Police start official investigation after man murders 2, kills himself in Điện Biên

Police officials discuss the case at a press conference on Thursday morning. 

Police in the northern mountainous province of Điện Biên have officially opened an investigation after a 54-year-old man killed a couple in Mường Thanh Ward on Wednesday morning before killing himself.

Major General Sùng A Hồng, director of Điện Biên Province’s Police Department, said at a press conference on Thursday morning that a video clip showed the suspect, named Phạm Quang Sỏi, committing suicide after killing the couple.

Hồng said the initial investigation had found a suicide note of Sỏi that said the couple had borrowed money from him.

The investigation also showed that in 2017, Sỏi sold his house in Noong Bua Ward for VNĐ3.6 billion (US$154,800) and lent part of the money to the couple, but as of June this year, they had failed to pay it back despite repeated requests.

Sỏi, a heroin addict, was divorced and lived alone, Hồng said.

The origin of the CKC rifle that Sỏi used to kill the couple remains unknown.

Police are continuing their investigation. 

Typhoon Bebinca makes landfall in Vietnam

The direction of typhoon Bebinca (Photo: nchmf.gov.vn)

Typhoon Bebinca, the fourth storm to hit Vietnam this year, made landfall in the north central province of Thanh Hoa and weakened into a tropical low pressure early August 17, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

The north and north central regions have seen moderate to heavy rain (rainfall from 50mm to 150mm) since August 16 evening, posing a risk of flash flood and landslides in mountainous localities, especially Lai Chau, Son La, Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Phu tho, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An.

The centre also warned of floods in low-lying areas and urban areas in the Red River Delta and the north central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An. 

On August 16, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung made a field trip to Thanh Hoa to inspect its preparation for the storm, urging the province to mobilise all resources in order to protect the lives and property of local residents.

He asked chairpersons of the province and its districts to directly steer the evacuation work.

The Deputy PM also inspected the operation of Cua Dat reservoir in Thuong Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province.

All the 7,443 vessels and 27,747 people working at sea in Thanh Hoa had reached shelters.

Thanh Hoa asked to mobilise resources for storm prevention

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung on August 16 urged the central province of Thanh Hoa to mobilise all resources in order to protect the lives and property of local residents as storm Bebinca approaches.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung on August 16 urged the central province of Thanh Hoa to mobilise all resources in order to protect the lives and property of local residents as Storm Bebinca approaches. 

During a field trip to Thanh Hoa to inspect its preparation for the storm, the official asked chairpersons of the province and its districts to directly steer the evacuation work. 

The province needs to set forth plans to protect crops and facilities, minimising all potential losses caused by the disaster, he said, highlighting the core role of armed forces in handling storm-related incidents.

While in Thanh Hoa, the Deputy PM inspected the operation of Cua Dat reservoir in Thuong Xuan district. 

The province houses up to 610 reservoirs, of which 124 have failed to meet safety regulations in cases of flooding. 

All the 7,443 vessels and 27,747 people working at sea in Thanh Hoa have reached shelters. 

Storm Bebinca, the fourth appearing in the East Sea this year, is forecast to hit the mainland of Vietnam early on August 17. It passed the Leizhou Peninsular of China and entered the Tonkin Gulf on August 16.

At 1pm on August 16, its centre was at about 19.9 degrees north and 107.8 degrees east, just above Vietnam’s Bach Long Vi Island. It sustained wind speeds of up to 75-100km per hour, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

In the next 24 hours, Bebinca is predicted to move westwards at about 10km per hour.

It will directly affect the coastal provinces from Quang Ninh to Nghe An on the night of August 16.

Later, the storm will move further into the mainland and abate into a tropical depression whose centre will be at around 20.1 degrees north and 105 degrees east, just above the Vietnam-Laos border area, at 1pm of August 17.

As a result, heavy rains with an average rainfall of 250-300mm are likely to occur in northern and northern central regions from August 16 to August 18. Notably, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces may record a rainfall of up to 400-500mm.

The forecasting centre also warned of a high risk of landslides and flash floods in mountainous areas along with inundation in low-lying and urban areas.

Southern provinces seek to relocate residents from landslide areas

Houses collapsed into the O Mon River as a result of bank erosion in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho 

The People’s Committee of the southernmost province of Ca Mau has asked the Government to provide 300 billion VND (13.2 million USD) to move locals from landslide-prone areas to new residential areas.

The funds will be used to speed up construction of new residential areas for households living in erosion-prone areas along the river in Hang Vinh commune and Nam Can district.

