacrifice and pay tribute to the war heroes and martyrs who donated their youth for the nation’s peace, reunification, freedom and independence,” the minister confirmed.

Also on this occasion, Minister Dung expressed his gratitude to families of the war martyrs, invalids and significant contributors to the nation’s revolution, as well as generations of Vietnamese writers who have created excellent literary works.

He also expressed his hope that the literary works submitted to the contest would continue to impress readers and contribute to educating the young generation about the national traditions of protecting and building the country.

Traditional dance competition to be held in the capital

A traditional Dance Competition sponsored and hosted by Hà Nội Dancing and Choreography Centre will be held at the Hà Nội University of Culture at the end of this month .

The competition will have two rounds: the primary examination will be held on July 23, while the finale will occur on July 30, 2017.

"Following the success of the first competition, which was held last year, the centre decided to have another one in order to give Vietnamese dance lovers an opportunity to show their talents," said Phan Danh Hùng Anh, a members of the organisning board. 

"We are emphasising the importance of traditional dance, attempting to preserve and promote this spiritual value. This festival also strives to appreciate Việt Nam’s beautiful old values and traditions."

More than 60 candidates nationwide have registered so far, each hoping to impress the community.

Minh wins stage of Return to Trường Sơn Cycling Tournament

Lê Nguyệt Minh of VUS-HCM City won the third stage of the Return to Trường Sơn Cycling Tournament yesterday.

With a strong sprint in last metres, Minh won the 145km stage from Thanh Hóa to Hà Tĩnh Province with a time of 3:47.49 and an everage speed of 42.402kmh.

Minh’s teammate Lê Văn Duẩn and Nguyễn Tấn Hoài of Domesco Pharmacy Đồng Tháp were the runners-up.

Minh also won the event’s green jersey as the best sprinter.

Although Nguyễn Cường Khang of the HCM City Youth squad didn’t rank in top three, he still holds the yellow jersey for the best overall time after three stages.

Today, 70 cyclists from 12 teams will compete in the fourth stage lasting 150km from Hà Tĩnh to Đồng Hới City.

National students vovinam event opens

The National Students Vovinam Championships, Nestlé Milo Cup, started in the central province of Thanh Hóa yesterday.

The event includes 24 teams from across the nation, including Bắc Ninh, Bến Tre, Bình Dương, Quảng Ngãi, Ninh Bình and Nghệ An.

The event, which was organised for the first time for students, aims to develop Vietnamese traditional martial arts across the country.

At present, vovinam is played in more than 60 countries in the world. Vovinam is practiced with and without weapons, and it includes training of the body as well as the mind. It uses force and reaction of the opponent.

In other news, the final round of the 2017 Phù Đổng Football League is also taking place in Thanh Hóa Province, attracting 32 teams from elementary and secondary schools from around the country. It will end on July 23.

This year, besides prizes for winning teams, five elementary school players who meet certain requirements such as determination, respect, bravery and humility will be chosen for a two- day training stint in Barcelona, Spain in August.

Nguyên wins 3 golds at swimming event

Trần Hưng Nguyên helped the National Defence Sports Centre 5 retain their lead in the National Junior Swimming Championship held at Mỹ Đình National Sports Complex in Hà Nội yesterday.

Nguyên bagged three out of four gold medals for his team.

He took gold in the boys’ 50m freestyle aged 14-15 with a time of 24.87secs, breaking the national record of 24.89secs set by Hoàng Quý Phước of Đà Nẵng in 2008.

Võ Dư Trương of the National Defence Sports Centre 4 and Nguyễn Hà Khang of Vĩnh Long took silver and bronze in this category.

Nguyên took home another gold in the boys’ 200m breaststroke in 2:29.38. Cao Văn Dũng of Hà Nội and Trần Đình Tân of Đà Nẵng were the runners-up.

Nguyên’s final triumph was in the 1,500m freestyle, beating Võ Minh Khang of Long An and Trương of the Centre 4 in a time of 16:45.53.

In the girls’ 50m backstroke aged 11 and under, Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Xuyên of Centre 4 triumphed in 34.48secs. Đặng Ái Mỹ of An Giang and Lê Thu Thủy of Đồng Nai took silver and bronze.

Xuyên broke her own record of 35.40secs which she set at the same event last year.

In the girls’ 50 backstroke aged 12-13, Đoàn Gia Khánh of Tây Ninh seized a gold medal after clocking a time of 33.22secs, followed by Vương Thị Thu Phương of Hà Nội and Nguyễn Vy Anh of HCM City.

After four days of competition, Centre 5 leads with 20 golds, 10 silvers and five bronzes.  Centre 4 are second with 16 golds, 11 silvers and six bronzes, with Long An third with 13 golds, 10 silvers and six bronzes.

The tournament ends today.

Boys infected with HPV after undergoing circumcision

The Department of Health in the northern province of Hưng Yên has set up an inspection team to examine the case of many boys reportedly infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) after undergoing circumcision at a local private health clinic.

Lều Văn Quân, chief inspector of the department, said after working with the Sub-department of Health of Khoái Châu District and the health centre of Dạ Trạch Commune on Monday, the inspection team has initially determined that the private clinic where many children went for circumcision is located in Yên Vĩnh Village in Dạ Trạch Commune.

This health clinic is owned by a physician only known as Hiền, who has been practising without a licence.

The private health clinic is not on the list of private facilities licensed by the provincial Department of Health.

Quân said the team has asked the clinic’s manager to working with the provincial department today afternoon.

Currently, Hiền, the clinic’s owner, is working for Văn Giang District’s Health Clinic Centre.

