Da Nang flower villages gear up for Tet

There are only a couple of weeks left until the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. These days, flowers of all kinds are blossoming to cater for the local Tet decoration demands.

Duong Son and Van Duong are two most renowned villages for growing chrysanthemum in Da Nang city. During this season’s crop, high technology has been applied in growing the flowers. In Van Duong cooperative, over 80,000 flower baskets of Da Lat flower seeds will be available for sale.

Growers are working hard to get the flowers ready right in time for Tet. They said flower prices will increase by about 10 percent.

Nowadays, the amount of flowers is big enough to supply Da Nang city and neighboring localities. From the 22nd day of the last lunar month, all reserved flowers will be available at flower markets for selling.

ADB assists high-tech agriculture development in Can Tho city

Can Tho city will receive ADB support to develop high-tech agriculture. 

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho will receive support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to improve agriculture infrastructure and develop high-tech agriculture.

In a meeting with city leaders on January 16, ADB Country Director for Vietnam Eric Sidgwick suggested Can Tho join its capacity development technical assistance (CDTA) project and the technical assistance for high-tech agriculture project, which contain a variety of programmes like building rice and fruit production areas and husbandry areas applying advanced technology, and developing an international-standard farm produce consumption channel.

Besides technical training to help farmers cultivate safe farm produce that fits food safety and hygiene standards of the EU and the US, the ADB will support the city to improve human resources in the agro-forestry-fishery sector and attract investment in agricultural production, processing and consumption.

The projects, using the ordinary capital resources (OCR) and Asian Development Fund (ADF) through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, also look to study consumption markets, seek stable distribution channels for local farm produce and build a sustainable agriculture value chain, he added.

He also said the city should outline agricultural development plans and identify its strategic products and partners for the projects.

According to Vice Chairwoman of the city People’s Committee Vo Thi Hong Anh, the local agricultural sector is focusing on developing high-quality varieties of plants and livestock.

The city will create favourable conditions for the ADB experts to work in the city, and support the bank with administrative procedures so the projects can be implemented in an effective and prompt manner, Anh said.

First Vietnam brocade culture festival closes

The first Vietnam brocade culture festival wrapped up in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong on January 16.

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the organising board Ton Thi Ngoc Hanh said the festival has raised public awareness of preserving and upholding traditional costumes of each ethnic group. 

It also provided a platform for artisans and designers at home and abroad to meet and exchange experience, thus tightening their solidarity. 

At the closing ceremony, the organising board presented certificates of merit to three delegations from Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia, 18 cities and provinces joining the festival. 

Up to 136 certificates and prizes were presented to artisans and units joining an exhibition on Vietnam brocade culture space, a photo exhibition on homeland and people in the central – Central Highlands coastal region, an exhibition on Vietnam’s geopark, and traditional music performances.

Hotline for vaccination consultation announced

The National Expanded Immunization project yesterday announced the 24-hour hotline 0981480480 for clearing queries and providing consultation of expanded vaccination.

The Department of Preventive Medicine said that 28 cities and provinces have so far administered shots of vaccine ComBe Five on 131,100 infants.

According to reports , in addition to slight fever and dwelling in the injection site with the rate of 2.5 percent, some experienced high fever, prolong crying and convulsion fits in some localities with the rate of 0.05 percent.

Following the reports of vaccine side effects after shots of vaccine ComBe Five, the Ministry of Health ordered local departments of health to send its staffs to grass-root clinics in communes for examination and handling vaccinated cases with side-effects, especially in medical clinics without doctors or disadvantaged districts.

Moreover, health staffs should provide vaccination training to local medical workers on consultation for mothers who will keep an eye on their vaccinated kids.

An Giang police smash two smuggling rings

Border guards in An Giang province have thwarted two smuggling rings. Forces seized a total of 2,000 packs of cigarettes and 1.5 tonnes of sugar from Cambodia.