Under the plan, some 356 out of 1,200 households will be urgently relocated to new areas.

To Hoai Phuong, Chairman of the Nam Can District People’s Committee, said that heavy rains had caused many landslides in the region.

He said that the authorities must closely monitor weather conditions and issue warnings about landslide-prone areas so that residents can move to a safe area.

Coastal districts in the province usually suffer the worst impact of climate change. Nam Can, Ngoc Hien and Dam Doi districts, in particular, were hit by landslides at different levels, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Since the beginning of last year, 540m of land have eroded and 43m of riverbank have collapsed, affecting over 320ha of aquaculture, property and residents’ lives.

Provincial authorities do not have specific statistics on the extent of damage caused by the disaster.

Last year, Ca Mau province proposed providing aid of 120 billion VND (5.28 million USD) to relocate 500 households at Vam Xoay and Rach Goc seagate in Ngoc Hien district.

By 2025, the province will need 1.2 trillion (52.8 million USD) to evacuate nearly 5,700 households from landslide-prone areas to a safe place.

The same situation is occurring in Dong Thap province. More than 5,900 households living in landslide-prone areas should be relocated, according to the provincial People’s Committee.

At least 900 out of more than 5,900 households need to relocate immediately, but many will have to live in the tents or in their relatives’ houses because of the lack of residential housing.

Meanwhile, about 1,540 households living in areas with a high risk of landslides need to relocate soon.

The province has asked the Government to provide about 660 billion VND (29 million USD) to move locals from landslide-prone areas to safe places as well as build new residential areas.

Since the beginning of this year, nine landslides have damaged 163km of land along Tien River’s bank in the province, and caused losses of over 172 million VND (7,530 USD).

Thanh Binh district, Hong Ngu town and Cao Lanh city have been the most affected by erosion.

The province plans to deal with eroded areas along Tien River’s bank in Thanh Binh district’s Binh Thanh commune and Chau Thanh district’s An Hiep commune.

This will include building an embankment between Thanh Binh district’s Binh Thanh commune and Cao Lanh district’s Phong My commune, and implementing the second phase of the project on extending a 460m section of embankment in Hong Ngu district’s Thuong Thoi Tien commune.

The province has asked the people’s committees of these districts to install warning signs and raise awareness about erosion prevention among local residents.

Between 2005 and 2017,  the province recorded 25 eroded sites along the Tien River, covering an area of 305ha, according to a report from the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The province provided 350 billion VND (15.3 million USD) in funds to move locals from landslide areas to new residential areas.

La Vang Pilgrimage Festival held in Quang Tri province

At the event

The 32nd La Vang Pilgrimage Festival took place in Hai Lang district in the central province of Quang Tri on August 14 and 15. 

Priest Pham Ngoc Hai, head of the La Vang Pilgrimage Centre, said this year’s festival attracted nearly 100,000 Catholics and visitors. 

The province asked relevant forces to watch over roads leading to the centre and nearby areas to ensure security and order. 

The La Vang Archdiocese also partnered with archdioceses from Dong Ha city in the central province of Quang Tri to Lang Co in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue to gathere over 1,500 dignitaries and parishioners to establish committees on health care, public security, food safety and hygiene, and worship, thus ensuring the best conditions for pilgrims. 

The centre also prepared medicines and medical equipment, collaborated with Trieu Hai hospital to offer first aid if necessary and erected 300 canvases in its yard to shelter pilgrims from sunshine and rain.

Hanoi releases 34 prisoners ahead of schedule

Hanoi police grants the amnesty decisions to eligible prisoners on August 15 

The Hanoi People’s Court has approved the conditional release of 34 prisoners ahead of schedule.

The decision was announced by the city’s police at a meeting on August 15. The document was signed off by the court on August 1 as proposed by the municipal Department of Public Security.

Deputy Director of the department Col. Nguyen Van Vien said those inmates had shown good conduct and met other requirements.

The conditional release was considered in a serious and transparent manner and strictly adhered to legal regulations, he said, adding that it reflects the Vietnamese Party and State’s amnesty policy and the country’s humanitarian tradition.

Conditional release of prisoners ahead of schedule is stipulated in the revised 2015 Penal Code, which took effect this year.

This is a new judicial measure in the enforcement of prison sentences as the eligible prisoners will no longer have to complete their penalties at detention centres but be managed and re-educated by local administration and police.

Programme to enhance traffic safety education for students

At the signing ceremony 

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), National Traffic Safety Committee and Honda Vietnam Co. Ltd. on August 15 inked a cooperation programme on traffic safety education for the 2018-2023 period.

