Kiosks’ coercive removal conducted in Tan Son Nhat Airport vicinity

The owner of a kiosk in Truong Chinh street removes goods after authorized agencies conduct coercive removal measure

The People’s Committee of Tan Binh district yesterday organized the coercive removal of kiosks located in military land adjacent to Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Truong Chinh street, HCMC.

The owner of a kiosk in Truong Chinh street removes goods after authorized agencies conduct coercive removal measure 

The district People’s Committee has announced that August 31 is the deadline to dismantle the kiosks, which owners refused to remove although their land lease contracts have expired. The majority of the kiosks’ area is within the boundary of second metro line Ben Thanh-Tham Luong.

The kiosks have mainly been used for selling pottery products, ornamental plants and fish.

Previously at a conference on August 8, deputy Minister of Defense Tran Don proposed Tan Binh district and relevant agencies to work together and clear away 50 kiosks and three filling stations in Truong Chinh street within a month.

The ministry will hand over the entire cleared area, measuring 650 meters in length from Cong Hoa Prow to Pham Van Bach street, to the city to manage and use.

The coercive removal resulted in kilometer long traffic jam in Cong Hoa, Truong Chinh and Hoang Van Thu streets. The worst congestion occurred in front of Tan Son Nhat Airport.

More kids have pneumonia caused by virus RSV

The National Children Hospital in Hanoi said that lately, more neonates have pneumonia due to virus RSV. 

Each day, the hospital carries out tests on 80 - 120 and 30 – 40 percent of those who are infected with the virus. The virus is a cause of lower respiratory tract disease in neonates and in infants younger than 6 months.

Deputy head of the Neonate Intensive Care unit Dr. Trinh Thi Thu Ha said that of 200 inpatients, 60 have pneumonia because of virus RSV.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most frequent cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants and children and the second most common viral cause of pneumonia in adults. In tropical climates infection is most common during the rainy season

Medical workers warned pneumonia caused by virus RSV has similar symptoms with normal cold including running nose, cough, slight fever, vomiting and poor appetite. Infants with serious condition may experience breathing problems, or even worse, they turns blue or stops breathing for longer stretches of time. Infants can recover after one or two week treatment.

RSV can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can get infected if you get droplets from the cough or sneeze in your eyes, nose, or mouth, or if you touch a surface that has the virus on it, like a doorknob, and then touch your face before washing your hands.

Additionally, it can spread through direct contact with the virus, like kissing the face of a child with RSV.

Parents are encouraged to take their kids with above-mentioned symptoms to nearby infirmaries for timely treatment.

PM directs fixing of storm consequences in Nghe An

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 16 inspected recovery efforts in Nghe An province’s Cua Lo town after Typhoon Doksuri swept through the central locality one day earlier.

PM Phuc visited Nghi Hai primary school in Nghi Hai ward of Cua Lo, where the roof of many classrooms were blown away, with total losses of about 1 billion VND. He encouraged teachers to focus on overcoming the disaster, and ask necessary assistance from the province.

He urged Nghe An to continue mobilising forces to clean the environment and support locals in repairing houses and schools, making sure that on September 19, all students can return to schools and all locals can access to fresh water and power.

He also asked the province to help locals resume  production by September 17.

He agreed on proposals of Secretary of the Nghe An Party Committee Nguyen Dac Vinh on the setting up of flood warning systems in Ky Son district and Hieu River, and the upgrade of sea dyke of the province to enhance its resilience.

Earlier, the PM also inspected the overcoming of Typhoon Doksuri’s consequences in Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces.

Typhoon Doksuri, the 10th of its kind arising in the East Sea and the strongest one hitting Vietnam in many years, left five deaths and dozens of injuries in six hours in Vietnam on September 15.

The typhoon caused winds of up to 135kmph, cutting power to many localities and affecting 1.3 million people. Thousands of houses were destroyed and power and telecommunications networks were damaged.

EVN works to resume power supply to central localities

The Vietnam Electricity (EVN) has finished fixing the middle- and low-voltage power transmission lines and resume power supply for some central provinces hit by Typhoon Doksuri, including Dong Hoi city of Quang Binh, and downtowns of Nghe An and Ha Tinh.

