HCMC authority tightens control on environmental pollution

People’s Committee in Ho Chi Minh City will strictly monitor environmental pollution discharges.

The committee has ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Environmental police; People’s committees in districts and managing boards in industrial parks and export processing zones to increase information, and enhance inspection its localities and factories to early detect discharges into the environment. 

Furthermore, they must prevent and issue harsh penalties to violator who bury solid wastes from daily activities and construction in wrong places as well as throw animal corpses into rivers, canals, sea or streets causing environmental pollution.

Any violation occurs in the locality, heads of the agencies must take responsibility in front of the municipal People’s Committee.

Vietnam Airlines carries apricot, peach blossoms for Tet holidays

The national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines will transport apricot and peach blossoms for the upcoming lunar New Year Festival (Tet) on domestic flights from now until February 6. 

A passenger will be allowed to check in with one branch of apricot or peach blossoms, measuring maximum 150cm x 40cm x 40cm as a special ‘Luggage Consignment Service’.

Transportation fees will cost around VND275, 000-440,000.

Passengers must register to transport apricot and peach blossoms at least 3 hours before departure time.

HCMC leaders visit disadvantaged people, naval soldier’ family

Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Dinh La Thang visited and offered Tet greetings/gifts to the family of disadvantaged soldier Nguyen Tran Thien Anh who is on duty in the Naval Region 4 Command of the Vietnam People's Navy in District 8 on January 8.

Mr. Thang expressed his deepest sympathy and offered Tet gifts to the soldier’s mother, Ms. Tran Thi Anh. He asked local authorities to create good conditions for the family to enjoy a warm and joyous Tet.

On the same day, Chairman of the HCMC People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong visited and extended his greetings to the entire staff of Phuoc Binh Social Labor Education Center in Dong Nai Province.

The chairman highly appreciated the center’s achievements in supporting trainees to integrate into society after treatment and vocational training at the center.

Additionally, Saigon Trading Group (Satra), Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, Ho Chi Minh Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital and Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper joined hands to provide free treatment for poor people and gave Tet gifts to the Border Posts 554 in Can Gio district's Thanh An commune on January 8.

65 outstanding students honored at annual awards

The Central Committee of the Vietnam Students Association (VSA) in Ho Chi Minh City on January 8  held a ceremony celebrating the 67th annual traditional day of Vietnamese Students (on January 9) and presented the Sinh Vien 5 Tot (Student with five good points) certificates to 53 outstanding students and 12 groups  from colleges and universities throughout the country.

The VSA also offered the 2016 Sao Thang Gieng (January Star) Awards to 100 outstanding students.

On this occasion, the HCM City Student Association handed over the Student with five good points' city-level certificates to 226 students of universities and high schools in the city.

The January Star Awards aimd to honor winners’ significant academic achievements during the last academic year and their active participation in the VSA and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMCYU)’s activities.

Meanwhile the Student with five good points certificate is to praise students who fulfilled five criteria in studying and self-improvement. The criteria include good ethics, good learning, good skills, good integration, and good health.

Attending the ceremony were Politburo member Truong Thi Mai, who is Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for Mass Mobilization; Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh city Party Committee Dinh La Thang and First Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee , Le Quoc Phong.

Vietnamese Students’ Day marked

The Vietnam Students' Association (VSA) organised a ceremony at Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural House on January 8 to celebrate the 67th anniversary of Traditional Day of Vietnamese students and the VSA (January 9, 1950-2017).

The event was attended by Politburo members Secretary of the Party Central Committee (PCC) and Head of the PCC Commission of Mass Mobilisation Truong Thi Mai and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Dinh La Thang.

Over the past 67 years, the VSA became a bridge for Vietnam’s student population. The VSA currently comprises over 1.4 million members who are studying and living in cities and provinces across the country and in seven overseas Vietnamese student’s associations. For its outstanding contributions, in 2010 the VSA was honoured with the Gold Star Order and many other noble awards from the Party and State.

At the ceremony, the central-level “Students with Five Good Performances” title were presented to the outstanding 53 students and 12 organisations while the nineteenth “January Star” title was presented to another 100, in recognition of their brilliant academic results and contributions to the students’ movements.

Addressing the event, Politburo member Truong Thi Mai praised the outstanding achievements made by generations of students over the past 67 years while congratulating those who received the “Students with Five Good Performances” title and “January Star” awards.