Vinh Nguon border guards noticed suspicious activity from people carrying goods from Cambodia to Vietnam on January 14.

Upon being asked to stop by the police the suspects immediately ran to the Cambodian border area, leaving all their smuggled goods behind.

Police officers seized 2,000 smuggled cigarette packs.

A further investigation is currently taking place.

A day earlier, Long Binh border forces, who were working in collaboration with Khanh Binh Border Gate Customs, were able to confiscate 1.5 tonnes of sugar from a smuggling ring as they moved from Cambodia to Vietnam on January 13.

Initially the police spotted a suspicious wooden boat carrying a huge number of white bags and travelling from Cambodia to Vietnam at a high speed. 

After docking on the Binh Di River, all the suspects fled the scene upon noticing the police.

Police officers kept the items including the boat and 30 packs of sugar (50 kg per pack).

The case is still under investigation.

Germany willing to cooperate with Vietnam in sustainable energy development

The Delegate of German Industry and Commerce in Vietnam (GIC/AHK Vietnam) held a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on January 15 to share Germany’s experience in using energy effectively and managing energy in industries.

Participants at the event agreed Vietnam has high demand for energy for economic activities, industrial development and urbanisation, so sustainable energy development is a must.

Celilia Strandberg from the Berlin-based Renewables Academy AG (RENAC) and Ron Hendrik Peesel from the Kassel University said Germany’s technologies can help meet Vietnam’s demand for energy development.

German enterprises also affirmed their willingness to cooperate with Vietnam in sustainable energy development and energy management.

On the same day, GIC/AHK Vietnam, in collaboration with the German Machine Tool Builders' Association and Deutsche Mess AG, held a press conference on the EMO Hannover 2019 industrial tech trade fair, scheduled for September 16-21 in Hannover, Germany.

At the event, Vietnamese businesses will be provided with opportunities to gain better access to the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s trends and seek ties with foreign partners, as nearly 1,800 enterprises from 41 countries and territories across five continents have registered to join the event so far.

81,500 hectares of crops certified with VietGAP

To date, Vietnam has nearly 1,900 establishments getting Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) certificates with a total area of 81,500 hectares.

The figures represent respective rises of 297 and 60,373 from 2017, according to the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Specifically, coffee area has reached 200 hectares (up 100 hectares); tea nearly 4,000 hectares (up 2,231 hectares); rice 3,760 hectares (up 2,100 hectares); fruit 68,250 hectares (up 54,200 hectares); and vegetables 5,300 hectares (up 700 hectares).

Businesses applying VietGAP production models have reduced expenses on pesticides, fertiliser and varieties by an average 30 million VND (1,290 USD) per hectare per year.

The expansion of crop areas meeting VietGAP standards not only helps protect public health but also contributes to meeting the goals of restructuring the agricultural sector towards sustainable development and increased export value.

Metro Line No.1 to be complete by 2020

An elevated section of HCMC’s Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien metro line runs along Hanoi Highway 

HCMC is striving to speed up work on the Metro Line No. 1 project so that it can be put into operation by 2020 as planned, Sai Gon Giai Phong news site reported, citing city vice chairman Tran Vinh Tuyen. Capital disbursement delays have stoked concerns that the urban railway could fall behind schedule.

As the project faces complicated legal procedures concerning the upward adjustment of investment, the Ministry of Planning and Investment has refused to allocate capital for the project, which has in turn prevented Japan from further disbursing its loan for the project.

As such, the city has made an advance payment of VND3.2 trillion for the Metro Line No. 1 project. To ensure payments for contractors and to smooth construction work, the HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) proposed the municipal government approve the plan to continue providing advances from the city’s budget.

Speaking at a meeting on January 14 with MAUR and the relevant agencies, Tuyen said that the project had been approved for upward investment cost adjustment in principle by central authorities. The city will create favorable conditions for contractors to speed up construction.