The EVN has mobilised nearly 200 people to fix the electricity pole number 48 of the 220kV transmission line in Vung Ang-Dong Hoi which has been submerged in floodwater. The work is expected to finish on September 18.

Earlier, as requested by the provincial steering committees on natural disaster control and search and rescue, EVN lowered the water level of hydropower reservoirs of Trung Son in Thanh Hoa, Ho Ho in Ha Tinh and A Vuong in Quang Nam, thus creating new space to receive floodwater.

At the end of September 15, water outlets of some reservoirs were closed.

Currently, the EVN is mobilising resources to restore transmission lines to resume power supply for customers as soon as possible, with priority to public works such as hospitals and water plants.

Typhoon Doksuri, the 10th of its kind arising in the East Sea in 2017, directly devastated central provinces from Ha tinh to Quang Binh, while affecting coastal localities from Thanh Hoa to Quang Ngai, boasting strong winds and heavy rains.

Facebook activates Safety Check for Vietnam in wake of storm Doksuri

With tropical storm Doksuri heading for Laos after wreaking havoc in the Vietnamese north-central region on Friday, Facebook has activated its Safety Check feature to help users in Vietnam inform friends and family of their safety.

First introduced by the world’s largest social network in 2014, Safety Check allows people in the areas affected by natural disasters or major crises to let friends know they are safe.

People in affected areas in Vietnam can confirm their safety to friends at https://www.facebook.com/safetycheck/typhoon-doksuri-sep14-2017/about/

Storm Doksuri, the ten to hit Vietnam this year, made landfall in the country’s north-central area on Friday afternoon, prompting Facebook to launch the Safety Check and Community Help features, the social network said on Saturday.

The Community Help, available since February, is a Facebook feature that makes it easier for people affected by disasters and major accidents to find each other locally, and to provide and receive help.

“Up to 79,000 people in high-risk areas of Vietnam, particularly in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces, have evacuated, and up to 210,000 were planned to be evacuated,” Facebook said on the Safety Check page for typhoon Doksuri.

As reported by the Vietnamese government, five people were killed, 15 others injured and 114,000 houses unroofed in five provinces, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue.

Nearly 100 flights connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with the north-central localities have been disrupted or canceled.

Doksuri is forecast to become a tropical storm over Laos Saturday morning before dissipating into a tropical depression over Thailand by Saturday afternoon, according to the Safety Check page.

This is the second time Facebook launched Safety Check for Vietnam.

The feature was triggered in August 2016 when tropical storm Dianmu hit the country.

HCMC asks native English teachers to put away audiovisual equipment

Ho Chi Minh City has issued a list of regulations on teaching English in primary schools as many schools in the city are offering English courses taught by native speakers.

As requested by the city’s administration, native English teachers have to talk with their students instead of using audiovisual equipment such as cassette, CD player or interactive whiteboard so as to give students more opportunities to practice English.

For the same purpose, Vietnamese teaching assistants also have to speak with students in English.

Meanwhile, English nicknames are not allowed as the regulation specifically says native teachers have to call students by their Vietnamese names. 

Schools that hire native teachers for English courses have to use private investments to pay for their salaries and seek agreements with parents before offering those courses to students.

In addition, these schools have to treat native teachers like their official employees by letting them join school activities and meetings.

English is an obligatory subject from secondary school across Vietnam, but in large cities, many primary schools demand high competency.

With job vacancies available all year round offering high salaries, Vietnam was ranked the second best place in the world to teach English earlier this year by TEFL Exchange, a community for teachers of English as a foreign language.

The site estimates that a foreign English teacher can earn between $1,200-2,200 a month in Vietnam, where the average annual income in 2016 was just $2,200.

They can find a job any time of year and the best places to do so are the country’s three largest cities: Hanoi, HCMC and Da Nang.

Candidates only need to hold a bachelor’s degree and a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate.

Vietnamese ambassador bids farewell to Cambodian leader

Acting Head of State of Cambodia and President of the Senate Samdech Say Chhum hosted a reception in Phnom Penh on September 15 for Vietnamese Ambassador Thach Du who was bidding farewell at the end of his tenure.

The Cambodian official lauded Ambassador Du’s contributions to consolidating and developing special traditional friendship and solidarity between the two countries, stressing that the relationship is invaluable assets of people from both sides.

