Remains of 18 volunteer soldiers returned to Vietnam

The remains of 18 Vietnamese military volunteers who lost their lives in Cambodia during the war were repatriated to Vietnam in a ceremony held in Kiri Vong district, Takeo province, Cambodia on July 15.

The ceremony was attended by officials of Vietnam’s southern An Giang province and Takeo province.

The remains were found by the Remains Collection Team K93 under the An Giang Military Command during their excavations in five communes in Takeo province between March and July this year. Seven out of the 18 soldiers were identified.

It is estimated that the remains of approximately 4,000 Vietnamese soldiers are buried in Cambodia, Vice Chairman of the An Giang People’s Committee Ho Viet Hiep said, expressing his hope that Takeo province will continue to support Vietnam in its search and repatriation efforts.

He urged the Cambodian locality to inform residents on the agreement between Vietnam and Cambodia in this regard and encourage them to help with the search.

For his part, Vice Governor of Takeo province Uon Van Na pledged to facilitate the search and thanked An Giang authorities for providing rice, books and medical check-ups for disadvantaged families and building infrastructure throughout the locality.

On the occasion, An Giang province presented local students with 1,000 notebooks.

HCM City plans road through Can Gio forests

The authority of Can Gio District has sent the HCMC government a detailed plan to build a road running through Can Gio mangrove forests.

Can Gio wants the road, called Lam Vien-Dong Dinh, to be developed to support the development of the city’s river tours as well as eco-tourism in the outlying district.

Earlier, the HCMC government gave the nod to the road project, which costs nearly VND190 billion.

The road is designed to have a length of nearly 3,500 meters and claim around 6.4 hectares of mangrove forest.

More than 18,600 trees will be chopped down to make room for construction of the road. The project might lead to land erosion and saltwater intrusion, and affect fauna and flora, and the habitats of some animals due to lighting and noise.

However, the road is highly expected to give a boost to tourism development and help many households shift from agriculture to services.

To compensate for forest losses, the Can Gio authority has proposed planting around 6.4 hectares of forest in An Phuoc area this year and young trees will be taken care of for three years, from 2016 to 2018.

Relevant agencies of HCMC are now considering the proposals of Can Gio District and further assessing the environmental impact and efficiency of the project for the city government to make a final decision this month.

Can Gio forests covering nearly 31,000 hectares were recognized as a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO. They are regarded as the green lung of HCMC and neighboring provinces.

Spill from landfills poses environment hazard

A wastewater spill from Tam Sinh Nghia and Vietstar landfills in HCMC’s Cu Chi District has caused heavy pollution for nearby residential areas and might affect the quality of Saigon River water.     

Nguyen Van Dam, director of HCMC Irrigation Management Co., issued the warning in a report on the pollution of water resources around the North West Solid Waste Processing Complex in Cu Chi District in HCMC. The report has been sent to the HCMC departments of agriculture-rural development and natural resources-environment and the authorities of Cu Chi District.

Dam said the environment pollution resulted from the spill and mudslides from the landfills after a heavy rain on July 6.

Dam said representatives of HCMC Irrigation Management Co. and Cu Chi District inspected Tam Sinh Nghia and Vietstar landfills on June 16 and June 19 and later asked their owners to take measures to deal with the liquid leak. However, their measures have not produced as good results as expected.

Rain on Monday evening last week caused a spill from Tam Sinh Nghia Landfill into nearby melaleuca farms, canals and streams.    

Dam told the Daily that around 30,000 hectares of crops in Binh Chanh and Cu Chi districts need water from Thay Cai Canal but many factories are still discharging untreated wastewater into the canal.     

He said as Thay Cai Canal flows to the Saigon River, liquid from the landfills may have affected the quality of water in the river used for crude water for treatment plants.

At present, the Saigon River supplies crude water for a water processing plant of Saigon Water Corporation (Sawaco) as well as Thu Duc, Thu Duc BOO, Binh An and Tan Hiep 1 to process into millions of cubic meters of clean water a day for residents in the city.

In June 2012, the Government approved a zoning plan for water plants in HCMC until 2025. Accordingly, the city may consider using water at Tri An and Dau Tieng-Phuoc Hoa reservoirs to replace water from Dong Nai and Saigon rivers in case pollution of the two rivers is higher than permitted.

Earlier, Sawaco said if pollution and saltwater intrusion in the rivers keep increasing and water plants are unable to treat water from the rivers, water supply for local citizens might be impacted.

Three passengers prevented from boarding VNA flight

The captain of Vietnam Airline flight VN 931 at Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi, bound for Luang Prabang, on July 13 disallowed three passengers from boarding the plane.

