Water plant for poor residents inaugurated

A clean water plant for poor residents was inaugurated on Monday in Cái Đôi Vàm Town, Phú Tân District, in the southern-most province of Cà Mau.

The plant has a total investment of more than VNĐ550 million (US$24,400). Some VNĐ500 million ($22,200) comes from the HCM City Fund for the Nation’s Island and the remainder comes from sponsors solicited by the Cà Mau Fatherland Front Committee.

The plant will supply clean water to more than 100 households.

Local residents must hand in a small fee to maintain the plant, which is about half the market price for clean water.

Vietnam, Cambodia news agencies urged to promote cooperation

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has pledged that the Party, State and Government of Vietnam always back the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and Cambodia’s news agency Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) to further bolster their cooperation in the future.

At a meeting with AKP Deputy General Director Keo Chandara in Hanoi on September 12, the Deputy PM said that the two agencies should actively work together to provide people of both sides with accurate news of the two countries and their sound relations.

VNA and AKP should continue their traditional affiliation activities and seek new measures to improve cooperation efficiency, he said, adding that both sides should make full use of opportunities from the digital era.

Along with contributing to the bilateral ties, the two agencies should strengthen cooperation in the framework of ASEAN and other regional and international collaboration mechanisms to which they are members, said the Deputy PM.

He highlighted that Vietnam always gives top priority to the reinforcement and development of friendship and multi-dimensional cooperation with Cambodia. He lauded the VNA’s launching of a news column on the Vietnam-Cambodia relations on the occasion of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year 2017.

He told his guest that 2017 is a special year for external activities in Vietnam as it plays hosts the APEC Year 2017, asking the AKP to actively cooperate with the VNA to popularize the images of Vietnam, its people, culture and foreign relations achievements to Cambodian people and international friends.

For his part, Kep Chandara briefed his host on the outcomes of his talks with VNA leaders.

He said the two agencies reached an agreement on the promotion of cooperation and mutual support in professional activities, as well as the upgrade of infrastructure system, thus contributing to deepening mutual understanding and friendship between people of both countries.

12th PHAMEDI Vietnam to draw 400 firms

The 12th Vietnam International Exhibition on Products, Equipment, Supplies for Medical, Pharmaceutical, Hospital and Rehabilitation (PHARMEDI Vietnam) will take place from September 20-23 in Ho Chi Minh City, according to the organising board.

It will have the largest scale so far with over 600 booths to be installed by more than 400 companies from 25 countries and territories.

The exhibition will showcase medical products, equipment for production and packing of the medical sector, as well as medical equipment, healthcare services and medical environmental technology.

The event will include a free diabetes and heart diseases screening and consultations for both children and adults.

Nguyen Dinh Anh, head of the Department of Communications, Emulation and Awards of the Ministry of Health said that the exhibition will gather over 150 foreign firms with top world brands which are expected to bring the latest technology in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors.

This is a chance for enterprises to seek new partners, expand market and update technology, he said.

First held in 2016, the PHARMEDI Vietnam has become the most waited event in medical and pharmaceutical areas.

Last year, the event drew 10,587 visitors who visited 550 booths by domestic and foreign firms.

Experts discuss clinical management of new infectious diseases

A conference was held in Hanoi on September 12 to discuss the clinical management of acute respiratory infection and newly emerging communicable diseases.

Addressing the event, Associate Professor, Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment, said that Vietnam is a hot spot of newly emerging communicable diseases with high risks of becoming an epidemic.

In recent years, Vietnam has countered SARS, influenza A virus subtypes H1N1 and H5N1, foot-and-mount disease, and measles, and it is battling dengue fever. The fatality ratio from the diseases was estimated at 30 percent in 2010.

Currently, patients have enjoyed easy and quick access to health care services. However, health care facilities have been in frequent overload conditions, especially central hospitals.

Khue said that the improvement of capacity in clinical management of infectious diseases is a priority of the Ministry of Health. He also pointed to various policies and projects in the field.

Since 2012, with the support of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment has evaluated the capacity and demand for training in the clinical management of acute respiratory infection, as well as in building training programmes and translating the guidelines of the WHO.

At the event, participants also assessed the real situation and defined orientations for the management of the clinical management of acute respiratory infection and newly-emerging communicable diseases in Vietnam. They also shared their real experience in the field. 

Fine arts exhibition marks VN-Laos, VN-Cambodia diplomatic ties

The Vietnam-Laos- Cambodia fine arts exhibition opened in the central city of Da Nang on September 12.