At the signing ceremony, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Nghia noted that the number of traffic-linked deaths among students remains high, resulting in the need of educational programmes on road safety.

The MoET and Honda Vietnam launched various programmes on traffic safety for students in 2015-2018, such as training courses on traffic rules and safe driving skills, she said.

More than 70,000 standard helmets were presented to students across the country, Nghia added.

The cooperation programme in the next five years will focus on compiling, supplementing and adjusting documents on traffic safety for young children and students.

Besides, it will organise training courses for teachers and school officials responsible for student management and present helmets to students nationwide.

Especially, an educational programme for children under five years old, the first of its kind in Vietnam, will be launched in a bid to raise the kids’ awareness about traffic safety.

For his part, General Director of Honda Vietnam Toshio Kuwahara expressed his belief that the programme will enhance effectiveness of communications on traffic safety in schools, along with providing safe driving lessons for Vietnamese people, which help to reduce traffic accidents in the country.

Dak Lak prioritises school infrastructure investment for remote areas

The Central Highlands province of Dak Lak has invested more than 130 billion VND (5.5 million USD) in building and upgrading infrastructure in local schools, ahead of the 2018-2019 academic year due to start in September.

In preparation for the new academic year, the province has built and repaired 515 classrooms; as well as many labs, multi-purpose rooms, and toilets. The works are focused in remote areas and those with largely ethnic minority inhabitants, such as Lak, M’Drak, Ea H’Leo, and Ea Sup districts.

The education authorities have also bought new learning equipment for schools at all levels.

Pham Dang Khoa, head of the provincial Department of Education and Training, said that the facilities are now ready to serve the upcoming school year.

Looking ahead, the locality will continue to mobilise resources to invest in school infrastructure, striving for 80 percent of classrooms meeting requirements

Symposium promotes Industry 4.0’s role in human development

A symposium was held in Hanoi on August 15 to discuss the promotion of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its effects on human development in Vietnam. 

The event was jointly organised by the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), the Theoretical Council of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Central Committee, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam. 

Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of the VASS Dang Nguyen Anh said production and recruitment are the most important elements for the nation’s economic development, and even further that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is a turning-point in the history of humankind, creating strong impacts on all aspects of the society, and bringing rapid and sustainable development. 

During its 30-year process of industrialisation and modernisation, Vietnam has reached high economic growth and remarkable achievements through the pillars of extensive growth: productive employment, social services, and social security, he said. 

According to Caitlin Wiesen, Director of UNDP in Vietnam, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is able to help promote poverty reduction in rural areas and generate jobs for the people, thus improving their living conditions. 

She stressed the significance of inclusive in obtaining achievements in human development, she said. 

To promote the inclusive growth to a higher level, participants stressed the need to foster institutional reform and comprehensive policies focused on increasing high-productivity employments, bettering the education and healthcare services, and updating the social welfare system. 

They also discussed measures to increase the application of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Vietnam, and determined future research topics, cooperation with countries in promoting Industry 4.0.

Long An’s poor students get gifts ahead of new school year

At the ceremony (Source: http://4oranges.com)

 

The southern province of Long An on August 15 held a ceremony to grant 400 scholarships and 800 helmets and backpacks to local poor, gifted students.

The gifts, worth 1.6 billion VND (69,500 USD) in total, were sponsored by 4 Oranges Co., Ltd – Smit Chea Company.

Since 2007, the company has presented more than 4,700 scholarships and 4,700 helmets and backpacks worth over 12 billion VND (521,700 USD) to students in Long An province.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Van Can thanked 4 Oranges Co., Ltd – Smit Chea for supporting local disadvantaged students over the past years.

This has helped the beneficiaries to overcome difficulties in life and continue going to school in order to become useful citizens in the future, he said.

On the occasion, the committee presented certificates of merit to the company’s units and individuals with great contributions to the local study encouragement movement.

AVERP project awards best technologies in GHG emissions

At the award ceremony 

The AgResults Vietnam Emissions Reduction Pilot (AVERP) awarded three agricultural technology projects verified to be most efficient in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increasing rice yield during a conference in Thai Binh on August 15.

The conference was co-held by the non-profit SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the northern province to review the spring rice crop and award winners of the project’s first phase.

The three winners received prizes worth a total of 100,000 USD. Of the amount, 50,000 USD was given to the first prize winner – FARI-SEED JSC, a member of Field Crops Research Institute.