The captain's decision came after a report by two Australians who heard a Swedish man say that there was a bomb in his luggage, when they were at a cafe in the departure lounge.

The airport authorities asked the three persons to submit written reports and checked their luggage.

There was nothing unusual in the luggage and the passengers were allowed to proceed for departure. However, the captain of flight VN931 flight did not allow the three passengers to board the plane.

Vietnam Airline then arranged other flights for them.

Fire at Tam Nong Market destroys 20 kiosks

A three-hour-long fire occurred yesterday night, destroying 20 kiosks in Tam Nong Market in Dong Thap Province's Tam Nong District.

No security guard was stationed at the market when it caught fire.

Most of the products in the market were clothes, cosmetic products and textiles.

It took three hours for staff from Tram Chim National Park and fire police from Dong Thap Province's Fire Department to put out the fire.

Le Hoang Nam, deputy chairman of Tam Nong District's People's Committee, estimated the damage to the 20 kiosks at VND20 billion (US$952,000).

According to an initial investigation, the fire was due to an electrical problem, Nam said, adding that the local government would offer VND4 million (US$190) to each kiosk owner.

Fire damages paint store

A fire broke out today in a paint store of a company on Kinh Duong Vuong Street in Lien Chieu District, 10km northwest of the city centre.

The fire broke out at around 11am and was put out by 2.30pm after 30 fire trucks and hundreds of firefighters were dispatched to fight the blaze. The fire caused damage to the building, 700 boxes of paint and a light truck.

According to Ngo Quang Hoang, director of the Hoang Thanh Chau company, the 1,000sq.m building housed a paint store and an office.

He said 700 boxes of imported paint, valued at VND10 billion (US$476,000), had recently been kept in the store for sale.

The firefighters had to move the furniture and other property of people living near the building to safer places.

No one was reported killed in the fire.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

This is the second time a paint store has caught fire in the city this year.

In May, 15 firemen had to be taken to hospital after attempting to put out a fire at a paint store in Hoa Vang District.

Charity fun run for Hanoi

A charity fun run called Connecting Vietyouth will be held at Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi on July 25, with around 1,000 people expected to take part. Unlike a normal run there will also be different types of obstacles to get around on the course, such as car tires, ropes, water balls, and colored powder.

The run aims to connect people regardless of their background in the name of charity. All proceeds will be used to support children at the Vietnam National Cancer Hospital and children in the remote northern mountains. Ms. Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, Miss Vietnam 2014, will be one of the participants.

Connecting VietYouth is an annual project including physical and volunteer activities. It was founded by Global Shapers Community - Hanoi Hub, the Vietnamese Student Association in the UK (SVUK), the Vietnamese Student Association in the US, and VEOXBRIDGE.

Two workers die after being hit by cable

Two men were killed after they were hit by a broken ship cable in Hai Phong City last night.

Nguyen Van Tam, 44, and Luong Ngoc Huy, 31, both local residents, were unloading cargo from a ship at Hai Phong Port, when a ship cable suddenly snapped and struck the two workers, making them fall down to the deck below.

They were rushed to hospital immediately, but the two men died later.

The city police are investigating the cause of the accident.

EVN Hanoi acts to ensure accurate meter readings

Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) Hanoi has recently started using tablets and something resembling a selfie-stick to read power meters. There are 1,129 such gadgets being used by 29 out of its 30 units reading the meters of 500,000 customers. It is expected that the new equipment will be used to read the meters of 1 million customers by the end of the month.

The price for each piece of the new equipment is around VND4 to 5 million ($183.4 to $229.25). It consists of a long stick (like a selfie-stick) with a tablet attached to the end. The camera in the tablet takes and saves a photograph of the meter showing details such as the power meter’s number (and, hence, its location) and the time and date, which can be used as evidence when a customer complains about their power bill.

If all 2.5 million power meters in Hanoi were to be read in this way then 5,000 pieces of the new equipment would be needed, costing EVN Hanoi billions of Vietnam dong to ensure transparency in meter reading in the capital. Therefore, Mr. Dinh Quang Tri, Deputy General Director of EVN, said the method would only be used to read the meters of big customers such as companies around the country. “With 22 million households having meters nationwide, the traditional method of visually reading the meter will still be used,” he said.

This traditional method costs VND5,000 ($0.23) per meter, for a total monthly outlay of around VND110 billion ($5.04 million) nationwide.

There were 30,320 complaints sent by customers to EVN Hanoi and 117,115 to EVN Ho Chi Minh City in June regarding high power bills, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Recently, some households have checked their meter after EVN staff had read it and found discrepancies, with the number read by the staff being higher than the actual number.  

HCM City to establish sister city ties with Gifu, Japan

The cities of Ho Chi Minh City and Gifu, Japan will soon establish a sister city relationship, according to official sources.