The event is part of activities to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Vietnam-Laos diplomatic ties, 40 years of the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, and the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-Cambodia diplomatic relations.

It displays 55 works by 22 artists, including give from Cambodia, five from Laos and 12 from Da Nang city.

Within the framework of the exhibition, there are tours of Da Nang's tourist attractions like Son Tra Peninsula and Hai Van Pass and Hoi An ancient town in the neighbouring province of Quang Nam, a camp and an exchange for the artists.

The exhibition, which will last until September 26, aims to offer an opportunity for the artists to share experience as well as enhance the friendship between the three countries.

Tay Ninh builds more bridges in border areas

The southwestern province of Tay Ninh on September 12 started the building of five bridges in remote and border districts of Tan Chau, Chau Thanh and Hoa Thanh to support local people.

These are among 21 bridges to be built in the province with a total cost of over 56 billion VND (2.46 million USD) sourced from the Local Bridge Construction and Road Asset Management (LRAMP) project, approved by the Government and the Ministry of Transport.

According to the provincial Department of Transport, each bridge will cost over two billion VND (88,000 USD).

The rest 16 bridges are expected to be built within this year to facilitate locals’ travel and agricultural products transport.

The LRAMP project has total funds of nearly 409 million USD in loans from the World Bank.

Under the project, 2,000 bridges are being built in 50 provinces and cities across the nation from 2016-2020.

Rise in deaths from drinking methanol-tainted wine

As per Bach Mai hospital’s Poison Center, its doctors have saved many cases of poisoning from wine. They all drank wine that contained poisonous quantities of methyl alcohol.
 
Since the beginning of the year, there has been a rise of hospitalized people relating to methanol-tainted wine. 48 people had been taken to the center; the figure is equal to the whole year of 2016.
Patients are from Hanoi and northern provinces either. The mortality rate fluctuates from 20 percent to 30 percent.

Those who escaped deaths spent hundreds of millions Vietnam dong and most of them suffer nerve and brain damage and visual disturbances such as blurred vision, tunnel vision, changes in colour perception, and temporary or permanent blindness.

HCMC strives to become a regional animal and plant breeding centre

Ho Chi Minh City must meet at least 30% of the market demand for plant varieties and animal breeds if it wishes to become a centre for plant and animal breeding in the Southern region, stated Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City's Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan.

He also emphasised the importance of the links and involvement between farmers, scientists, investors and the government in turning Ho Chi Minh City into an animal and plant breeding centre in the region.

He made the remarks while attending a workshop on applying science and technology to developing agriculture in Ho Chi Minh City, in order to turn the city into an animal and plant breeding centre meeting the demand of the provinces in the South-western and South-eastern regions.

The event was held by the Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on September 12.

Secretary Nhan noted that if Ho Chi Minh City wants to maintain agricultural production, it must find solutions in order to increase the income of local farmers. Otherwise, farmers would quit their farm work and the city would be unable to retain the farmland.

"The land area used for agricultural production occupies 55% of the total city's area, but agricultural production contributes only 0.8% to the city's GDP. Meanwhile, other industries make up 99% of the city's GDP but use only 8% of the total land area", Nhan said.

He added that this situation places great pressure on managers as the industry and service sectors also need land to expand and develop.

To enhance the value of agricultural production, the city has identified hi-tech agriculture as its key target and is striving to become a centre of plant and animal breeding in the region, Nhan said.

To achieve this target, Secretary Nhan stressed the significance of the connection between farmers, scientists, the government and investors and the ability of providing at least 30% of the plant varieties and animal breeds for the whole South-western and South-eastern regions.

In addition, he noted that farmers cannot study market demand, requiring the city to undertake this task for them in order to forecast market demand and instruct the farmers.

North-South toll fees too high

If drivers of trucks of 18 tons or 40-foot semi-trailers travel from the northern province of Lang Son to the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu, they will go through 29 tollgates on National Highway 1A and pay a total of VND4.8 million (US$211) each, new data revealed on September 11.

The data of the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam under the Transport Ministry shows 29 tollgates are located on the cross-country highway, plus five tollgates on National Highway 14 in the Central Highlands.

A slew of build-operate-transfer (BOT) road tollgates have emerged in recent years, making life more difficult for trucking companies, as they are obliged to pay prohibitively high toll fees. Worse still, they have to pay road maintenance fees, which are collected annually or quarterly. As such, these transport costs have spiked goods prices.

According to the directorate, if drivers travel from Lang Son to Bac Lieu on National Highway 1A, they will have to pay a total toll fee ranging from VND865,000 to VND4.5 million, depending on types of vehicle.

