National action month on gender equality begins

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyễn Thị Hà gives a speech at the opening ceremony of the national action month on gender equality. — Photo Courtesy of the MOLISA

The national action month on gender equality, with the theme of preventing violence and abuse against women and girls, was launched on Wednesday in the southern province of Cần Thơ.

The opening ceremony was organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) in coordination with the Cần Thơ City People’s Committee.

As many as 800 students and local residents joined the ceremony.

The national action month is organised across the country each year. This year, it will run from November 15 to December 15.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyễn Thị Hà said Việt Nam had been recognised by international organisations as one of the countries that has made great achievements in gender equality, particularly in the fields of labour, employment, health care and education.

The rate of female directors of enterprises was 27.8 per cent last year, the highest in Southeast Asia, according to the MOLISA.

The proportion of women participating in the National Assembly for the 2016-21 term is 27.2 per cent, higher than the level of 19 per cent in across Asia and the 21 per cent global average.

However, Hà said Việt Nam still faces challenges in ensuring gender equality.

“Gender inequality, violence and abuse against women and children are still happening in many regions,” said Hà. “Women and children are not victims of just domestic violence, but also of trafficking, sexual assault and other forms of violence.”

The theme of the action month this year affirmed the importance of co-operation between organisations and individuals in meeting national targets on gender equality, she said.

Hundreds of events will be organised across the country during the month including conferences, training courses, exhibitions and talks.

Trương Quang Hoài Nam, deputy chairman of the Cần Thơ People’s Committee, said that through the action month, messages on gender equality and preventing violence against women and children would spread to all levels of society to help build a safe and equitable community for everyone.

Airlines told to improve service during Tết

Passengers at Nội Bài International Airport.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam (CAAV) has ordered airlines to improve security, flight safety and service quality to better serve passengers during the upcoming New Year and Lunar New Year (Tết) holidays.

As usual, demands on the country’s infrastructure are expected to sharply increase during the holidays.

Võ Huy Cường, CAAV deputy head, told all airlines to ensure pilots, flight attendants and technicians follow regulations on flight safety.

The busiest airports such as Nội Bài, Tân Sơn Nhất, Đà Nẵng, Vinh, Cam Ranh, Phú Quốc and Cát Bi were told to focus on flight safety during this time, he added.

The airlines were asked to allocate enough staff to deal with any incidents and minimise delayed and cancelled flights, he said.

Cường also directed the Việt Nam Airlines Corporation to make its own plan to serve passengers during the holidays. The corporation should check its infrastructure and facilities, and then take measures to repair or maintain runways and parking lots if necessary.

The Việt Nam Air Traffic Management Corporation had to allocate more staff to ensure operations run smoothly when additional flights are changed or weather conditions worsen.

People will have four days off between December 29, 2018 and January 1, 2019 for the New Year and nine days off from February 2 to 10, 2019 to celebrate Lunar New Year. 

Mexico, Việt Nam to co-operate on agricultural research

On behalf of INIFAP, Ambassador Sara Valdes Bolano and director of the VAAS Nguyễn Hồng Sơn present the MoU on agricultural co-operation. — Photo courtesy of the embassy

Mexico and Việt Nam committed to co-operating in the agricultural sector as the National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Investigations (INIFAP) of Mexico and the Việt Nam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday in Hà Nội.

Under the agreement, INIFAP and VAAS will facilitate dialogue to identify and execute projects in areas of interest to both parties, such as selection of seeds through biotechnology, research of rice and corn seeds and management of nutrition in soil.

The agreement was signed by director of the VAAS Nguyễn Hồng Sơn and director of INIFAP Jose Fernando de la Torre Sanchez.

The MoU demonstrates the good relationship between the two countries.

With the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) scheduled to come into effect in December, Việt Nam will become a strategic partner for Mexico in the agri-food sector, making research and technology transfer agreements between the countries more important than ever, according to the Ambassador of Mexico to Việt Nam, Sara Valdes Bolano. — VNS

Quang Ninh to put into use three big transport projects in December

The northern border province of Quang Ninh will put into service three major transport projects in December this year, said Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Doc.

The Van Don international airport, the Hon Gai international port, and the Ha Long-Van Don highway having a combined investment of 25 trillion VND will be operating between December 25 and 30, Doc announced after making a fact-finding tour of the three facilities on November 14.

The three projects have been invested by private companies with Sun Group developing the Van Don international airport and Hon Gai international port, the fields that have seen the participation of private companies for the first time in Vietnam.

When operating, the Van Don international airport will serve such big jets as A350 and B777 and is capable of catering for 2.5 million passengers a year by 2020 and 5 million passengers by 2030. 