Addressing the meeting, Bui Xuan Cuong, new head of MAUR, said that the relevant units will rapidly execute the project after the Tet holiday, attempting to finalize the project by 2020.

Regarding Metro Line No. 2 linking Ben Thanh Market and Tham Luong Depot in District 12, Tuyen asked the authorities of the city’s districts to expedite land clearance compensation and resettlement for residents affected by the project and to prepare for bidding procedures to fast-track the line while waiting for the competent agencies to complete procedures for the investment capital increase.

Tet bus tickets still available

Inter-provincial buses are parked at Mien Dong Coach Station 

More than 81,700 bus tickets for the peak Tet travel season have been sold by some 50 coach operators at Mien Dong Coach Station, but some 81,000 tickets remain unsold, Nguyen Hoang Huy, deputy director of the station, said.

The 50 transport firms had earlier registered to sell a combined 163,674 tickets for their Tet services at the station, according to Huy.

Of the total 81,702 coach tickets sold, local transport firm Phuong Trang’s tickets accounted for the largest number of 37,000 for Tet services, mainly departing from HCMC to the central provinces and central highlands provinces.

In addition, transport firms such as Viet Tan Phat, Cuc Tu and Chin Nghia sold over 9,000 tickets each, while others including Binh Tam, Phuoc Thien, Binh Phuong and Co Hai sold some 1,000 coach tickets each for the peak Tet travel season.

Huy said that the period immediately before and after Tet, which starts on February 5, was the peak season for serving passengers. Mien Dong Coach Station is expected to serve some 1,800 vehicles with 55,000 passengers on board on January 31.

Apart from coaches operated by the transport firms active at Mien Dong Coach Station, the station is working with the relevant departments and agencies to increase the number of hired coaches to ensure no passengers are left at the station due to a shortage of vehicles.

Huy noted that the station will tighten control over ticket fares, which were previously registered by coach operators, to avoid a fare spike exceeding the allowed levels. Also, Huy advised passengers to buy tickets at the station, instead of from external vendors.

Coach fares for trips from the station will increase by between 20% and 60% over regular fares for the upcoming Tet holiday. The fare level will increase incrementally as the departure date gets closer to the holiday.

HCMC workers’ Tet bonus averages VND10.3 million

An employee is at work at a factory in this file photo

The average bonus for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, in HCMC has risen by 25% from last year to over VND10.3 million (US$443) per worker, according to the municipal Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The department’s director, Le Minh Tan, told the Vietnam News Agency that some 2,000 local businesses with more than 415,000 workers have submitted their plans for Tet bonuses.

The highest bonus reported so far has been VND1.17 billion (over US$50,000) at a firm operating in the finance, banking and insurance sector.

Many companies offer Tet bonuses equal to at least one month’s salary. For example, PouYuen Vietnam Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of Taiwan-listed Pou Chen Group manufacturing footwear, gives its workers a bonus of one to two months’ salary.

Cu Phat Nghiep, president of the labor union division at PouYuen, noted that the company intends to spend a total of some VND1 trillion (US$43,000) in bonuses for over 65,800 employees.

The company will also organize 56 coach trips to transport some 2,500 workers whose hometowns extend from the south-central coastal province of Phu Yen to the Red River Delta province of Thai Binh in northern Vietnam, during Tet.

Tran Thi Cam Hong, president of the labor union division at Non Son Fashion Co., Ltd, said the company’s employees will receive a 13th month bonus, in addition to their Tet bonuses. It will also offer support worth VND1 million per person for 570 workers to subsidize their passenger fares.

Together with Tet bonuses, local firms confirmed that they will provide disadvantaged workers with Tet gifts and free coach tickets to travel home for the holiday.

During the prior Tet holiday, each employee received an average of VND8 million (US$344) in bonuses.

Make-or-break moment for transit bus service

The transit bus service is vital for any major city as it provides convenience for tourists and residents alike, ensures orderly traffic circulation, and ease pressure on urban infrastructure. It’s no wonder that HCMC has over the years mobilized huge resources to develop this form of public transport.