He thanked the Vietnamese Party, Government, People and Army for their support for Cambodia in national construction and development.

He pledged to cooperate with the new Vietnamese ambassador to Cambodia so that the diplomat can fulfill mission in the host nation.

For his part, Ambassador Du spoke highly of Cambodia’s development during his tenure and thanked the Cambodian National Assembly, Government and relevant ministries for creating favourable conditions for him to fulfill his mission.

He wished Cambodia attain further achievements in building a prosperous country.

Earlier, Ambassador Du bade farewell to Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn on September 13.

Du will say goodbye to other Cambodian leaders such as King Norodom Sihamoni, Chairman of the National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin and Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen.

HCM City, Laos’ province cooperate in security camera installation

Standing deputy chairman of the HCMC People's Committee Le Thanh Liem on September 15 hosted a reception for a delegation from Laos’ Xiang Khouang province and Ministry of Public Security led by Xiang Khouang Deputy Governor Khamsense Manivong.

The city’s vice chairman highlighted and affirmed to continue strengthening the traditional relationship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, HCM City and Xiang Khouang Province.

For his part, Khamsene Manivong said that the Lao delegation’s visit aims to study the security camera model and cooperate with the city to install security cameras in Xiang Khouang.

He hoped that Ho Chi Minh City will create conditions for the project, enhancing the solidarity between the two nations.

Public hospitals in HCMC become self-financing

From October 1, public hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City will become self-financing ones. 

Deputy Head of the Department of Health Dr. Tang Chi Thuong had an brief exchange of words with Sai Gon Giai Phong reporter on the issue.

According to Dr. Thuong, from October 1 all public infirmaries must balance the accounts as per the government’s directive. The city decided from October 1 when hospitals adjust medical costs. Becoming self-financing hospitals is a current trend not only in Vietnam but also in the world.

However, in the first time, spending on building facilities, equipment will be covered by the city’s state budget.

In the first time, hospitals may face difficulties because the salaries of staffs had been paid by state budget yet after the date, hospital managers must balance spending and collecting. Moreover, while private infirmary managers are eligible to dismiss bad staffs yet their counterparts in public clinics can’t, said Dr. Thuong.

When it comes to the question how public hospitals stand firm in the face of difficulties and survive, Dr. Thuong advised managers and staffs to behave well to customers who will pay for them. Customers now have various options; accordingly, they will go to another clinics if the old one is not as good as they expect.

Dr. Thuong said firstly hospitals must improve medical workers’ skill to meet patients’ demands because if they can not treat patients, they must transfer patients to larger facilities; therefore, they lose their source of income.

Secondly, Dr. Thuong said, hospitals must improve service quality and treatment quality without halt to increase competition between hospitals which not only to attract patients but develop more to keep good nurses and doctors.

For past five years, in addition to ordering hospitals to follow the Ministry of Health’s guideline, the health authority in HCMC asked hospitals to observe treatment charts made by the Department of Health.

HCMC plans to clear barriers to develop high-quality seedlings

Nguyen Thien Nhan, a Politburo member cum the Party Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, highlighted the pivotal role of seedling in an agricultural country like Vietnam which has earned revenues of around $30 billion from export.

Mr. Nhan yesterday made the statement at a seminar on application of technology to push Ho Chi Minh City into a seedling hub in the Asian region.

Residents make a living from the land and Ho Chi Minh City has advantages in produce seedlings to contribute to the country’s agriculture security.

At the seminar, participants reviewed the program to develop seedling in term of how much percentage of seedling it has provided to countries in the region.

To facilitate the sector, the government should take heed to relation between scientists and farmers, enterprises to clear barriers.

According to the Department of Plant Protection Department, most challenging matter is to research and grow vegetable, flower because in 2016, Vietnam spent $550 million to buy vegetable and flower seedlings.

Professor Bui Chi Buu, former head of the Southern Agricultural Sciences Institute said the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in agriculture plays an important role in seedling manufacturing.

On theory, HCMC is qualified to become a hub to provide seedling for the South and the country.

Experiences of Thailand, South Korea and Japan showed that to become a hub of seedlings for the country, it is needed to have enterprises to produce seedling and the government, institutions give favorable condition to support them. Accordingly, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in seedling production is one of good solution for the city. Proper investment in research and development will be undertaken as well as connection between farmers and scientists by the government while enterprises will sell it to markets.