She asked the VSA to promote its role as a socio-political organisation and to work with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to launch emulation movements aiming to encourage students nationwide to promote the glorious traditions of preceding generations; to study and train revolutionary virtues following the ideology and moral example of President Ho Chi Minh; and to pioneer volunteer activities and joint efforts for the community.

Sleep-deprived mothers upset over draft policy to cut extra break time

The revised law would cut the time mothers have to care for their new-borns.

Breastfeeding mothers have hit back at a proposed amendment to the Labor Law that would deny them an hour off to feed their babies and rest during the day.

Tran Thu Quynh, an office worker in Hanoi, said she was disappointed by the policy-makers's latest move to scrap the 60 minute break for female workers with babies of under 12 months old they are currently entitled to each day.

The mother of an 8-month-old baby said her company has a fingerprint scanner to keep a record of work attendance and punctuality. Without the 60-minute break, she would be stressed out trying to arrive at the office on time, she said.

Le Thi Hoa, 26-year-old worker at a garment factory in Hanoi, said she could risk becoming physically exhausted unless the company allowed her a break to take a brief nap.

“I have to breastfeed my baby several times during the night,” Hoa said. “I would be happy with even a 15-minute daytime nap, let alone 60 minutes.”

The reason for offering female workers with babies under a year old a daily 60-minute break is to encourage them to breasfeed until their child turns two, said Dang Quang Dieu, a senior official from the national trade union.

Some argue that under Vietnamese law, a new mother is allowed to take six months off work following the birth of her baby, so there is no need for the extra break time.

The trade union official denied the argument, saying that child care services and working conditions in other countries are much better than in Vietnam.

Pham Xuan Hong, chairman of the Garment and Textile Association said it is necessary to offer the extra break in the first year after a baby is born so employees can have the flexibility to take care of their babies without worrying too much about work.

“It is about productivity and efficiency, not about working longer hours. The physical and mental health of our workers is also very important,” said Hong. “More work shifts would leave workers less time to take care of their babies, and the plan might eventually backfire.”

The revised Labor Law of 2012 was positively welcomed and gives a pregnant employee the right to take six months paid maternity leave.

The latest revision, which will be put forward for parliamentary approval in April, has received mixed opinions.

Sharp fall seen in debts for building new-style rural areas

Total debt for basic construction in the new-style rural area building programme was reduced to about VND9.55 trillion (US$434 million) at the end of 2016 from over VND15.27 trillion (US$694 million) early last year, according to the Central Steering Committee for National Target Programmes.

Seventeen out of 25 provinces with debt of over 100 billion as of January 31, 2016 have managed to trim down their debt to a total VND5.62 trillion, reported the committee.

In 2016, total capital mobilised for the programme was nearly VND228.4 trillion sourced from credit loans (59.7%), the community (8.5%), local budgets (12.3%), businesses (5.9%) and the central budget (3.2%).

During the year, 15 districts and 828 communes were recognised as new-style rural areas, raising the total number of communes fulfilling all criteria of the programme to 2,358, 26.43% of total communes nationwide, along with 30 recognised districts. The average commune completed 13.47 out of total 19 criteria. 

At a committee meeting on January 10, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong noted that 2016 was the first year that the new-style rural area building programme was integrated with the multidimensional poverty reduction programme, adding that the ministry completed a large legal framework supporting the work. 

President of the Vietnam Cooperative Union Vo Kim Cu noted that agriculture is attracting interest from large firms, helping speed up the sector’s restructuring, the building of new-style rural areas and poverty reduction.

In 2017, the country aims for 30% of total communes to fulfill all the programme’s criteria, a rise of four percent over the previous year.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam noted that bythe end of 2016, the country’s poverty ratio was about 8.38%, a reduction of 1.5% year on year. The rate in poor districts was 46.43%, down 4% year on year.

According to Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the northwestern mountainous region recorded highest ratio of poverty reduction which varied from 2.7 to 31.8%.

General Director of the Vietnam Bank of Social Policy Duong Quyet Thang said that last year, the bank provided 55.15 trillion VND to nearly 2.3 million households. He added that the first year of the multidimensional poverty reduction programme distributed huge amounts of resources through credit policies, while overdue debt was only 0.24%.

Thang proposed the ministries of Planning and Investment and Finance adjust charter capital for the bank so it can offer more loans to rural households to build sanitation works.

In 2017, the committee aims for a 1-1.5% reduction in the national average ratio of poor households, four percent in poor and ethnic minority localities and an increase of 1.5 times in per capita income of poor households from 2015.