“The communities are similar in size and bear similarities in such characteristics as climate, geography and industry,” said Le Hoang Quan, chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee.

The objectives of – Sister Cities – are to promote friendship, goodwill, education, economics and tourism between municipalities.

Quan said the move will serve as a springboard for further cooperation between the two cities in a vast array of fields including tourism, industry, agriculture, climate change, science and education.

Young expatriates commemorate Vietnam’s legendary founder

More than 160 young Vietnamese expatriates taking part in the 2015 Vietnam Summer Camp paid tribute to the Hung Kings, the legendary founders of the first nation in Vietnam’s history, in northern Phu Tho province on July 15.

Tran Thi Hoai Anh, an expatriate in the Czech Republic, said this was the first time she had come to Phu Tho, previously known as Phong Chau where Hung Kings settled and established Van Lang – the first nation, and it was her honour to express gratitude to them there.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Phan Bao Linh from Ukraine said the participants are proud of their Vietnamese origin and always turn their heart towards the homeland. The Vietnamese-Ukrainian also promised to contribute to the homeland’s development in the future.

Hoang Manh Hung, an expatriate in Poland who is studying in the US, said his return to Vietnam this time around helped him understand more about traditional values and join hands with other overseas youth in maintaining the country’s cultural identities.

The expatriates’ visit to the Hung Kings Temple was meant to help them gain insight into Vietnam’s history and nurture a warm sentiment towards the nation, said Le Quoc Thinh – Vice Chairman of the Foreign Ministry’s State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese.

Most of the youth, aged between 16 and 25, are students with outstanding academic results, sport and cultural achievements and community contributions. They come from 21 countries in Asia, Europe and America, he noted, adding that the summer camp aims to affirm that the overseas Vietnamese are an inseparable part of Vietnam, a crucial resource and a bridge linking the country with the world.

The 2015 Vietnam Summer Camp, themed “Proud of Vietnam”, is being held from July 13-31 and will take participants to renowned destinations from the north to the south of the nation.

Vietnam promotes itself as safe, friendly tourism destination

Vietnam is working hard to build its image as a safe and friendly tourism destination, given the number of foreign tourists to the country in the first half of 2015 experienced a year-on-year decline of 10 percent, as heard during an online workshop in Hanoi on July 15.

The Vietnamese Government has promulgated a number of policies to develop tourism such as exempting visas for citizens from the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Belarus.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proposed the Government put forth measures to develop tourism, especially regarding transport infrastructure, the quality of tourism services and human resources, said General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Van Tuan.

Last year, the Prime Minister issued Directive 18/Ct-TTg on enhancing tourism management and ensuring security and safety for tourists. After one year of implementation, the directive has shown initial success with the establishment of seven centres to support tourists.

Tuan highlighted the role of ministries, sectors and local authorities in successfully implementing tourism development policies, citing central Da Nang city as an outstanding example.

State management agencies, local authorities, businesses and residents should pay additional attention to environmental sanitation and food safety and raise public awareness of the issues, experts suggested.

Dak Lak to upgrade irrigation works

The Central Highlands Province of Dak Lak needs VND15.3 trillion (US$700 million) to improve its irrigation works during the next five years, the provincial People's Committee said.

Two-thirds of the required funding is expected to come from the state budget, government bonds and overseas development assistance, while about VND 800 billion ($37 million) will be from the province's budget and nearly VND3 trillion ($137 million) from enterprises.

The construction and upgrade of its 353 irrigation works will help address the shortage of water for coffee plants.

It is expected that better irrigation will help improve the coffee quality, reduce production costs and thus, improve the competitiveness of Buon Ma Thuat coffee in the domestic and foreign markets.

There are almost 204,500ha of coffee in Dak Lak province -- the capital of Vietnamese coffee -- but current irrigation networks there can provide water for only a quarter of the total area.

Coffee farmers mostly use water from wells, rivers and springs to irrigate the rest 75 per cent of the coffee-growing area, which has affected the local underground water resources.

The province's coffee industry reportedly produces about 460,000 tonnes yearly, creating jobs for about 400,000 people.

Decision on gift granting to revolutionary contributors issued

President Truong Tan Sang signed Decision No. 1328/QD-CTN on granting gifts to revolutionary contributors on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the War Invalids and Martyr’s Day (July 27).

Accordingly, Vietnamese heroic mothers, martyr relatives and wounded and sick soldiers, among others who contributed to the revolution, will receive gifts worth from 200,000 VND (9.2 USD) to 400,000 VND (18.4 USD).

Early this year, the government raised the level of monthly allowance for those who rendered services to the revolution to 1.318 million VND (61.87 USD) from 1.22 million VND under Decree No. 20/2015/ND-CP.