The airport authority has been working with the provincial authorities and other sectors concerned to seek for its markets, focusing on Southeast and Aortheast Asia and local routes to destinations in the central and southern regions, like Hue, Da Nang, Cam Ranh, Da Lat and Phu Quoc.

Hon Gai international port, located on the Cua Luc river, was built under the private-public partnership form between Sun Group and Quang Ninh province. 

It was designed to have a 524-m quay that is able to receive two cruise ships with capacity of up to 225,000 GT at the same time.

The port provides a five-star three-storey terminal covering 7,600 square meters and a harbor serving 250 tourist boats carrying visitors to world heritage site Ha Long Bay.

The Ha Long-Van Don highway stretches over 59 km, connecting with the Hanoi-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh economic triangle, helping spur socio-economic development of the province and the northern key economic zone. It has a total investment of around 14 trillion VND. 

Investors said technical infrastructure of the three projects has been completed and they are speeding up the completion of required legal procedures for the operation of the Van Don international airport and the Hon Gai international port by the end of December.

Doc said the province has signed a contract with investors to implement the Van Don-Mong Cai Expressway under the Built-Operation-Transfer (BOT) mode at a cost of 13 trillion VND.

Quang Ninh spent over 2 trillion VND clearing around 90 percent of the ground used for the road, he said.

Construction of the project is expected to commence late this year.

Last victim found in illegal gold mine accident in Hoa Binh

Rescue work at the side of the illegal gold mine accident in Hoa Binh 

Rescue forces have found the body of the last victim in the illegal gold mine accident on November 4 in the northern province of Hoa Binh.

The Cot Co cave in Lac Thuy district’s Thanh Nong commune collapsed in the early hours of November 4 due to illegal gold mining activities, burying two miners. 

The first victim was found dead on November 10, who was identified as Truong Cong Chanh, born 1992 from the central province of Thanh Hoa.

The second body was found at 23:30 on November 14. It was believed to be that of Bui Van Thu, born 1990, from Dep village, Thanh Nong commune.

Bach Xuan Hung, owner of the illegal gold mine, have been arrested as the investigation into the case continues.

Chairman of the Lac Thuy district People’s Committee Quach Tat Liem said that local authorities had already previously found that Bach Xuan Hung had been illegally mining gold. They had fined him for this violation, but he still continued with the mining.

In early October, the administration of Thanh Nong commune began removing tents and equipment at the mining site, however, the work was hampered by a landslide on a nearby road. Taking advantage of this period, Hung resumed gold mining activities at night.

Presenting further details, Deputy Director of the Hoa Binh Department of Public Security Col. Nguyen Thanh said that miners working illegally under Hung’s direction might have buried some equipment to hide the evidence of their violation. Police are considering criminal proceedings in this case.

Foreign women to hold charity bazaar in Hanoi

The 26th Charity Bazaar of the Hanoi International Women’s Club (HIWC Bazaar) will take place at the urban town complex Starlake in Hanoi on November 18 to raise funds for vulnerable women and children in Vietnam.

The annual HIWC Bazaar will be an opportunity for people in Hanoi to experience diverse cultures and international food from various countries around the world, said HIWC President Kate Ruddon. All profits from the event will be donated to projects that support disadvantaged women and children in the country.

Themed “Travel the World and Celebrate,” this year’s event will gather embassies and foreign communities from more than 30 countries to bring their traditional foods and beverages to the table. Visitors can also enjoy live dance and music performances, as well as shop for unique gifts for the upcoming festive holidays, such as Hanukkah and Christmas.

Auctions will be organised to provide the visitors with the chance to bid for exciting prizes, such as jewellery, distinctive artworks, air tickets, and a five-star cruise trip.

The bazaar will also offer lots of treats and activities for children of all ages, for example pony rides, giant trampolines, face painting, games, a hockey competition, and Ninja training. 

Last year, the event attracted nearly 10,000 people who helped raise a record-breaking total of 144,000 USD. These funds were used to support 18 projects aimed at empowering disadvantaged women, youth, and children in the areas of health, community development, and education.

The HIWC Bazaar takes place at the end of fall every year to provide a chance for foreign communities and locals living in Hanoi to strengthen their friendship and promote cultural exchange. 

Founded in 1986, the HIWC has been a popular event amongst many foreigners in Hanoi and raised funds for many social and charity projects.

Since 2005, the club has raised a total of more than 1.25 million USD for vulnerable women and children’s projects in Vietnam. 