However, despite great efforts, the commuter bus service sector has not achieved its aims, becoming increasingly unpopular among city dwellers and visitors.

It is noteworthy that public buses have become more oblivious over the years. In the first half of 2018, for example, buses in the city transported 96 million passengers, making up less than one-third of the year’s target and falling 16% year-on-year, according to Lao Dong newspaper.

In the past decade, the number of bus commuters has fallen sharply. It peaked in 2012 when the total number of bus passengers in HCMC reached 413 million, but ever since, the number has tumbled, to 372 million in 2013, 267 million in 2015 and 234 million in 2016 before further crashing last year. Meanwhile, the HCMC government has managed to prioritize resources for the bus system, including annual subsidy of over VND1,000 billion, or nearly US$43 million, for bus operators.

Data from the HCMC Department of Transport shows transit buses account for less than 10% of the commuter demand in the city compared to the target of 15%, as people tend to use private vehicles such as motorcycles and cars. Besides, traditional taxicabs and ride-hailing Grab cars as well as Grab bikes have also taken away a large chunk of passengers from the public bus service.

The key reason behind the bus service sector’s struggle is its inconvenience in terms of comfort, accessibility, and punctuality.

Many complaints have been heard about obsolete buses without air-conditioning and cleanness, but it is the problem of accessibility that matters the most. Buses in the city are mostly full-sized vehicles that cannot ply narrow streets, and potential passengers have no other choice but to walk long distances to bus stops along major streets. An estimate puts the number of streets with a width of over seven meters – wide enough for large buses to move – make up only 28% of the total, meaning residents along 72% of streets find it tough to get on a bus.

Punctuality is another major hindrance, especially for those passengers going to school or work. Due to traffic density and frequent congestion, few bus operators can guarantee punctuality for passengers, and this fact strongly discourages the people to use the bus service at a time when other transport means have become more convenient. 

As stated early on, the commuter bus service is vital for any major city’s public transport. For HCMC, it is high time for transport authorities to map out a total solution, which must address the two key factors of accessibility and punctuality. Such a total solution should include widening streets, diversifying types of buses, especially smaller ones to pick up passengers from narrow streets or even alleys, fighting traffic congestion by gradually restricting private vehicles, and lengthening service hours among others. Otherwise, the huge amount of subsidy allocated each year by the city for the service is just a waste of money.

Vehicles can pass freely at the Cai Lay tollgate in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang

Fee collection might resume at the long-suspended Cai Lay tollgate after the Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, a source from the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam told Tuoi Tre Online newspaper.

Nguyen Van Huyen, head of the directorate, said that leaders from the Transport Ministry will soon work with authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, where the controversial tollgate is located.

The two sides are likely to keep the tollgate at the current site and provide discounts for all kinds of vehicles, he said.

For example, car drivers will pay VND15,000, down from the previous VND35,000 per trip.

In addition, authorities plan to offer fare reductions and exemptions to nearby households within a radius of 10 kilometers from the tollgate.

Preliminary calculations reveal that the period for toll collection will last from the original seven years to 13 years, following the adjustments.

The operator of Cai Lay tollgate on National Highway No.1, Tien Giang Investment Co., Ltd, built a 12-kilometer road bypassing Cai Lay Town and gave a facelift to a 26.5-kilometer section of National Highway 1, which runs through Cai Lay Town in Tien Giang, under the build-operate-transfer format.

The company set up a tollgate on National Highway 1 to recover roughly VND1.7 trillion (US$73 million) in investment, but since toll collection started in August 2017, drivers have staged strong protests, repeatedly paralyzing the tollgate’s operation.

Drivers reason that the investor had built the bypass, so it only had the right to collect tolls on vehicles using this road section. It was unreasonable to charge vehicles running on National Highway 1A, they argued, adding that the toll fee was too high, at almost the same rate as the fee for using the 40-kilometer HCMC-Trung Luong Expressway.