The new decree, which replaced Decree No. 101/2014/ND-CP dated September 4, 2013, also stipulates monthly allowances and subsidies for martyr relatives and Vietnamese heroic mothers, those who care for Vietnamese heroic mothers and those who hold the titles People’s Armed Forces Heroes and Labour Hero from the war.

Tra Vinh: Khmer language taught to 10,000 students

Some 10,000 Khmer children in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh have received Khmer language classes organised by local Khmer pagodas during their summer holiday, according to the provincial Department of Education and Training.

Monk Kien Ngoc Minh from KomPong Chray Pagoda in Chau Thanh District said the provincial education sector has supported the teaching through the provision of course books with diversified illustrative photos.

The province is also financially supporting the programme with 25,000 VND (1.16 USD) per class for the pagodas.

Khmer language teaching and studying are encouraged among the Khmer ethnic people, contributing to preserving Vietnamese cultural values.

National grid comes to rural households

As much as 83.9 percent of rural families, or 14.25 million households, across the country gained access to the national electricity grid as of June 2015, according to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).

The group is focusing investment into programmes to provide electricity for rural, mountainous, sea and island areas between 2013 and 2020.

From 2011-2013, 98.22 percent of rural households had access to electricity, surpassing the Government’s 2015 target of 98 percent.

Guaranteed electricity in the Central Highlands, Southwest and Northwest regions in particular has helped local authorities promptly address socio-economic affairs and maintain political security.

The EVN is responsible for bringing national grid access to the island districts of Van Don (northern Quang Ninh province); Cat Hai (northern Hai Phong city); Ly Son (central Quang Ngai province); Phu Quy (central Binh Thuan province); Con Dao (southern Ba Ria – Vung Tau province); and Phu Quoc and Kien Hai (southern Kien Giang province).

The Government has also tasked the group with completing power transmission cable line projects to power Phu Quoc, Co To (Quang Ninh), Ly Son and Kien Hai island districts.

The EVN has implemented the Government’s policy to subsidise electricity price for low-income households and water pumping to serve agriculture production.

In recent years, hydropower plants run by the group have contributed to meeting water demands for spring-winter crops in northern provinces and preventing drought in the central and Central Highlands regions.

Workshop enhances legal understanding of foreign marriages

Experts on marriage gathered on July 15 in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang to help enhance legal understanding of marriages involving foreigners.

The two day event, co-organised by the Vietnam Women’s Union and its local chapter, targets leaders and members of the Women’s Union in 26 provinces and cities across the country where there are large numbers of women married to foreigners.

It aims to enhance the union’s activists’ capacity to provide legal consultation and assistance for local people on marriages with foreigners in their communities.

Participants are trained to handle claims, denouncements, petitions and feedback on related issues. They also shared experiences.

Addressing the event, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women’s Union Bui Thi Hoa highlighted the increasing trend of foreign marriages in the context of international integration.

Some are unhappy with their marriage with foreigners and some are even mistreated due to the lack of information and knowledge of their rights, Hoa added.

According to the General Department of Police under the Ministry of Public Security, between 2008 and June 2014, more than 115,600 Vietnamese people married citizens from more than 50 nations and territories all over the world, 92 percent of who were women.

In Hau Giang, more than 11,000 women have married foreigners since 2004, more than 70 percent of their partners are from the Republic of Korea.

Hanoi calls for HIV/AIDS prevention effort support

The Hanoi People’s Committee recently appealed for support from local State agencies and organisations in fighting HIV/AIDS and assisting children affected directly or indirectly by HIV, a pressing issue currently facing the capital city.

Data shows that 245 in every 100,000 people in Hanoi are HIV positive, bringing the number of living HIV patients to 17,766. As many as 8,102 patients have progressed to full-blown AIDS while 4,452 others have died, which also resulted in a large number of children affected by HIV.

Hanoi is now among the 20 provinces and cities with the highest rates of HIV patients per 100,000 people, said Le Nhan Tuan – Director of the Hanoi Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention.

He noted that despite a decline in the number of new HIV cases, the city has seen an increase in the rate of sexually transmitted HIV from 25 percent in 2010 to 36 percent last year.

Meanwhile, up to 22 percent of the new HIV cases in 2014 were detected among people hailing from other localities. The majority were taxi motorcyclists, waiters and massage workers with limited educational levels and highly vulnerable working environments.

The municipal People’s Committee will coordinate with the Ministry of Health to organise an HIV/AIDS assistance programme for patients with underprivileged backgrounds and children affected by the virus.