Mufidah Yusuf Kalla, the wife of the Indonesian Vice President, visited the Vietnamese Embassy's booth in last year's event 

Vietnamese traditional handicrafts, silk and lacquer products, pottery statues, jewellery and especially coffee and nem (fried spring rolls) are being sold at an annual charity bazaar in Jakarta, which opened on November 14.

The Women’s International Club (WIC) Jakarta hosted the 51st edition of the two-day fair, aiming to raise funds for charitable activities.

This year’s event saw more than 50 booths from embassies in Indonesia and about 230 of local enterprises. It also featured cultural performances of the Indonesia’s Yogyakarta region and embassies.

In her opening remarks, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s wife Mufidah said that the fair offers an opportunity for fundraising campaigns of social activities, promoting education and improve livelihoods in many areas.

Established in 1950 by women of four different nationalities – India, Indonesia, the UK and the US – the club has become a gathering place for women from foreign embassies in Indonesia. 

It regularly holds humanitarian activities to assist people with disabilities, the elderly, street children, orphans and disadvantaged students in Indonesia.

The profits will be donated to humanitarian projects, including presenting learning tools for schools dedicated to poor and homeless children and orphans, upgrading infrastructure in care centres for the elderly and people with mental disorders.

Netherlands helps to improve water supply capacity in Mekong Delta

Representatives of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and the Netherlands’ Vitens Evides International (VEI) company held a discussion on the WaterWorX project, which aims to orient the water supply to be adaptable to the effects of climate change in the southwest of Mekong River Delta, funded by the company and the Dutch Government.

Folker de Jager, VEI Manager for Asia, said that the firm has worked with various water companies in Vietnam since 2009 and defined water as one of the country’s most important sectors.

The WaterWorX will be implemented from 2019-2030, through three phases. In the first phase, from 2019-2021, the project will receive an investment of 2.5 million EUR, 90 percent of which is sourced by the Dutch Government and VEI.

In the first phase, the project will cover three localities of Can Tho, Hau Giang, and Soc Trang.

Folker de Jager said that its objectives include assisting water supply firms in localities to deal with upcoming climate change challenges amidst the increasing salt water intrusion, depression, and reduced levels of underground water.

He said that the project will help enhance the operational capacity of water supply firms, focusing on reducing revenue losses, as well as improving water quality and saving power.

At the same time, VEI will also coordinate with firms in building future plans to cope with the effects of climate change.

In the second and third phases, the project will expand collaboration with water firms in other localities facing similar problems, such as Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, and Kien Giang.

He also expressed his hope that the project will contribute to promoting economic growth in the Mekong Delta region, where water plays a significant role in local agriculture.

Can Tho has three companies that will join the project’s first phase, while Hau Giang and Soc Trang also have one each. 

During the project, the VEI will also coordinate with the Centre for Climate Change Research from Can Tho University.

Vice Chairman of the Can Tho People’s Committee Dao Anh Dung said that the city supports the project, adding that relevant authorities will approve the project as soon as all necessary procedures have been completed so that the signing of agreements will take place as scheduled.

Cambodian drug trafficker arrested in HCM City

Police of Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Binh district said they have arrested a Cambodian for illegally buying and possessing synthetic drugs. 

According to the agency, Kouch Pheng Leng, born in 1975, was found to have been involved in a ring to supply synthetic drugs in HCM City. 

The man was arrested while staying at a hotel in Binh Tri Dong ward of Binh Tan district on November 12. 

The police seized nearly 2,000 synthetic pills hidden in four plastic bottles. 

At the local police station, Leng confessed that he bought the drug in Cambodia and brought to HCM City for consumption. 

The case is under further investigation.

Toll collection system in need of private investment

Labourers work on an expressway.

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has asked the Việt Nam Expressway Corporation (VEC) to seek investments for non-stop toll collection systems on expressways under their management by the end of November.

Nội Bài – Lào Cai Expressway, for example, is a VEC project that came into operation in 2014.

As investment funds for construction are being finalised, the MoT said it was impossible for VEC to use the State budget to invest into the non-stop toll collection system on the expressway. VEC will have to seek private funding for the system. The residual State budget for this project has not been calculated.

Previously, the MoT asked VEC to research investments in Nội Bài – Lào Cai Expressway’s non-stop toll collection system under a public-private partnership. However, VEC has not yet submitted the proposal.

Regarding the Đà Nẵng – Quảng Ngãi and Bến Lức – Long Thành expressways, the MoT asked VEC to seek other capital sources to replace the funds from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). VEC has not responded to the demand.

Non-stop toll collection or semi-automatic toll collection stations are equipped with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system.

The RFID system will identify the car’s entry point and exit point and activate a camera to photograph the vehicle’s number plate while reading an IC card to calculate the charges for each type of vehicle.