The AgResults Vietnam Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Pilot is a four-year, 8-million-USD results-based financing project that aims to test and scale up innovative technologies, tools, and approaches to reduce GHG emissions in the land cultivation and production stages for rice, while also increasing yield, reducing poverty, protecting the environment, and combating the effects of climate change.

The AVERP project is conducted in two phases in the Red River Delta’s Thai Binh province. The first phase of the project took place over two rice crops, during which selected organisations tested their technologies. Six out of 11 competing organisations were selected to go through to the second phase.

The project’s Phase II will begin in spring 2019 and consists of four consecutive crops, during which organisations will scale their proven technology to reach the greatest number of smallholder farmers. Participating organisations will be paid based on their results achieved in both phases.

Its objectives are to reach 75,000 farm households in Thai Binh, reduce 375,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, and save about 15 percent of costs for smallholder farmers due to lower input use. 

HCM City encourages inhabitants to use solar energy

The Science and Technology Application Center under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology is asked to consult and support inhabitants to install solar energy panels on the roofs of buildings, hospitals, and private houses. 

This is the project to evaluate the potential and feasibility of installing a solar energy system, calculating usable output capacity and the potential contributed energy to the total electricity output, building a founding database for the further development of solar energy on roofs. All are supposed to help the growth of renewable energy in HCMC.

According to the research results of the program ‘Building Solar Energy Panels on Roofs’, carried out in HCMC by the World Bank, the city has great potential in developing solar energy since more than 316,535 buildings in the area are able to have solar energy panels installed. This would harness a capacity of around 6,379MWp, which means a yearly output of 17,889GWh.

To successfully apply the guideline from the government, HCMC aims to change its energy structure so that the renewable energy will account for 1 percent to 1.74 percent of consumed energy. It will, therefore, focus on developing solar energy, especially on building roofs.

Hanoi sets up centre for disease control

The Centre for Preventive Medicine in Hanoi (Source: chinhphu.vn)

 

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung has approved the establishment of a centre for disease control based on the restructuring of the Centre for Preventive Medicine in Hanoi.

Under Decision 4016/QD-UBND signed on August 6, after reshuffling, the Centre for Preventive Medicine will be renamed as Hanoi Centre for Disease Control (Hanoi CDC) and have a total of 540 staff members.

The Hanoi CDC, which is under the direct control of the municipal Health Department, will provide counselling and organise activities on disease prevention and health risk reduction. The centre is also tasked with managing community health.

Earlier, the Centre for Preventive Medicine was re-organised with the merger of nine units of the city’s preventive medicine system.

In addition, the reproductive health care centre at the Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital was moved to the Hanoi CDC.

Meanwhile, the division for medicine and cosmetics testing in the former Centre for Preventive Medicine was separated from the centre and upgraded to the municipal centre for medicine, cosmetics and food testing.

Hoa Binh seeks to promote tourism development in upland areas

A tourism site in Hoa Binh province 

A fact-finding trip was organised to explore potential for tourism development in mountainous Lung Van commune in the northern province of Hoa Binh’s Tan Lac district.

 The trip was joined by local officials, representatives from Action on Poverty in Vietnam, and FLC Group. 

Situated at an altitude of nearly 700m above sea level, and covered with clouds around the year, Lung Van is the centre of five upland communes of Tan Lac district. It has great potential and advantages for promoting tourism development.

It boasts numerous heritage featuring Muong ethnic people’s culture identities such as Mo Muong culture heritage, Muong gong, handicraft products, traditional festivals and folk games.

Lung Van is an attractive destination for community-based tours. It has the provincial road 440 linking to localities with tourism potential including communes of Quyet Chien, Nam Son, Bac Son, Ngo Luong in Tan Lac district; Pu Bin and Noong Luong communes in Mai Chau district; and tourism sites in Bac Thuoc district of the north central province of Thanh Hoa. 

Besides, Lung Van boasts a system of caves and old stilt houses. 

During the trip, participants visited several projects of tourism development.

Representatives from FLC hoped to cooperate with the locality in developing tourism, especially community-based tourism, while calling on the local authority to work well on management, and pay attention to improving the quality of tourism services. 

Training courses should be arranged for local households which are supplying homestay services for tourists, helping them collect experience in this field, they said.

Action on Poverty in Vietnam pledged to send experts to Lung Van to support the building of tourism development plans for the locality.

Speaking at the working session with the delegation, Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Council Tran Dang Ninh asked Tan Lac authority to swiftly outline a project to promote tourism development in upland communes, focusing on encouraging local household to provide homestay services. 

Tourism activities must ensure the preservation of typical culture and environmental protection, he noted.