Hanoi aims to ensure access to antiretroviral (ARV) medicine for 70 percent of HIV-infected adults in 2015. It also targets to curb the rate of HIV transmission within 0.3 percent by 2020.

Hanoi youth volunteer campaign launched in Vientiane

A 40-member group of Hanoi youth launched their 10-day volunteer campaign in Xaythany district in Laos’ Vientiane capital on July 15, during which they are schedule to organise various social and community activities.

Dubbed “Hanoi youth join hands to reinforce friendship with Laos”, the campaign is jointly held by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Hanoi and the Hanoi Youth Federation.

During their stay in Laos , the group plans to provide free health exams and medicine to 1,000 locals in Xaythany in addition to offering guidelines on preventing epidemic diseases and accidents.

The youth will also transfer advanced technology in animal breeding and cultivation to locals while visiting and distributing presents to those in need.

They will share experience in youth union work and conduct cultural and sport exchanges with their Lao counterparts in the locality as well as organise training courses on accident prevention to children in a number of local kindergartens.

On the occasion, the group will also present school equipment worth over 1 billion VND (45,860 USD) to children in Vientiane .

This is the eighth time Hanoi youth has carried out this kind of volunteer activity in Vientiane, which contributes to promoting children and youth movements in the two capitals and continues nurturing the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Vietnam Airlines honoured for 20 years of service

Vietnam Airlines was awarded the First-class Independence Order on July 15 to mark two decades of operating domestic and international flights.

The airlines also received a certificate of merit by the Prime Minister for its significant contributions to national defence, security, socio-economic development and international cooperation.

The award came in conjunction with the parent company Vietnam Airlines Corporation’s 4 th congress on patriotic emulation campaigns.

Addressing the ceremony, Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang said Vietnam Airlines is among few flight operators who own the world latest fleet generations including Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 787-9.

It is proof that once a company boasts determination and ambition based on passengers’ interest, it can achieve any goal, declared Thang.

Vietnam Airlines was officially established at the behest of the Prime Minister on May 27, 1995, when the country re-organised its aviation sector.

By 1995, it had a fleet of 25 aircraft and served 25 international and 18 domestic routes. By the end of 2015, these figures are expected to increase to 85 aircraft operating in 57 international routes and carrying passengers to 29 destinations as well as 37 domestic routes to 21 destinations.

During the period, Vietnam Airlines operated over 1.39 million flights and earned 12.5 trillion VND (576.03 million USD) in pre-tax profits, contributing more than 30 trillion VND (1.38 billion USD) to the State budget.

Thanks to all these efforts, Vietnam Airlines has become an official member of the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) and achieved IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) standards when it came to quality of service. It joined the SkyTeam Alliance in 2010.

Quang Nam watches out for MERS-CoV

Central Quang Nam province has been closely monitoring patients with symptoms of acute respiratory failure to prevent the transmission of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

Health authorities have provided local medical workers at all levels with training on disease control and are carefully supervising passengers at Ky Ha and Tam Hiep ports and Chu Lai Airport.

The province has prepared all necessary medical facilities and medicines for related emergencies and conducting MERS-CoV tests as needed, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Health Nguyen Thi Lien said.

It has also drawn up procedures for the isolation of suspected cases, contamination control and treatment plans, she added.

Soft skills are critical to success of Vietnam’s IT graduates

The skills and education recent Vietnamese college graduates acquired during their time on campus may not be serving them well when it comes to proving their worth to potential employers.

“Soft skills have failed to live up to the demands of the information technology (IT) industry.” said employers and educators at a recent Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Summit held in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to research by FPT Software, managers have an overall negative view of young Vietnamese workers, and point to their lack of communication and interpersonal interactions, time management abilities and willingness to work as a team.

“The government and educators simply have not paid sufficient attention in the education process to supporting the development of soft skills and meeting the needs of the profession,” said Hoang Nam Tien, chairman of FPT.

Our research indicates that the nation’s colleges and universities graduate roughly 32,000 young IT professionals each year but only 25% or 9,000 of them show a level of professionalism that is adequate to compete in today’s world.

The situation is even more dismal when it comes to graduates with foreign language skills, Tien said with less than 10% (or only about 3,000 of the graduates) demonstrating suitable competence in a foreign language such as Japanese or English.

Tien underscored the need for the nation collectively to ‘re-evaluate’ the current situation because of the critical shortage of capably trained personnel and the significant importance it plays to the economic growth of the IT industry.

Soft skills are vitally important to our business and the ability to readily communicate complex ideas and concepts with customers and co-workers directly affects our bottom line profits, Tien said.

Truong Gia Binh, Vietnam Software Association (VINASA) President in turn said he couldn’t agree more with Tien’s views and added many Japanese firms have lodged complaints with the association regarding the issue.