Addressing the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue asked the committee to work harder to ensure at least 50% of total communes nationwide become new-style rural areas by 2020, and no localities fulfill less than five criteria of the programme.

He also requested the committee set higher targets for the multidimensional poverty reduction programme, while directing ministries and sectors to complete legal framework and finalise all documents for the first quarter of this year, especially those related to capital.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was directed to guide the implementation of 19 criteria for the new-style rural area building programme in the first quarter of this year, while publishing a handbook on the programme.

Deputy PM Hue also urged ministries to improve their policies to encourage stronger engagement of businesses in agriculture, stressing that the current rate of firms investing in the sector is too low.

Vietnamese couples should be able to decide how many children to bear

Officials said letting the parents decide guarantees reproductive rights while posing challenges in controlling the population.

Vietnamese lawmakers are considering revising the country's two-child policy and allowing couples to decide how many children they have.

The Health Ministry has recommended to the government a change to the Law on Population that has stood in place for five decades.

The ministry said that Vietnam has successfully controlled its birth rate at two children per woman since 2006, local media reported.

Official figures showed that Vietnam’s population growth has reduced from 1.5 million to 900,000 a year since then.

Vietnam’s primary school students have dropped 29% from 1997 to around three million.

The low birth rate has led to problems such as an aging population and gender imbalance. Vietnam’s gender ratio at birth has been on a steady rise in recent years, running as high as 112 boys to 100 girls in 2015, compared to the global rate of 107:100.

Nguyen Huy Quang, director of the ministry’s Legal Department, said the option guarantees human rights and is in line with Vietnam’s 2013 Constitution.

But it also means that the government will have a more difficult task in controlling the population and will have to spend more money on propaganda campaigns.

Quang said each city and province should also have its own policies to maintain a birth rate that suits its conditions.

Population surveys in 2015 showed a low birth rate in richer and more developed areas such as Ho Chi Minh City (1.45 per woman) and Ba Ria-Vung Tau (1.56). 

Women in poor and mountainous places such as Ha Giang, Lai Chau and Quang Tri had three children each on average.

Childcare officials said they support the idea,but childcare services should be made available to families.

Vietnam is currently home to 92 million people and the population is expected to increase to 100 million by 2025.

The population is ranked 14th worldwide and third in Southeast Asia, after Indonesia and the Philippines.

Vietnam makes blood donation mandatory in controversial draft law

A draft law written by Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has stirred a heated debate as it would require all Vietnamese citizens in good health to donate blood at least once a year.

The health ministry announced the draft regulation on blood and stem cells on January 9, which includes a section specifying that all healthy Vietnamese citizens, between 18 and 60 years old, have to make a blood donation at least once every year.

The draft law has been met with mixed feedback from health experts, some of whom aired their support for the current rule that asks citizens to donate their blood on a voluntary basis.

In order to make a blood donation, people must be between 18 and 60 years old and not have cardiac disease, hypertension, and such blood-borne illnesses as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, and malaria.

Donors must weigh 42 kilograms and over for women, and 45 kilograms and above for men, as well as having a suitable hemoglobin index.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Anh Tri, chief of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) and member of the law-making National Assembly, approved of the draft law, considering it a “civilized” approach that has been adopted by many countries.

Vietnamese donated over 470,000 liters of blood in 2016, equivalent to 1.52 percent of the population, Tri stated, adding that the ratio is still lower than the two percent rate recommended by the World Health Organization.

Although voluntary blood donation has become a trend in the Vietnamese community, a specific law on it is necessary, the official said.

He cited China as an example, where 100 percent of the transfused blood was sold by givers in 1999.

By 2005, when a blood donation law was issued, 98 percent of the blood had been donated by its citizens.

The Vietnamese draft law is pending approval by the National Assembly.

Ensuring a happy Tet for island soldiers and islanders

Local administrations, social organizations, and the public have organized a number of activities to bring a warm and happy Tet to island soldiers and civilians.

A delegation of the Navy High Command Region 5, Mekong Delta cities and provinces, and Binh Duong province has recently visited Hon Khoai (Khoai islet) in Ca Mau province to bring Tet gifts to the locals. Local armed forces have prepared carefully to celebrate the traditional new lunar year. 

Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Minh Mang, Political Commissar of Radar Station 595 of the Navy High Command Region 5 said “We prepared cakes, fruits and other necessities for Tet. We also brought our home-made square sticky rice cakes. We organized friendship football and volleyball matches and sang with local soldiers”.

The delegation also visited Hon Chuoi (Chuoi islet) in Song Doc township, Ca Mau province, where the locals live on offshore fishing, fish caging, and fishing logistics. 

Major Colonel Lang Van Tam, Deputy Political Commissar of Border Guard Station 704 said “Soldiers at the Hon Chuoi Border Guard Station are ready on duty during Tet. We are determined to fulfill our duty while having a happy Tet”.

On January 6, a delegation of mainland localities and journalists visited and met with soldiers on Tho Chu island, Phu Quoc district, Kien Giang province. 

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Le Ngoc Thanh, a Political Commissar of Border Guard Station 770, said “We are very honored to receive the delegation of mainland localities on the occasion of Tet. We are determined to defend our national sovereignty, border security, and peace for the people.”

Two killed in Thai Binh while fixing flat tire

Two area residents were killed when struck by an oncoming truck in the early morning hours of January 10 while fixing a flat tire next to National Highway 10.

Police officials said the accident happened just after 5am at the Km 89+900 marker on National Highway 10 in Tan Lap Commune of the Vu Thu District in Thai Binh Province when a man and a woman were working on a truck with a flat tire.

Hai Lan, 26, the driver of the disabled truck and his wife Dinh Thi Lan were killed instantly.

Vu Van Thanh, 33, the driver of the second vehicle, hauling cement, which struck the disabled vehicle, was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital.

A truck was pulled over on the side of the road with two people working on it when a second truck came at highway speed and ran into the first truck, said a witness. Both people working on the truck were pronounced deceased at the scene.

Highway 10 was closed for several hours as investigators cleared the scene.

Police officials asked drivers to take safety measures when vehicles break down.

Just because you are on the side of the road doesn’t necessarily mean it is not dangerous, they said. Look around you, try to find a safe spot where others are driving at slow speeds.

Initiatives to preserve Ha Long Bay promoted

A program to encourage incentives to conserve and protect the environment of Ha Long Bay and raise public awareness about the area was launched in the northen province of Quang Ninh on January 10.

The event is part of a Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba alliance initiative project which has been up and running since 2014 to protect and ensure the sustainable development of Ha Long.

“This is an important event, which will help improve the Ha Long Bay environment. It marks the beginning of a series of programs to protect the UNESCO-recognized world heritage site," said Dang Huy Hau, Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh provincial People’s Commitee.

On the occasion, US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius and other participants signed a commitment to protect Ha Long’s environment. 

Ted Osius said one of the alliance’s efforts is to develop a management plan, with the involvement of individuals, units, enterprises and local authorities, non-governmental organisations in protecting the sea environment to avoid negative impacts on the world heritage sites.

The programme also aims to maintain the quality of tourist destinations, thus creating jobs, generating State revenue and promoting green practices among businesses. The results from the campaign will be posted on the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) website.

In 2015, the Alliance formed a Leadership Committee with participation of businesses and provided technical advice to UNESCO on the management of Ha Long Bay, and made proposal to include the Cat Ba Archipelago in the Ha Long Bay World Heritage Site.

HCM City ready to combat Lunar New Year congestion

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has announced specific routes for vehicles traveling into and out of the metropolis in a bid to reduce traffic congestion ahead of the Lunar New Year.

A large number of vehicles are expected to put immense pressure on the eastern and western entrances of the southern Vietnamese city before and after the traditional holiday, posing a high risk of traffic gridlock.

The Lunar New Year (Tet) is due on January 28, before which a large number of Ho Chi Minh City residents are anticipated to leave the city for their hometowns or go on vacation in other provinces.

According to the municipal Department of Transport, about one million people are expected to leave the metropolis during the period.

Nguyen Hoang Huy, deputy director of the Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station in Binh Thanh District, said that passenger numbers would increase by three percent year-on-year, explaining that the peak number of passengers in the week before Tet is generally between 35,000 and 56,000 per day.

Traffic jams are very likely to happen on National Highway 13 given the volume of traffic, Huy assessed, adding that an additional route on the Hanoi Highway has been proposed to alleviate problems.

The Mien Tay (Western) Bus Station in Binh Tan District also predicts some 54,000 to 58,000 travelers per day during the period, mainly travelling to provinces in the Mekong Delta.