The IC card will be issued to the driver at the first station of the expressway, and the driver will return it to a toll attendant before exiting.

The system will calculate the charge based on the type of automobile and the length of road the vehicle has travelled.

After the toll attendant receives cash from the driver, invoices will be printed for the driver and the barrier will be opened for the car to pass through.

Quảng Trị to allocate funds for erosion prevention

Different rivers in Quảng Trị Province have been hit by serious erosion.

The Quảng Trị Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked the provincial People’s Committee to allocate funds to build an erosion prevention system along the Thạch Hãn River.

The proposal was made because erosion remained commonplace in the province, threatening residents’ safety.

The system, which will be in Triệu Long Commune, Triệu Phong District, will be more than 1,360m in length and require nearly VNĐ13 billion (US$565,200) in funding.

The Thạch Hãn River, which passes through Triệu Phong Commune, was hit by serious erosion during the past few years, especially during flood seasons.

Lê Bá Hàn, 57, a local resident, said many people used to prefer living near the river because it provided access to water resources and the land was suitable for planting. However, residents have recently decided to move to other places to ensure safety.

In recent years, Quảng Trị Province invested hundreds of billions of đồng to build embankments along different rivers.

For example, the embankment along the Ô Lâu River in Hải Chánh Commune, Hải Lăng District was worth VNĐ5 billion ($217,300). The embankment along the Thạch Hãn River in Hải Lệ Commune, Quảng Trị Town, which is 1km in length, cost nearly VNĐ11 billion ($478,200). The embankment along the two sides of Hiếu River, which is 6km in length, had a total investment of VNĐ130 billion ($5.6 million). It is expected to be finished in September next year.

Nearly 119km of river bank in Quảng Trị Province was hit by erosion, affecting more than 2,360 households, nearly 600 of which are living in very dangerous areas.

Thạch Hãn, Bến Hải and Ô Lâu rivers were hit by the most serious erosion.

In the period from 2018 to 2030, the province needs about VNĐ1.6 trillion ($68.6 million) to cope with the problem. The funds will be used to build embankments, warning maps about areas facing a high risk of erosion and an alert system. 

Satellite devices effective in monitoring fishing boats

The satellite-positioning Movimar system proved effective in monitoring fishing boats in Vietnam in 2016-2017, according to the Fisheries Resources Surveillance agency. 

The system helped authorities keep track of fishing vessels at sea, while also allowing local fishermen to inform authorities about foreign fishing boats intending to fish illegally in Vietnam’s waters, the agency said. 

Statistics released by the Directorate of Fisheries show that as of May 2018, French-manufactured Movimar devices had been installed on 3,000 fishing boats in Vietnam under a project on monitoring fishing boats, fishing grounds and aquaculture resources using satellite technology (known as the Movimar project). 

The directorate is continuing to review the list of ships eligible for Movimar installation and guide fishermen to use the system properly.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has approved continued State funding to maintain the Movimar system pending the building of a scheme to carry out the second phase of the Movimar project. 

He urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to design the scheme quickly and submit it to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for approval in the second quarter of 2019. 

As one of the most modern positioning systems, Movimar comprises two main parts: machines installed on the boats and the inshore monitoring system. 

The equipment on boats automatically transfers co-ordinates and time from the boats to the monitoring centre every two hours. The data helps the centre keep track of the speed and direction of boats, thus providing timely support in case of emergency and assisting boats’ fishing activities.

In addition, the devices deliver forecasts on the weather and fishing fields, helping fishermen save costs, especially fuel, resulting in more effective operation and reduced risks.

HCMC to spend VND3.2 trillion on public employees' pay rise

Director of the HCMC Department of Finance Phan Thi Thang said at a seminar on November 9 that State employees are to receive an estimated VND3.2 trillion pay increase, with VND1.98 trillion set aside for district-level authorities and the remainder for the city’s administrative staff, VnExpress news site reported.

It is expected the total cost for the public sector pay increase will be VND7.2 trillion in 2019, which is sourced from the previous year’s wage reform and budgets of districts and the city.

According to the municipal government’s resolution issued in March, excellent public employees will be paid a maximum 0.6 times higher than their current salaries, rising to 1.2 times in 2019 and 1.8 times in 2020.

The spending of VND3.2 trillion is only an estimate made by the Department of Finance, as 13 units and districts have yet to submit their estimates to the department. It is said that the city maintains a payroll of 130,000 public employees.

Truong Van Lam, director of the HCMC Department of Home Affairs, said employee pay raises will be based on assessments of employee performance and productivity. Of four rating levels, “Excellent” and “Good” ratings will be entitled to a pay raise.