In particular, many Japanese firms are in such dire need for qualified professionals and they are willing to pay double or triple the going rate for highly qualified young graduates, Binh stressed.

One solution proposed by Tien is for Vietnam universities to bring in Japanese lecturers and professors to teach classes or in the alternative send Vietnamese students to Japan to study.

Admittedly, these skills are hard to teach in a classroom setting, and tend to come with office-like experience whether it’s from an internship, volunteer work, participating in student organizations or part-time jobs.

So ideally, the training needs to be flexible with more apprenticeship and internship programs along with out of classroom activities at the top of the list for consideration, Tien suggested.

Phan Thanh Binh, president of Vietnam National University also agreed with Tien’s comments and suggestions and said there is a high correlation between graduates with proficient soft skills and career success.

These skills are what enable people with different skills sets and personality that make up an organization to work effectively together and without friction.

They are fundamentally essential, said Binh.

Ten restaurants in Vietnam's Da Nang offer free ‘taking drunkards home’ service

Ten restaurants in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang on Wednesday began offering their guests a special service in which they are taken home in a taxi free of charge if they get drunk.

This “taking drunkards home” service is part of the pilot program “Restaurants Act for Traffic Safety – Drivers Act with Civilization and Responsibility” for the 2015-18 period in the city.

The program is jointly run by the National Committee on Traffic Safety and GrabTaxi Vietnam Co. in an effort to lower the number of traffic accidents caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol.

As shown on its website, GrabTaxi is an automated location-based smartphone booking and dispatch platform for the taxi industry in Southeast Asia.

The first phase of the program will last for one year, from July this year to July 2016.

Besides giving drunks free taxi trips home by using the GrabTaxi app, these restaurants will also keep their vehicles, as well as their other property, overnight so they can return to get them when they become sober again.

Under the program, these restaurants must advise their guests not to drive any vehicle under the influence.

After Da Nang, this “taking drunkards home” service will be piloted in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Cheap imported poultry meat raises concerns

Although Vietnam has not officially joined any free trade agreements for farm produce to import and export to common markets at low tariffs, poultry meat from Europe and America has been flooding domestic market at a price much lower than it costs in countries where it came from.

Figures by the General Department of Vietnam Customs showed that in the first five months of this year, Vietnam imported nearly US$54 million dollar worth of poultry meat, of which chicken meat from the US accounted for up to 65 percent of total import value and average price of American chicken meat was much cheaper than same kind of product from other countries.

For instance, frozen American chicken wings were sold at $1 per kilogram (more than VND21,000 per kilogram) and American chicken thighs at $0.9 per kilogram. In southern provinces, the price of imported American chicken thighs and wings was from VND19,000-20,000 per kilogram. The price of frozen chicken meat imported from South Korea was also pretty cheap with chicken thighs at VND40,000-42,000 per kilogram, chicken wings at VND70,000 per kilogram, and chicken feet at VND50,000 per kilogram.

It raised a question that whether imported chicken meat pins domestic poultry meat at low price. According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Duong, deputy head of the Department of Animal Husbandry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the current poultry price is balanced and gives benefits to both raisers and consumers. He explained that the price of frozen chicken meat imported from the US, Holland, and Brazil was cheap because in those countries people only eat chicken breast and rarely eat other parts, including neck, wing, thigh and internal organs. Because of being considered as by-product, those parts were sold at low prices. He said that Vietnamese businesses import an average of about 80,000 tons of poultry meat every year and have imported around 40,000 tons of poultry meat in the first half of this year. Chicken meat imported into Vietnam is mainly from the US, Spain, Holland, and Brazil.

Agriculture minister Cao Duc Phat also said that imported chicken meat could not be blamed for the drop in price of domestic poultry meat as its annual import volume was not high. However, he also mentioned that free trade agreements would be a threat to domestic animal husbandry industry.

Currently, imported chicken meat and beef can be bought from any supermarket in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. On online shopping websites, American chicken and South Korean chicken are on sale.

Mr. Le Ba Lich, chairman of the Vietnam Animal Feed Association, said that the price of imported chicken meat from the US was cheaper than it was in the US because the cost for animal husbandry dropped as the prices of the main feed for raising, comprising of corn and soy bean, strongly fell. However, the fact that imported chicken meat merely costs $1 per kilogram is unacceptable and will crush domestic animal husbandry industry. Although American raisers have advantage of cheap feed, their raising costs must be higher than that of Vietnamese ones, not included transport cost and import tariffs. Therefore, the act of trade fraud possibly occurred which means that importers buy near expiry products at low prices then change label before selling them to consumers.