The city’s transport department has announced two additional routes for vehicles starting from each bus station to prevent serious congestion at entrances to the southern hub.

The agency has also asked its equivalents in neighboring provinces, namely Tieng Giang, Long An, Dong Nai, and Binh Duong, to assist their efforts by guiding vehicles to travel on the correct route as well as carrying out regular patrols and promptly dealing with potential gridlock.

People’s committees at district levels will be in charge of keeping order and security at local bus and railway stations and on major roads leading out of the city.

ccording to Ngo Hai Duong, head of the Road Infrastructure Management and Exploitation Division under the transport department, certain measures will be applied to curb traffic jams in inner city areas.

Accordingly, relevant authorities will sternly deal with illegal parking along the city’s streets while requesting developers of road construction projects to minimize their constriction site to avoid compromising traffic flow.

A website is scheduled to be opened by the transport department this week to give updates on the traffic situation on major streets.

Local administrations will also ensure that there will be no encroachment onto sidewalks and roadways during the period, Duong said.

New ultrasound system to improve diagnosis

Siemens Healthineers have launched a new ultrasound system in the Vietnamese market that will provide more efficient and reliable diagnosis, reducing the need for repeat examinations.

A launching ceremony for the ACUSON NX2 TM system was held at the National Ultrasound Conference, orgnised for the first time in Hue city’s Hue Central Hospital last week.

A Siemens Healthineers statement said the new ultrasound system is a “smart-inspired solution”, providing premium imaging performance across clinical applications.

The system utilizes the largest-in-class hardware, supporting “enhanced operator workflow functionality” to improve system uptime and user comfort, delivering efficient and reliable diagnostic information. 

The company said the system has “an intuitive control panel design combined with up to four front-facing transducer ports to optimise workflow efficiency and reduce the need for repeat examinations.”

The system is engineered to ensure clients get the most out of their investment, it added.

“Compatible transducers provide access to a wide range of imaging capabilities across clinical segments. The intuitive design promotes ease of use and technical proficiency.

“It can also be easily upgraded as clients’ needs evolve towards advanced applications and value-performing platforms available within the ACUSON NX TM Series portfolio,” the company statement said.

During the launching ceremony, Siemens Healthineers also signed a contract with the HCM City-based Medical Centre Medic Hoa Hao to supply 10 units of the new ultrasound system.

PM approves blindness prevention strategy

The Prime Minister has approved the national strategy on blindness prevention until 2020 with a vision to 2030.

The goal of the strategy is to boost people’s access to preventive services like early detection, treatment and recovery of eye functions, reducing the rate of avoidable blindness.

The strategy aims to reduce the rate of blindness to below 4.5 people per 1000 people, increase the rate of cataract surgery to 2.5 people per 1,000 people and increase the rate of people with diabetes examined for eye diseases to over 45 percent.

The responding rates for those goals by 2030 will be below 4 people per 1,000 people for blindness, 3.5 people per 1,000 people for cataract surgery and 75 percent for those with diabetes monitored for eye diseases.

To achieve the goals, the strategy will improve awareness and responsibility of the government at all levels, sectors, organisations and people for blindness prevention and the impact of blindness towards health and productivity.

The strategy also aims to build policies on blindness prevention, control the main reasons for blindness, complete the network of eye-caring services, and ensure an equal approach among children, women, the elderly, and the disabled.

Soc Trang holds mass wedding ceremony for 17 couples

Seventeen young couples in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang joined a mass wedding ceremony held by the Youth Federation, the Trade Union and the broadcasting agency of the province on January 10, the third of its kind in the locality so far.

The couples, who are local poor workers, received free wedding photos, wedding costumes and wedding party. Each couple was also presented with one million VND in a bank account and a pair of cell phones.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Soc Trang chapter gave two houses worth total 60 million VND to two couples who cannot afford accommodation.

Tran Linh Phuong and her husband Tran Tri Toan from Nga Nam town expressed their great happiness to become one of the lucky couples to join the event. They thanked the organisers for their support in holding the wedding which they believed to be a perfect start for their new happy life.

The event was also part of the locality’s efforts to care for local poor workers, especially on the threshold of the Lunar New Year.

According to Nguyen Thanh Duy, President of the provincial Youth Federation, along with support in organising the wedding, the programme also provided the couples with knowledge of building a happy family as well as effective production models for household, in the hope of helping them get rid of poverty.

The mass wedding was sponsored by local businesses and philanthropists.