In addition, drivers on National Highway 14 will have to pay a maximum of VND940,000 if they pass through five tollgates in total along this stretch.

Province strives to recover fishery resources

The fishery sector of central Thừa Thiên-Huế Province has been releasing breeds of aquatic animals into the sea with the aim to enrich fishery resources following the sea environmental accidents last year.

Along with releasing breeds, the sector has also enhanced measures to protect breeding areas in the sea.

Hà Văn Duy, official of Quảng Điền District’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the district in co-ordination with the provincial fishery sector recently released 80,000 shrimp breeds and 60,000 crab breeds in the sea, lagoons and Máy Bay Isle’s fishery resource protection area of the district.

Besides this, the department also asked local fishermen to pay more attention to fishery resource protection by fishing regulated sizes of aquatic animals and avoiding overfishing, Duy said.

The sea environmental pollution accident that happened more than one year ago has badly affected sea resources and the lives of local fishermen.

Recovering fishery resources is an urgent task, according to fishery officials.

Fishery resources in the 22,000ha-Tam Giang-Cầu Hai Lagoon are getting exhausted following the environmental accident, along with overfishing.

“Fishery resources last year were more abundant than this year because of the impact of the the sea environmental accident,” Nguyễn Văn Duy, chairman of the Fishery Association, said.

“Besides this, overfishing is also a reason for exhaustion of fishery resources,” he said.

In recent years, the lagoon in Quảng Điền District has become a hot spot of illegal exploitation of fishery resources.

This year, the Quảng Điền District has allocated over 2,500ha of water surface to 14 fishery sub-associations to protect aquatic resources.

Three aquatic resource protection areas on 100ha of water surface were formed in the district -- Vũng Mệ in Quảng Lợi Commune, Máy Bay Isle in Quảng Ngạn Commune and Trộ Kèn Isle in Sịa Township. These areas have helped to reduce overfishing and illegal exploitation, helping in the recovery of aquatic resources.

So far, there are total 23 aquatic resource protection areas in the whole lagoon, with 600ha of water surface protected seriously.

“The protection areas have created an environment for aquatic flora such as seaweeds and algae, which are food resources for marine animals, including a special fish of the lagoon which had disappeared for years,” Nguyễn Quang Vinh Bình, head of the provincial Fishery Development Department, said.

Every year, the fishery sector releases shrimp, crab and fish breeds into the water to recover aquatic resources, Vinh said. 

Road widened to reduce traffic jams

Nguyễn Thi Định Road from Mỹ Thủy Intersection to Cát Lái Port in HCM City will be widened to reduce traffic jams in the area.

The estimated investment for a 1.9km stretch of the road is VNĐ1.44 trillion (US$63.3 million), of which VNĐ850 billion (US$34 million) will be spent on clearing the land.

The area from Mỹ Thủy Intersection to Cát Lái Port sees a great deal of traffic from container trucks every day, which causes terrible congestion.

The city has adopted several measures to reduce traffic jams in the area, such as traffic divergence and building up intersections.

The road widening effort will help improve the traffic situation.

The investor, the Urban Traffic Management Centre No 2, said the project had been approved by the city’s council in 2016.

The road will be widened to 60m, with six lanes for cars, and four lanes for mixed vehicles. 

Duẩn wins ninth stage of Tôn Hoa Sen Cup

Yesterday, Lê Văn Duẩn won the ninth stage of the VTV International Cycling Tournament, Tôn Hoa Sen Cup.

Duẩn, of the team VUS-HCM City, finished first in the 175km race from Quảng Ngãi to Quy Nhơn City. He completed the course in 4:31.28 with an average speed of 38.679kmh.

Nguyễn Thành Tâm and Huỳnh Thanh Tùng of the Military Zone 7 team were the runners-up. Tùng also won the white jersey, given to the best young cyclist.

Duẩn also won the green jersey as the best sprinter with 177 points, followed by Lê Nguyệt Minh, also of VUS-HCM City, with 134 points.

Changpad Kritsada of Thailand retained the yellow jersey for the best overall time of 26:04.36 after nine stages, followed by Jiung Jang of the Korail Cycle Team and Ronald Lomomtos of the Philippines NSI.

In the team rankings, Philippines NSI took the lead with a time of 78:13.22. VUS-HCM City and Korail Cycle Team moved into second and third place, respectively.

Today, cyclists will compete in the 10th stage around the central square of Quy Nhơn City, a course of 10km.

Int’l expo attracts 30,000 visitors

More than 4,400 meetings were conducted between buyers and sellers at the 13th International Travel Expo HCM City that wrapped up on September 9.