In addition, several countries have canceled import of chicken meat from the US since late 2014 as bird flu happened seriously here. Because of that, American companies would find a way to clear their inventory by offering extremely cheap prices and Vietnam is one of final destinations. Vietnam has canceled import of chicken meat from the US since the beginning of May, however, batches of chicken meat signed before that point of time will be continued to transport to the country.

However, according to Mr. Duong, authorities are still able to control near expiry frozen meat. Imported frozen meat is always checked by veterinarians and customs officers, especially with near expiry batches of frozen meat, tight control will be applied.

Although authorities affirmed that import of frozen meat was closely controlled, with surprisingly cheap price along with poor technical barrier, many people have taken advantage of these gaps to slip unsafe food into the country. Earlier, authorities had uncovered many batches of frozen chicken feet imported from China with unclear origin in domestic market though according to authorities Vietnam did not import chicken feet from China via official trade.

Needy, wounded soldiers’ children given scholarships

On the occasion of the Day for Martyrs and Wounded Soldiers, Vice President cum Chairperson of the National Fund for Vietnamese Children Nguyen Thi Doan on Monday arrived in the northern provinces of Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh to give scholarships to students whose parents are soldiers working on islands, wounded soldiers  and who are from low-income families.

In psychology rehabilitation center in the northern province of Ninh Binh’s Yen Mo District, the Vice President and representatives from the fund and sponsors gave 150 scholarships named “Go to school with students” each scholarship worth VND2 million (US$91.7) to students whose fathers are soldiers stationed in border gates, islands, wounded soldiers and students from meager-income families.

On the same day, in the northern province of Nam Dinh’s My Loc District, 50 scholarships each worth VND2 million were granted to needy students and children of wounded soldiers of the province. Total scholarships given to students in the two provinces are VND400 million.

Scholarships named “Go to school with students” launched by Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan in 2012. Until now, 7,560 scholarships worth VND23 billion (US$1,054,784) have been given to children in 63 provinces and cities across the country to create more chance for them to schools.

Hue-most visited city in Vietnam

Thua Thien-Hue Province received around 1,580,000 tourists, including 412,000 international visitors in the first six month of this year, according to the Steering Committee of Tourism Development of Thua Thien Hue Province.

The total revenue reached VND1, 400 billion, up 2% year on year.

Hue ancient city is one of the most popular Vietnam destinations. The Hue ancient capital complex became the first in Vietnam to be recognised as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO in 1993. Since then, Hue city has made all efforts to preserve the heritage’s values and been appraised as a good example of heritage conservation.

According to director of the Hue Relic Conservation Center, Phan Thanh Hai, about VND800 billion was spent on restoring 100 architectural buildings since 1996, such as Thai Hoa Palace, Hien Lam Cac Pavillion, Dien Tho Palace, Duyet Thi Duong Royal Theater, Truong Sanh Palace (Palace of Longevity), Tu Phuong Vo Su (“peace in all directions”) Pavilion and others.

The province’s tourism industry has improved service quality, tourism environment while implementing promotion packages and launching exciting tours to craft villages in Hue as well as offering unique craft products imbued with Vietnamese cultural identities to attract travelers.

The local authorities has also organized tourism promotional programs and invited farmtrips from the North America, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand to inquire into Hue ancient imperial city and central provinces; and roadshows in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and central region with the aim of luring more visitors from the localities.

In addition, two direct flights carrying 350 passengers from Bangkok to Hue City landed in Phu Bai International Airport on April 30.

The experimental flights have been operational by Thai airline, New Gen Airways. The carrier cooperated with the Department of Planning and Investment of Thua Thien-Hue Province to open the route. The new service aims to develop and promote its provincial tourism.

Royal Caribbean International Corporation from the US, the world’s second-largest shipping company, and the Shipbuilding Industry Corporation signed an agreement on June 2015 over the upgrading of infrastructure at Chan May Port.

Royal Caribbean will invest $5 million in the upgrades, which will permit the berthing of passenger ships more than 360 meters in length and carrying 4,000 to 5,000 passengers.

The tourism sector expects to receive 4.2 million visitors in 2010, including 2 million international tourists.

Vietnamese, RoK universities enjoy 10-year cooperation

The Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy in central Thua Thien-Hue province and the Republic of Korea’s Chonbuk National University held a ceremony to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their cooperation on July 15 in Hue city.

Principal of the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cao Ngoc Thanh said the ties between the two universities dated back to 2006 with cooperation in providing charity cleft-palate surgeries for Vietnamese children.

To date, more than 300 children from northern central localities have received free operations and treatment as a result of the cooperation.

In 2009, the two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding on personnel training.