After the event, the couples will join a training course on how to raise a happy family, and a tour to the southern coastal city of Vung Tau and Thac Da Han tourism site in southern Dong Nai province.

Binh Dinh develops social housing in 2017

The south central coastal province of Binh Dinh aims to complete two apartment projects in Quy Nhon city that could accommodate 716 households in 2017, as part of the local social housing development plan for 2016 – 2020.

According to Dao Quy Tieu, head of the provincial Construction Department, the projects consist of the Long Thinh apartment block in Ghenh Rang ward and Phu My apartment block in Ngo May ward, with their combined floor area spanning over 51,130 m2.

Once operational, these blocks will help the province realise 60 percent of its social housing plan for 2016-2020.

The department said it has advised the provincial authorities to approve the Hoang Van Thu apartment project, to be launched this year, adding that the province will call for investment in social housing projects in Quy Nhon city, Tay Son, Hoai Nhon districts, and An Nhon town.

At the same time, Binh Dinh is considering financial assistance to rebuild over 900 houses, each worth between 50 and 100 million VND (2215 – 4431 USD) for flood victims. During the recent floods, 1,000 local houses were wrecked.

The province has so far helped 620 out of 768 needy households build storm shelters.

Vietnam urbanization seeks sustainable growth

Urbanization in Vietnam has been growing beyond forecast due to a lack of control, many experts warned at a workshop that sought for the sustainability of the planning and resilience for the country’s urban areas in Hanoi on January 10.

They voiced their worries about the urban management, planning, and administration capacity as it has yet kept pace with the urbanization rate. 

Urban areas are dealing with the growing population, traffic congestions, water resource pollutions, flooding, tidal flood, and energy shortage, they noted, suggesting the development of a database to control the development of housing projects and industrial zones and review and revise laws, mechanisms and policies to effectively manage the urbanization process.

The awareness and capacity of those working in planning and sustainable development should be improved, they said.

Dr. Tran Thi Lan Anh, deputy head of the Department for Urban Development of the Ministry of Construction, said the development of public transport systems in big cities in Vietnam have failed to meet the demand of their dwellers. Besides, lighting and daily wastewater treatment has not been paid enough attention.

According to Achim Fock, an expert from the World Bank, many urban development projects did not follow planning and lack social infrastructure. The use of urban land has not been effective as well. 

Dr. Liu Thai Ker, Chairman of the Centre for Liveable Cities, shared that Singapore has made the best use of natural elements, like sunlight, wind and rainwater, while applying high technology and smart products to bring economic benefits and safety for its people.

According to the Ministry of Construction, as of 2016, Vietnam had 802 urban areas and 10,000 rural residential areas. 

The country’s urbanization rate grew from 20 percent in 1998 to 36.6 percent in 2016 with urban land acreage increasing from 630 square kilometers to 41,700 square kilometers, equal to 12.6 percent of the country’s natural area.

The urban areas contributed 70 percent of the budget income and 50 percent of the GDP.

President visits wounded soldiers in Ninh Binh

President Tran Dai Quang paid a Lunar New Year (Tet) visit to sick soldiers and war invalids being cared at the Nho Quan nursing centre in the northern province of Ninh Binh on January 10.

He presented gifts and sent Tet greetings to the sick soldiers and war invalids.

He affirmed that the caring of sick and wounded soldiers is the traditional policy to pay respect to those having rendered services to the nation.

The President hailed the authorities of Ninh Binh and Nho Quan district for helping the nursing centre to have good facilities to take care for the sick soldiers and war invalids.

He also praised the centre’s staff for their wholehearted care for those who came to the centre for treatment and functional rehabilitation.

The Nho Quan nursing centre is taking care of 155 sick soldiers and war invalids, many of whom need special care.

The centre was set up 51 years ago and currently has a 77-member staff.

Transport sector urged to speed up restructuring

The Ministry of Transport needs to focus on its restructuring, adjusting planning schemes and strategies with detailed implementation roadmaps and ensuring traffic safety in 2017.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung made the suggestion at a conference hosted by the ministry in Hanoi on January 10 to review the implementation of tasks in 2016 and deploy missions in 2017.

Dung said the ministry must accelerate the building of the North-South expressway project to submit to the National Assembly for consideration at its session in May.

The ministry also needs to speed up the mapping out of an investment plan for Long Thanh international airport and a pre-feasibility study for the express railway project to submit to the NA in 2018, along with mobilising resources to build seaports, upgrade waterway infrastructure and build railways linking to industrial parks in order to reduce road and air overloading.