The three-day event attracted 30,000 visitors, including more than 14,000 trade visitors, according to the city’s Department of Tourism, the expo’s organiser.

Trần Thị Bảo Thu, marketing and communications manager at Fiditour, said the company received nearly 6,000 bookings for domestic and foreign tours, while tours to foreign countries accounted for 65 per cent of bookings.

“The company received more than 200 successful meetings with foreign partners, especially companies from Europe and Northern Asia that sought cooperation opportunities for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) tourism,” she said.

The Saigontourist Travel Service Company saw a year-on-year increase of 30 per cent in revenue at the expo, reaching a total of VNĐ7.4 billion (US$326,000), according to Đoàn Thị Thanh Tra, the company’s marketing and communications manager.

A representative of Vietravel said the company had worked with many international buyers who wanted to learn about Vietnamese travel markets.

Vietravel sold nearly 1,000 bookings on the first day of the event, with foreign tours accounting for 550 of the bookings.

Tours to Thailand at prices from VNĐ5.99 million ($264), South Korea from VNĐ9.59 million and Taiwan (China) from VNĐ8.99 million also sold well.

Phạm Thanh Quy from the city’s District 10 said she bought two vouchers worth VNĐ1.9 million ($83) each to stay one night at the Grand Hồ Tràm Strip in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province. The price, which was much lower than the normal fees, also included a shuttle bus to the resort.

Bùi Tá Hoàng Vũ, director of the city’s Department of Tourism, said the city planned to develop MICE tourism as one of the city’s key tourism products, and would improve cooperation with countries in the Mekong region to diversify intra-regional tourism products.

The number of tourists from Thailand and Malaysia visiting Việt Nam has risen in the last few months, he said. 

Vietnamese, Cambodian youths conclude friendship meeting

The Vietnam Youth Federation (VYF) rounded off the Vietnam – Cambodia youth friendship meeting 2017 on September 11.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice President of the VYF Central Committee Vu Minh Ly said the gathering strengthened mutual understanding and trust between the sides and helped educate the participants on Vietnam - Cambodia traditional ties.

Ly stated Vietnamese youths stand side by side with their Cambodian peers to cement the two countries’ relations.

Kim Rithy, Vice President of the Cambodian Union of Youth Federations’ Central Committee, said the event helped Cambodian youths understand the history of Vietnam and of Vietnam – Cambodia relations during both wartime and peace.

The meeting took place from September 9 to 11 with the participation of 50 Cambodian delegates. It featured talks between leaders of the two youth federations and activities in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong.

PM okays UNICEF-funded comprehensive childcare project

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a UNICEF-funded project on childcare development and renovating the healthcare system in Vietnam. 

The project hopes to strengthen the medical system’s capacity of maternal and child care aiming to expand coverage and improving the quality of integrated early childhood development, including healthcare services, nutrition and hygiene, especially among vulnerable children. 

It will run from 2017-2021 in Hanoi and the provinces of Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Dien Bien, costing more than 5.1 million USD in non-refundable aid, with more than 16 billion VND (761,000 USD) and items worth in excess of 8 billion VND sourced from the Vietnamese government. 

The PM asked the Health Ministry to review and carry out the project.

Hanoi’s traffic solution contest concludes in suspicious secrecy

A contest launched by Hanoi’s administration and transport department in January to seek breakthrough solutions to its chronic traffic congestion has just closed in a complete media blackout.

The contest organizers advertised a whopping grand prize of US$200,000 in cash for the winning idea, in addition to one second prize of US$100,000 and US$25,000 in credit support for any entry with a complete and qualified proposal.

Launched on January 12, the contest accepted entries submitted by domestic and international consulting companies no later than April 27.

Despite the winner announcement date initially set for May, it was not until last Friday that an awards ceremony was held in suspicious secrecy at the headquarters of the municipal People’s Committee.

According to sources of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, there was no winner of the grand prize, while the second prize went to a joint entry submitted by the Vietnam Institute for Urban and Rural Planning (VIUP), Nikken Sekkei Civi Engineering LTD (NSC), and Nikken Sekkei Reseach Institute (NSRI).

Five other shortlisted submissions received US$25,000 in credit support each.

No information regarding the awards ceremony was made known to local media or the public in advance, while reporters who arrived at the administration’s headquarters on Friday, September 8, had the door shut to their faces for not having an invitation letter.

Those that waited patiently outside were only able to have a swift interview with a representative of one of the winning entries, who refused to provide any specific detail.