Patient saved with metal pieces stuck in bronchi

A patient recovers at the general hospital of Quang Nam after an endoscopy surgery to remove metal pieces from his bronchi. 

Doctors from the provincial Quang Nam General Hospital successfully removed a number of pieces of metal from the bronchi of a patient through endoscopy surgery on August 9.

Head of the surgical team, Dr Trình Trung Phong said the patient, 40, who suffered from mental disability was being cared for at a provincial centre. The man was admitted to the hospital with a terrible cough and difficulty breathing on August 3.

An X-ray sowed metal pieces stuck in the patient’s bronchi, leading to his lungs.

Doctors managed to remove the items, including the striker wheel of a lighter and a fishing hook, among others.

The patient is recovering well after the surgery, and will be released within several days.

This is the third case of doctors treating patients with objects stuck in their respiratory organs in the province since 2017.

A coin was removed from the esophagus of a five-year old girl, while an elderly man had a small stone removed from his lungs. 

Gov’t inspects skyrocketing scrap imports

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has asked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to conduct a comprehensive inspection on the import of scrap materials, as the volume of second-hand products imported into Việt Nam has rocketed in recent times, raising concerns about how the scrap industry affects the environment. 

Any illegal imports or violations of environmental law must be criminally investigated. Those who were found to be involved would have their business licences revoked and be strictly handled, he said.

Speaking at the meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Government on environmental management in importing and using scrap as raw materials for production, Phúc said the import of scrap materials into Việt Nam has been complicated.

He acknowledged there is demand for paper and plastic scrap as materials for production but said it only brought benefits for the processors, not the environment. A large volume of scrap containers have been left unattended at ports.

Data of the HCM City Customs Department and the Saigon Newport Corporation show that as of June 26, up to 4,480 containers of scrap had been stuck at the ports under the corporation’s management. About 20 per cent of the imported scrap is paper and the rest is plastics and other types of scrap.

PM Phúc has requested the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and relevant ministries and localities review the current situation and intensify control over the import of discarded materials. Measures must be taken to prevent Việt Nam from becoming a waste dumping site, thus affecting the living environment of the country. 

The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment would take responsibility for this task.

The ministry was required to revise all permits for the import of quota-free materials. In the upcoming time, the ministry must stop the granting of licences on the import of scrap materials for entrusted import activities. 

It would consider the granting of permits for enterprises that managed to prove demand and capability to use scraps as raw materials for production. 

The ministry was also asked to promptly promulgate regulations on national technical standards on the environment for all imported scrap.

In addition, Phúc has assigned the Ministry of Public Security to direct local police, seaports and customs to provide a list to investigate and clarify the reasons for the abandoned scrap containers. 

He said serious violations on environmental law require legal proceedings.

Other ministries must join hands to control the imports of scrap containers into the country, he said. The Ministry of National Defence was asked to mobilise its functional forces to prevent the import of illegal scrap into Việt Nam. The Ministry of Transport will coordinate with the ministries of Finance, Public Security and National Defence to organise the destruction and removal of unused scrap containers in order to free up space for seaports. 

The Ministry of Industry and Trade was in charge of revising current regulations and proposing measures to limit the temporary import of scrap for re-export. The ministries, branches and localities needed to step up education on wrongdoing in production and business, which could adversely affect the environment and the people’s lives.

Figures from the Ministry of National Resources and Environment show that total scrap import volume in 2017, including iron, steel, plastics and paper, doubled from the previous year. The volume of plastic scrap imports between January and May this year almost doubled the figure for the whole of 2017. Imported scrap comes from many countries, including the US and the EU as well as countries in Asia.

Hà Nội investigates bribe-taking driver centres

A driving training centre in Hà Nội.

The Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam has asked Hà Nội’s Department of Transport to clarify the information about some driving training centres ignoring regulations by accepting bribes to guarantee success on theory tests.

In the document sent to the department, deputy director of the directorate Phan Thị Thu Hiền asked the department to quickly investigate the information about the violations reported by local press.

She asked the department to immediately carry out measures, including investigating and strictly handling violations, publicising the results of investigations and conducting close inspections of all driving training centres to ensure the proper management of issuing driving licenses in the city.

Local press reported that certain driving training centres encouraged learners to pay additional fees apart from tuition to gain success on theory tests in driving exams. Learners were asked to pay an additional VNĐ2.9 million (US$127) for examination and licensing fees without having to learn the lessons.

This has caused public concern over the risk that licenced drivers who never really learned how to drive nor legitimately passed their tests will cause traffic accidents.