Moving forward, the RoK university will help the Vietnamese side build a speech and language therapy centre for cleft-palate children with investment capital sourced from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

On the occasion, the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy presented the Health Ministry’s insignia “For People’s Health” to Professor Shin Hyu-Geun, Head of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Graduate School of Dentistry under the Chonbuk National University.

Cao Bang to receive 430 tonnes of rice in aid

The Government will assist residents facing food shortage during between-crop period in northern Cao Bang province with 430 tonnes of rice from the national reserve.

This is the third time in 2015 the Prime Minister has approved rice aid for Cao Bang.

Previously, 475 and more than 750.5 tonnes of rice were delivered to support the locals in February and May, respectively.

Efforts to improve transport infrastructure in Central Highlands

Further upgrades and construction in transport infrastructure will be carried out in the Central Highlands region from 2016-2020, according to the Central Highlands region’s Steering Committee.

The committee said around 1,272 kilometres will be upgraded or newly built during the period to facilitate mobility between provinces in the region and connections with the central coastal region as well as contribute to social-economic development.

In recent years, transport infrastructure in the Central Highlands has markedly improved with thousands of kilometres of roads already open to traffic.

Since the beginning of this year, more than 600 kilometres of roads have been completed in the region and another 190 kilometres will be put into use by the end of the year.

From 2011-2015, 48.73 trillion VND (2.23 billion USD) was invested in the region, 30 trillion VND (1.37 billion USD) of which was sourced from the Government and the remaining from localities.

Besides upgrades to airports in the region, 3,629 kilometres of district roads and 4,224 kilometres of commune roads have been concreted.

Diphtheria outbreak kills three in Quang Nam

The first outbreak of diphtheria in many decades in the mountainous Phuoc Loc commune of central Quang Nam province’s Phuoc Son district has claimed the lives of three locals so far this year.

According to the provincial Health Department, ten other people with diphtheria symptoms of high fever and swollen and painful throat are being treated at the district’s medical centre, and their conditions are improving.

Phuoc Loc commune is home to 23,635 people, 70 percent of whom are Bh’noong ethnic minorities, who still live on nomadic farming and have little access to health services.

The local health sector has zoned off the area and carried out disinfection while educating local residents on basic hygienic practices and encouraging them to get regular medical check-ups in order to timely detect diseases and receive treatment.

Diphtheria is a dangerous respiratory disease caused by a potent toxin produced by certain strains of the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It is extremely contagious through coughing or sneezing. Risk factors include crowding, poor hygiene, and lack of immunization .

The disease can be treated and cured successfully with antitoxin and antibiotics if started early enough. The prevention of diphtheria is through vaccination.-

Natural resources and environmental sector faces management difficulties

The management of natural resources and the environment has been a pressing issue in many parts of the country, as heard during a review meeting on July 15 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

In the first half of 2015, the sector carried out 1,183 inspections, resulting in 644 organisations and individuals fined at a total cost of 38 billion VND (1.75 million USD) and 1,426 hectares of land were proposed to be revoked.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has thus far processed 1,719 petitions, 98 percent of which came from land disputes.

In addition, licensing process for and management of natural resources exploitation have faced several problems with environmental protection, according to participating officials.

They agreed that the sector ought to intensify inspections and effectively handle petitions.

Argentine journalist wins Vietnam’s external information service awards

Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Nguyen Dinh Thao presented the 2014 National External Information Service Award to journalist Horacio Rana from Argentina’s Telam national news agency in Buenos Aires on July 14.

Rana is Head of the Telam’s world news department and one of the four foreign journalists to attend Vietnam’s first ever external information service awards.

He submitted a series of stories about Vietnam’s country and people written in Spanish after his visit to Vietnam in 2014.

He expressed his honour to receive the award and said Vietnamese and Argentine journalists should continue to write about their own history, economic achievements and the two countries’ sound cooperative ties.

Rana said he witnessed changes in Vietnam with his own eyes and thus reflected the country’s history and dynamic development in his stories.

He said the deepest impression during his visit to Vietnam is the people’s altruism and efforts to address post-war consequences for a brighter future.-

French National Day celebrated in Hanoi

French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean Noel Poirier held a banquet in Hanoi on July 14 to mark the 226th anniversary of the French National Day.

Addressing the function, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son congratulated and underlined that since the establishment of the strategic partnership in 2013, two countries have made achievements across politics, defence-security, economic-trade and culture.

The collaboration has addressed challenges in security and the environment, he said.

Bilateral relations have been developed for years, the French Ambassador highlighted, saying around 7,000 Vietnamese students are studying in France and the country welcomed over 25,000 Vietnamese nationals in 2014.

He affirmed that the European country always create favourable conditions for Vietnamese tourists.

He said a number of French projects have landed in Vietnam and expected further Vietnamese investment in the country.

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