As of Monday (September 11), no information on the winning solutions or reportage of the awards ceremony could be found on the official site of either Hanoi’s administration or the municipal Department of Transport.

Ngo Manh Tuan, deputy director of the department, said the city had chosen not to publish the winning solutions just yet, while claiming that the awards ceremony had been “held in public” and that there had been “nothing to hide.”

Tuan refused to respond to further questions, asking reporters to submit their written inquiries instead.

Meanwhile, Luu Duc Cuong, acting director of VIUP, said the institute was under no obligation to announce its solution, for the responsibility rested on the administration of Hanoi.

Cuong said accusations that the contest organizers were trying to hide the winners’ details were “petty” and “not worth paying attention to.”

Northeast Vietnam bridge collapse kills 3, injures 2

Three people were killed and two seriously injured when a bridge under construction in northeast Tuyen Quang Province collapsed on Sunday, September 10, reported local officials.

Luong Thi Thin, chair of Ngoc Hoi People’s Committee, confirmed the accident occurred art roughly 2:30pm after a support structure on the bridge connecting the villages of Ngoc Hoi and Xuan Quang in the district of Chiem Hoa gave way.

The accident sent five men and tons of concrete and steel plummeting into the river below.

There are fundamental questions on how the bridge was constructed that authorities are considering, said Mrs Thin., and a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

Two of the men have been rescued but at least three have been confirmed dead and are still trapped in the water beneath the structure, Mrs Thin noted, adding that it is just too dangerous to safely get to and remove their bodies. 

Nguyen Vinh Hien wins first prize at flycam photography contest

Nguyen Vinh Hien, a native from the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long, grasped the first prize for his photo “Ca Mau Cape” at a photo contest titled “Vietnam from above”, the first competition for flycam photography enthusiasts in the country.

Organized by the HCMC Photography Association in conjunction with Phuong Nam Printing Co. Ltd., the contest received nearly 3,400 entries by 358 professional and amateur photographers from 53 provinces and cities across the country after more than four months of launching the contest.

Nguyen Ha Quoc Anh, director of Phuong Nam Company and a member of the judging panel of the contest, told the award ceremony last Saturday on Nguyen Van Binh Book Street in HCMC’s District 1 that Hien’s first-prize photo highlighting the breathtaking beauty of the cape in the southernmost region received compliments from the judging panel for its new angle and meaningful message in nurturing national pride and love for the country.

The best 100 award-winning photos displayed on the book street depict picturesque natural landscapes of different regions in Vietnam, ranging from the north-west to the southernmost province of Ca Mau.

Those who are interested in photography can drop by the book street to admire the award-winning photos from now until September 19. Visitors will have a chance to buy their favorite photos with a price of VND1.5 million each and all the proceeds from photo sales will be granted to a scholarship fund named “Chap canh uoc mo” to raise funds for building bookcases for poor children in rural areas.

VN, Japan archive agencies sign MoC

A memorandum of co-operation (MOC) was signed in Hà Nội on Tuesday morning between the State Records Management and Archives Department of Việt Nam and the National Archives of Japan.

The signing ceremony was part of the domestic department’s international co-operation programme this year, which aimed to boost the friendship between the two countries.

Đặng Thanh Tùng, director of the archives department of Việt Nam, said via the MOC, the two sides are expected to exchange experiences with archiving and managing documents as well as to share documents related to culture and history.

The MOC was an important milestone to mark the establishment of co-operation between the two archive agencies and laid the foundation for them to join hands in other activities in the coming time.

One of the major activities was to co-organise an exhibition of documents on the co-operation between the two governments so far to celebrate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Việt Nam and Japan.

Takeo Katoh, director of the National Archives of Japan, said after the signing ceremony, a series of activities would be conducted to celebrate the anniversary in 2018.

The first activity was to collect documents related to co-operation between the two countries in the past, he added.

Việt Nam and Japan officially established diplomatic relations in September 1973.

HCM City police break large-scale gambling ring

HCM City police have crushed a large-scale gambling ring after more than three months of following their movements.

The city police on Monday raided 11 illegal internet gambling dens and illegal lotteries organised by the ring, arresting seven and seizing more than VNĐ5 billion (US$220,000) in cash and various exhibits.

The ring was headed by Trần Văn Mười Hai, born in 1975 and residing in HCM City, and a Chinese man. The duo had organised cock fights, illegal lotteries and high-stakes internet gambling, worth over a trillion đồng (millions of US dollars).

Hai co-operated with Chinese-Malaysian gamblers to release fake gambling results, causing several fights with other gangs.

The police are now expanding the investigation.

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