The Deputy PM highlighted the sector’s achievements in administrative reform, investment allocation, transport development and traffic safety.

The ministry worked with other relevant ministries and sectors to accelerate its infrastructure projects, including those using the build-operate-transfer (BOT) form.

The sector restructuring was speeded up, with focus on public investment, enterprises and transport. It saw a surge in transport production, exceeding 1.27 billion tonnes of cargo and 3.62 billion passengers, up 10.6 percent and 9.6 percent from 2015, respectively; exceeding its yearly target by 7-8 percent.

By the end of December, 63.68 trillion VND (2.8 billion USD) was disbursed, or 82.6 percent of its target. The figure is expected to exceed 69 trillion VND (3.04 billion USD) by the end of January 2017, making up of 90.4 percent.

At the conference, Minister of Transport Truong Quang Nghia requested all units to embark on their tasks right from the beginning of 2017, with focus placed on strengthening their roles in State management, completing legal frameworks in combination with the inspection work to ensure effective implementation of the working agendas of the government and the ministry.

In 2017, the management of projects will be strengthened to ensure their schedules and efficiency of investment capital, Nghia said, adding that more efforts are needed to speed up the disbursement of the remained investment for key projects.     

The ministry needs to prioritise urgent and regional connectivity projects while completing the pre-feasibility study on the north-south express railway to submit to the NA for approval, Nghia added.

According to the ministry’s report, in 2017, the sector aims at year-on-year growth of 8-9 percent in cargo and passenger transport, and over 10 percent in the railway sector. An estimated 51.61 trillion VND (2.27 billion USD) is expected to be disbursed during the year.

Vietnam’s role in UNESCO multilateral forums to be increased

The Vietnam National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) will work to increase Vietnam’s role in multilateral forums, said Chairman Le Hoai Trung during a meeting in Hanoi on January 10.  

Trung, who is also Deputy Foreign Minister, delegated tasks to the commission this year, including increasing activities in education, urging the UNESCO to recognise the royal records of the Nguyen dynasty as a document heritage of the Asia-Pacific Region’s Memory of the World Programme, Bai Choi arts of the central region and Xoan singing as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, as well as pushing forward Vietnam’s bid for the post of UNESCO Director General for 2017-2021. 

He said ministries, agencies and localities should fully tap support from UNESCO while the commission’s sub-committees should devise mechanisms to further preserve and uphold Vietnam’s heritage. 

According to him, more attention should be given to honouring scientific heritage this year, especially those regarding hydrology and oceanography. 

Localities were also asked to work closely with sub-committees to remove difficulties in finance and human resources training. 

Tran Thi Hoang Mai, Vice Secretary General of the commission, said the commission actively joined UNESCO’s forums and meetings last year, including the meetings of the UNESCO Executive Board and the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, during which Vietnam’s stature in UNESCO’s multilateral forums has improved. 

Vietnam undertook several important positions in UNESCO’s committees and hosted the eighth meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific. 

The commission succeeded in seeking UNESCO recognition to the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms worship practices as the world intangible cultural heritage, literary works in the Hue imperial architecture and woodblocks of Phuc Giang school as the Asia-Pacific document heritage. 

It also effectively approached UNESCO’s resources and tapped UNESCO’s initiatives and experience for socio-economic development, she said. 

On the occasion, Trung presented the insignia “For Vietnam’s diplomatic cause” to Chairman of the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations Nguyen Xuan Thang, Director of the Institute of Geological and Mineral Sciences Tran Tan Van and Chairman and Secretary General of the Man and Biosphere (MAB) Vietnam Committee Nguyen Hoang Tri.

Vietnam-India diplomatic relationship marked in HCM City

HCM City authorities held a ceremony on January 10 to mark the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam-India diplomatic relationship (January 7, 1972 –2017) and the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the two countries (July 6, 2007 –2017).

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Huynh Cach Mang stressed the religious and trade links between Vietnam and India have dated back thousands of years, and the two nations have shared similarities in the struggle for national liberation.

The bilateral ties saw a turning point with the historic meeting between President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1954. 

Following the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1997 and the strategic partnership in 2007, the links between the two countries have been unceasingly deepened and expanded across areas. 

The two countries elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016.