Chief of the seedling association in southeast Nguyen Van Thanh said the association has over 200 enterprises which do research, production and sale of seedlings yet they must hire land in neighboring provinces to plant; accordingly, he petitioned city administration to give special treatment in hiring land for seedling production in 25 – 50 years.

President of Vietnam Seed Association said HCMC should have law on seedlings and intellectual property rights.

HCMC launches social condo design competition

The Department of Construction and the Architects Association in HCMC today announced the launch of social condo design competition. 

The competition comprises of ten awards totally worth VND880 million ($38,719).

Director of the Department Tran Trong Tuan said that the competition aims to boost investment in social apartments in the city and improve design quality of these special condos.

It expected to draw attention of professional architects and organizations to select the best designs which meet all requirements of planning, architecture, economic efficiency and offer a fresh environment for residents.

Accordingly, the best works will be introduced to investors and consulting agencies in the city and nationwide.

Participants are organizations and individuals in Vietnam and those who are professional at designing apartment.

One special prize is worth VND200 million, one first prize is VND150 million, two second prizes each worth VND100 million, three third prizes each worth VND80 million and three consolation prizes each worth VND30 million.

Entries can be sent to the Department of Construction at 60 Truong Dinh Street in District 3 from now to November 3.

The prize-giving ceremony will be held in January 10, 2018.

PM urges Ha Tinh to restore production in five days

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked Ha Tinh province and Ky Anh district, the hardest hit locality in the central province, to mobilise all resources to overcome consequences left by Typhoon Doksuri, the 10th of its kind arising in the East Sea so far this year. 

During the PM’s visit to Ha Tinh, one of the hardest hit localities by the typhoon, on September 16, lauded locals for their active preparation for the storm, which helped minimise losses.

He asked for efforts to support locals, not leaving anyone hungry and homeless, while preventing environmental pollution and epidemics and promptly restoring schools and production.

“In the next five days, authorised agencies must assure the supply of power to all local households, along with necessary medicine and varieties for production,” he urged.

The PM also agreed on the aid of rice as well as the direct assistance of 40 billion VND to build two telecommunication towers.

He also asked Ha Tinh to coordinate with relevant agencies to repair houses for affected locals, while helping them settle down their lives and restore production.

An initial report showed that 69,112 houses’ roofs in Ha Tinh, mostly in Ky Anh town and Ky Anh district, were ripped off by strong winds. Alongside, 2,400 houses in Cam Xuyen district have been submerged in floodwater, while over 3,100 hectares of aquatic farming were also destroyed, along with nearly 1,000 hectares of rice fields and 8,000 hectares of fruit trees. 

The storm also damaged many schools, health care stations, and public works. 

Earlier on September 15, the Government leader also inspect the overcoming of storm aftermaths in Quang Binh province.

Typhoon Doksuri caused five deaths and dozens of injuries in six hours in Vietnam on September 15.

The typhoon caused winds of up to 135kmph, cutting power to many localities and affecting 1.3 million people. Thousands of houses were destroyed and power and telecommunications networks were damaged. 

Thirty three Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air flights from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh, Dong Hoi and Thanh Hoa were cancelled. Vietnam Railways also cancelled seven passenger trains and five cargo trains at stations in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces.

Thanh Do supermarket destroyed in huge fire

This early morning, a huge fire occurred at Thanh Do supermarket at 352 Giai Phong Street, Thanh Xuan district in Hanoi and destroyed the supermarket. 

The fire began on the 1st floor of the supermarket at 1am. Security staff of Thanh Do supermarket used fire extinguishers to try to control a huge fire but they could not.

Later on, the fire covered the 300-meter square supermarket.

Firefighters from Hanoi’s Department of Firefighting and Prevention No.8 and 7 were deployed to the scene to battle the fire.

Till 2:30am, the fire was controlled completely however the supermarket was destroyed and collapsed.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

“Make the world cleaner” campaign to be launched in Hoa Binh province

In response to the campaign “To make the world cleaner”, the national campaign will be launched by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) on September 23 in the northern province of Hoa Binh’s Kim Boi District.

 

The campaign was first initiated by Australia in 1993 and launched globally by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in the third week of September annually.