Following these protests, the Government ordered the tollgate to be suspended and urged the Transport Ministry to put forward solutions.

Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam speaks at the conference (photo: VGP) 

The health sector fulfilled two targets set by the National Assembly and the Government, with the number of hospital beds per 10,000 people at 26.5 and the health insurance coverage rate of 87.7%.

The health sector also achieved and exceeded nine out of 11 basic health indicators set out in 2018, as heard at the sector's conference in Hanoi on January 15 to review its operations in 2018 and outline plans for 2019.

Addressing the event, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said that, healthcare at grassroots levels has seen significant changes in the past few years.

Approximately 90% of health stations at commune level have doctors and 95% of health stations at communes have pediatric obstetricians or midwives.

Last year, the Health Ministry also truncated 1,363 out of 1,871 conditions on business and 169 out of 234 administrative procedures, and built 38 online public services, helping to save over VND3 trillion (US$129 million), the minister noted.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam lauded the health sector for its considerable achievements in 2018, including the health insurance coverage, the number of hospital beds, and the bidding for procurement of medicines.

In 2019, the health sector should make greater efforts to reach universal health insurance coverage, gain financial autonomy, promote the application of technology in medical examination and treatment, among others.

Can Tho works to raise public awareness of air pollution

An overview of meeting between leading officials of Can Tho and delegation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam 

Leading officials of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho met on January 16 with a delegation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam to discuss a campaign to raise awareness of the impact of air pollution on the climate and public health.

They also exchanged views on how to map out a programme to make the city meet the WHO’s air quality standards by 2030.

Ton Tuan Nghia, an official from WHO Vietnam’s Environmental Health Programme, said the organisation is working with the Climate & Clean Air Coalition to implement a global campaign named BreatheLife – a network of cities taking action to reduce air pollution.

Joining the campaign, Can Tho will receive aid worth 30,000 USD to carry out communications activities to raise public awareness of air pollution, and be provided with other assistance to tackle issues related to urban waste and renewable energy, Nghia added.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Dao Anh Dung affirmed Can Tho is aware of the importance of improving awareness of air pollution as well as the necessity to take urgent action to deal with this problem.

Since 2016, the city has implemented various action programmes, Dung stated, appreciating the assistance of the WHO.

He assigned the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment to work with representatives from the WHO Vietnam to prepare to join the BreatheLife campaign so as to ensure the city will meet WHO air quality standards by 2030.

BreatheLife is a global campaign led by WHO, the Climate & Clean Air Coalition and the Government of Norway to raise awareness about the health risks of short-lived climate pollutants which contribute significantly to global warming and air pollution. 

The campaign stresses both measures cities can implement such as better housing, transport, waste and energy systems, and others people can take, including stopping waste burning, promoting green spaces and walking or cycling to improve the air. 

According to the WHO, some 3 million deaths a year are linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution can be just as deadly. In 2012, an estimated 6.5 million deaths, or 11.6 percent of all global deaths, were associated with indoor and outdoor air pollution together.

Kien Giang has another new-style rural commune

Road in Dong Thanh commune has been upgraded. (Photo: nongnghiep.vn)

Remote Dong Thanh commune in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang’s An Minh disitrict has been recently recognised as a new-style rural area.

Comprehensive measures were carried out by the communal People’s Committee to complete the 19 criteria so as to gain the new style rural area status.

The efforts by local residents and administration have paid off, helping create a facelift to the commune, with poverty rate being reduced from 17.99 percent in 2017 to 3.87 percent in 2018, and significant improvements in local livelihoods. 

The National Target Programme on New-style Rural Area Building, initiated by the Government in 2010, sets the criteria on socio-economic development, politics, and defence, aiming to boost rural regions of Vietnam. The list of criteria includes the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacity, environmental protection, and the promotion of cultural values.