Bùi Quang Trung, deputy director of the provincial Department of Health, said the inspection team would clarify the number of infected children and the cause of the infection.

The health clinic that flouted rules and those involved would be strictly fined, he said.

On Monday, the Ministry of Health urged the provincial Department of Health to quickly clarify the information that many boys in Khoái Châu District were reportedly infected with HPV after being treated at a local health clinic.

Lương Ngọc Khuê, director of the ministry’s Department of Examination and Treatment, asked the department to cooperate with the National Hospital of Dermatology to determine the cause of the incident and clarify responsibilities of organisations and individuals involved.

Reports from the National Hospital of Dermatology showed that for two months, between May 1 and July 15, as many as 110 patients, mostly children, were hospitalised with HPV, of which 37 were from Hưng Yên Province’s Khoái Châu District.

The cause of the infection remains unknown.

Patients’ families, however, said they had taken their children to a local private clinic for circumcision.

Human papillomavirus is a major sexual transmitted disease. Patients can be infected through unsafe sex or skin-to-skin contact. Newborns can be infected by infected mothers at childbirth or through unprotected medical devices. – VNS

Thao River water level rises, flood alert issued

As the Thao River’s water level is expected to cross 32.2m today morning, 0.2m higher than its third warning level, the forecast centre has warned of floods and landslides.

Water levels have been rising due to prolonged heavy rain, and the National Hydro-meteorological Forecast Centre expects it to touch 32.05m in the northern mountainous province of Yên Bái at 4am today and 17.37m in the Phú Thọ Province. It has warned of possible flooding in low-lying areas along the river in both provinces.

Warnings have been issued about flash floods and landslides in northern mountainous provinces and northern-central provinces, including Điện Biên, Hà Giang, Cao Bằng, Hòa Bình, Phú Thọ, Bắc Cạn, Thanh Hóa and Nghệ An. The risks are particularly high in Lào Cai, Lai Châu, Sơn La and Yên Bái provinces.

By today evening, the water levels are expected to go down to 31.5m in Yên Bái, but rise to 18.7m in Phú Thọ province.

Heavy rains are expected to continue in the northern region for the next few days, with rainfall ranging from 40mm to 80mm, the centre said.

Vietnam Evangelical Church (south) convenes fifth congress

The Evangelical Church of Vietnam (south) on July 18 opened its fifth congress in Ho Chi Minh City. 

The event, running to July 21, is the Church’s biggest activity held every four years, attracting over 3,000 delegates from 34 southern provinces and cities. Representatives from State agencies and local authorities also attended.

The congress will review the church’s operation in 2013-2017, elect a new executive council for the 2017-2021 tenure and discuss amendments to the Church’s charter. 

Speaking at the event, deputy head of the Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs Tran Tan Hung praised the active participation of the Church’s dignities and followers in socio-economic development and humanitarian activities, thus contributing to national construction and defence.

He reiterated that the State pursues the policy of respecting and ensuring the right to religious and belief freedom as well as encouraging progressive religious activities.

Hung said the Committee appreciated the amendments to the Church’s charter and expressed his hope that delegates will contribute constructive ideas in order to promote values of the Church and ensure the principle of law adherence and harmony with other religions.            

Ba Ria – Vung Tau signs wastewater deal

Dutch-owned company Royal Haskoning DHV has recently signed a contract with the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Urban Sewerage and Development Company (BUSADCO) for a complete wastewater solution benefiting over 175,000 residents of the Phu My New Urban Area.

As part of the Facility for Infrastructure Development (ORIO programme) in developing countries financed by the Dutch Government, the 9.5 million EUR (10.9 million USD) project will deliver sanitation to residents and industries whose wastewater is currently discharged untreated, resulting in severe pollution.

A sewage plant will be built using the company’s bio-technology which is used in some 1,500 wastewater treatment plants around the world.

It would have a capacity of almost 30,000 cu.m a day, the company said. 

The company will also build four pumping stations, install 100km of pipes and connect 15,000 households and over 1,000 small- and medium-sized enterprises.

During the operation and maintenance phase, it will provide technical assistance and training to BUSADCO workers.

Free cleft palate surgery for poor ethnic minorities in Central Highlands

The Children’s Fund in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on July 23 coordinated with the Operation Smile Vietnam to provide free examination and surgery for 140 needy people who suffer from cleft lip and cleft palate.
The beneficiaries are mainly from remote and ethnic minority regions in Dak Nong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, and Lam Dong.

Eighty children and adults are expected to receive free-of-charge surgery under this programme, which runs from July 23-27.

This is the fourth time the Operation Smile Vietnam and the Dak Lak Children’s Fund launched the event for the Central Highlands.

Over the past three years, nearly 700 local patients with cleft lip and cleft palate received free check-ups, while over 300 others were assisted to get their smiles back.

Son La police arrest three drug dealers, seize 28 heroin bricks

Police of the northwestern province of Son La arrested on July 22 three persons involved in a cross-border drug trafficking ring, seizing 28 bricks of heroin.

Mua An Hu, 55, residing in Sop Bao district of the Lao province of Houaphanh, was detained in Chieng Son commune of Moc Chau district while trafficking 28 bricks of heroin (about 350 grams each). Police also seized one gun with 13 bullets from him.

He admitted that he delivered the heroin from a border area to Vietnam and the drug would later be transported to and sold in inland areas. 

Later the same day, local police also detained Trang A Denh (39) and Trang Giong De (55), both residing in Long Sap commune of Moc Chau district, for illegally transporting drugs.

Police is conducting further investigation into the case.