Speaking at the seminar, Nguyen Thien Nhan, Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, said that due to the large population of the city, each public worker has to serve 700 customers, resulting in many tasks being shouldered by city employees. Nhan noted the pay raise will motivate public workers and boost their dedication.

Statistics from the 2013-2017 period showed that the productivity of city employees was 2.7 times higher than employees nationwide, on average, and the efficiency of HCMC’s public employees was recorded at 1.5 times higher than the country’s. However, payment for public servants and civil servants in HCMC is applied at the same rate as in the country, placing them under pressure to meet their daily living costs.

Đồng Tháp aquaculture farms almost reach full-year tra production target

Farming tra fish for export in Đồng Tháp Province’s Tam Nông District. 

Đồng Tháp Province, the Mekong Delta’s largest tra fish producer, has more than 2,200ha of aquaculture farms breeding the fish and they have produced about 438,000 tonnes so far this year, equivalent to almost the full-year target.

More than 2,000ha of farms breed for export.

Nguyễn Văn Công, director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province is developing concentrated large-scale tra fish farming areas.  

It is also establishing co-operatives and co-operative teams for tra farmers to ensure they maintain high quality, he said.

It is also fostering co-operation between farmers and processors in all stages from producing fry for breeding, raising the fish and processing them for exports.

About 700ha of farms have received quality certification like VietGAP, GlobalGAP, Aquaculture Stewardship Council and Best Aquaculture Practices.

The province has issued identification numbers to ponds belonging to 349 tra breeders with a total of 1,500ha to ensure traceability for exports.

The province targets production of 455,000 tonnes this year, according to the department.

The province will produce 700 million high-quality tra fish fingerlings a year from now to 2020, meeting 50 per cent of local demand, its People’s Committee said.

The number will increase to 1.5 billion in 2021-25, meeting 100 per cent of the demand.   

These targets are part of the province’s plan to produce tra fry under a three-tier co-operation project approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development last March.

The first tier comprises research institutes and universities that use advanced techniques in choosing breeding pairs, innovate breeding techniques and transfer them to the second tier.

The second tier comprises Government-owned and private tra fry production centres, while the third is made up of establishments that raise the fish until they reach the fingerling stage.  

In 2018-20, the province will select four to five entities from the second tier to produce quality fry.

This will also help trace the origin of tra fry and provide high-quality fry for commercial production.

The province plans to establish four concentrated juvenile tra production areas on a total area of 400ha in Hồng Ngự, Châu Thành and Cao Lãnh districts, and Hồng Ngự Town.

It will invest in infrastructure and use advanced techniques to produce high-quality fry on an industrial scale.

The plan is expected to cost around VNĐ146 billion (US$6.3 million), with the funds coming from the central and local governments, loans and investments by organisations and breeders.

The province has 68 establishments that produce tra fry and 1,116 others that raise the newborns until they reach the fingerling stage.

The province produces some 1.3 billion tra fry and 1.2 billion fingerlings a year, which it supplies to local breeders and those around the delta. 

Vietnam dissolves nearly 3,000 weak agricultural cooperatives

Nearly 3,000 poor-performance agricultural cooperatives have been dissolved or stopped operation for the last five years after the Cooperative Law was issued, reported the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Currently, there are 900 poor performance agricultural cooperatives in need of dissolving.

Despite of small revenue, outdated infrastructure and low number of trained employees and officials, agricultural cooperatives have participated in consuming 20.5 percent of farm produce for farmers.

As of November this year, the country has over 13,000 cooperatives including 7,700 new style ones and 65,000 cooperative groups operating in the agricultural field.

The number of newly established cooperatives quickly increased from 1,150 in 2006 to 1,300 in 2017 and 2,100 this year. A total of 1,790 cooperatives have been set up in the first ten months this year.

Cooperative revenue averages VND1.1 billion (US$47,000) a year, 1.5 times higher than five years before.

Many houses illegally build by Dalat Lake

A row of up to 19 houses have been found to be illegally built by Tuyen Lam Lake in the Central Highlands city of Dalat.

The wooden-made houses covering a total area of 450 square metres belong to Ly Khuong Investment JS Company, the investor of Hoang Gia eco-tourism site. 

The area where the houses are located on is part of the Tuyen Lam Lake national heritage site.

According to local authorities, the investors failed to show construction licenses for the houses which are just some metres from the lake.

The investor has been requested to dismantle the houses.

Early this year, Ly Khuong Investment JS Company has been caught levelling nearly three hectares in Tuyen Lam Lake national heritage site without approval from management agencies.

Dalat City People’s Committee has suspended the company’s illegal work.