India’s General Consul in HCM City Smita Pant said the Vietnam-India relationship is built on a solid foundation of close cultural and historical links as well as mutual trust, understanding and support. 

She promised to boost cooperation programmes in tourism, culture, and people between India’s localities and HCM City.

On the occasion, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations in HCM City organised the Vietnam-India Culture Week in HCM City from January 7-14.

As of the end of 2016, India had 49 investment projects in HCM City with combined capital of 55 million USD. 

The city has hosted many India-related cultural events such as the International Yoga Day, the Diwali Light Festival and an exhibition on India-Vietnam friendship.  

Fifth HCM prize & Science-Tech Prize to be awarded

The Ministry of Science and Technology said that the prize –giving ceremony of the fifth Ho Chi Minh Prize and the national Science and Technology awards will take place in Hanoi on January 15.

The Ho Chi Minh Prize is an honorary award given by the government of Vietnam in recognition of cultural and/or scientific achievements.

Nine people will receive the Ho Chi Minh Prize and seven other will be given the state awards of science and technology. They have all typical scientific works which bring out high value of science and technology as well as social economic effectiveness.  

The organizer said that the scientific council comprising of 200 leading scientists have worked hard in selecting works. 17 works out of 61 entries sent to the organizer for Ho Chi Minh Prize and 44 of them for the state awards. 

The fourth prize-giving ceremony was held in 2010.

4,582 free Tet coach tickets offered to workers

The Labor Union of Ho Chi Minh City presented 2,332 bus tickets and 20 airfares to workers of Linh Trung Export Processing Zone 1, 2 and Binh Chieu Industrial Zone at Thu Duc District’s Children House on January 10, aiming to help the employees return their homeland on Tet’s holiday.

The program called “Sentimental Tickets” that was launched by Ho Chi Minh City’s Labor Union with the support of enterprises has offered 174,164 tickets to disadvantaged workers over past nine years. The event aims to help poor employees who have not returned their hometown for three consecutive years on Tet.

On the same day, the program gave 2,200 bus tickets, 30 airfares and gifts to workers of industrial parks including Tan Thuan, Hiep Phuoc, Tan Tao, Le Minh Xuan, Tan Binh, Vinh Loc and Saigon Hi-Tech Park

The “Sentimental Tickets” program handed over bus tickets to 20,347 workers in industrial parks in city and 2,970 to employees of companies based out of industrial parks said Chairwoman of the municipal Labor Union Tran Kim Yen.

The local authorities has also spent more than VND200 billion to support 150,371 workers on Tet holidays, she added.

HCMC experiences warm weather

The Central Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center said tropical low pressure was weakened into a low pressure after it entered the Southern part of Philippines, yesterday

HCMC will experience sunny weather till the weekend however, on January 13 the rain can occur while  the rain and cold front hit the northern region yesterday and it is forecast the cold front will continue hitting the nothern region, causing medium and heavy rain.

The National Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue sent its dispacth to the provinces from Quang Ninh to the central province of Quang Ngai to move vessels to safer places .

Disbursements for traffic projects slow

Capital disbursements for traffic infrastructure projects last year met 75.2% of the full-year target, according to a Ministry of Transport report.

The Government allocated a total of VND49.46 trillion (US$2.19 billion) from Government bond sales to fund infrastructure projects last year, including more than VND10 trillion for those projects carried forward from 2015.

According to the ministry, the slow pace of disbursement resulted from the weaknesses of investors and project management units. Disbursement plans were often inappropriate, leading to a waste of time, and cost overruns affected the tempo of construction work.

In addition, it took a long time to approve payments for many projects. Many projects funded by Government bond sales in the 2012-2015 period have not finalized payments for contractors.

As for this year, the Transport Ministry has been allocated total investment capital of VND133.41 trillion, with VND97.22 trillion sourced from foreign loans.

The ministry said the above shortcomings should be dealt with from the beginning of this year.

Slower-than-expected payments are expected at build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects. Many investors depend on advance investment capital to decide the length of time for toll fee collection, leading to longer-than-planned collections at many projects and thus causing public outcries.

Quang Tri defuses 266kg bomb

A bomb weighing 266kg was defused in Coc Hamlet, Huong Linh commune, Huong Hoa District, the central province of Quang Tri on January 11.

It was found about two metres under the ground by workers who were installing grids for a wind power project in the locality.

The MK82 bomb is is believed to have been made and dropped by the US military during war.

Local defence forces have moved the bomb to a shooting range for detonation.-

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