The 2017 campaign’s theme featuring waste management for sustainable rural environment aims to emphasize the pivotal role of environmental management, especially waste management in rural districts in the building of a developing country in harmony with the nature.

The ministry called for the response from ministries and localities through the strengthening of State management over the environment, close supervision over projects with high risk of causing pollution, encouraging enterprises and the community to engage in environmental protection activities.

In addition to the ceremony, many activities will be organized in September 22 and 23 such as collecting waste in some roads in Kim Boi District, jogging to call for cleaning environment, planting trees in junior high school in Tu Son Commune as well as how to sort out waste.

Road management agency asks toll stations to shut down in heavy rain

The toll station of a BOT (build-operate-transfer) project must shut down its door in case of heavy rainfalls to facilitate transportation of passengers and commodities, said the Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam. 

The Directorate ordered its sub-division to and local governments in storm-hit areas and investors of BOT tollgate to close its doors for evacuation and transportation of passengers and goods to aid storm-hit provinces.

At the same time, the Directorate ordered investors to ensure security in road sections and stations. When a vehicle must stop because of bad weather, the tollgate staffs and local administration must provide safe shelters to them.

The Road Management Bureau II is responsible for supervising the close of tollgate in heavy rain to create favorable condition for vehicles to transport passengers and commodities.

Vietnamese Fatherland Front delegation visits Cuba

A delegation from the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee led by Vice President Bui Thi Thanh, paid a visit to Cuba from September 12-15 to tighten traditional relations between two public mobilisation organisations.

In talks with Coordinator of the Cuban Committees for Defence of the Revolution Manuel Miranda Martinez, Thanh underlined the VFF’s roles as a largest public organisation in Vietnam in promoting solidarity among people and revolutionary construction.

She conveyed VFF President Tran Thanh Man’s sympathy to Cuban people after Hurricane Irma, while expressing her hope that Cuban people will overcome the hurricane’s aftermaths soon.

For his part, Manuel Miranda Martinez introduced developments and missions of the Cuban Committees for the Defence the of Revolution, which gather over 90 percent of the Cuban people.

He affirmed that Vietnam is always a bright example for Cuba while stressing the significance of the experience exchange between the two organisations.

During the visit to Cuba, the VFF delegation met with Director of the National Assembly’s Commission of International Relations and President of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association Yolanda Ferrer Gomez. They discussed the role of public organisations in elections and legislation. 

They also met with Head of the Cuban Communist Party Central Committee’s Department of International Relations Jose Ramon Balaguer and laid a wreath of flowers at the statue of President Ho Chi Minh in Havana as well as visited branches of Cuban Committees for the Defence the of Revolution in several localities.-

Vietnam, Japan’s prefecture discusses cooperation in tourism, sports

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien has met with Mayor of Kanagawa Prefecture Kuroiwa Yuji to discuss the Vietnam Festa in Kanagawa 2017 and cooperation between the two sides.

The Vietnam Festa in Kanagawa 2017, running from September 15-17, is one of the biggest Vietnamese festivals in Japan that provides the country an opportunity to introduce its culture and attract more tourists from Japan.

Thien said the good relations between the two countries have smoothed the way for tourism development, and Japan is among Vietnam’s key tourism market. 

The number of Vietnamese visitors to Japan jumped from 4,000 in 2010 to 204,000 last year while Japanese tourist arrivals in Vietnam have also been on the rise, expected to hit 1 million annually, according to Thien.

He hoped that more Japanese visitors will come to Vietnam after the festival.

Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture Kuroiwa Yuji, for his part, said this year’s festival is bigger than last year’s and a Vietnamese travel expo is held on the sidelines of the festival.

Thien and Kuroiwa Yuji agreed to deepen the bilateral cooperation in sports, especially when Japan is the host of Olympics in 2020.

Themed “FEEL Vietnam”, the 2017 Vietnam Festa aims to attract more than 400,000 visitors, an ambitious number that surpasses its 2015 record.

The festival will feature a host of cultural activities, including water puppetry performance, musical concerts, talks about Vietnam and the display of Vietnamese flower paintings and lanterns.

Vietnam returns to L’Humanité Newspaper festival in France

Vietnam is attending the 87th festival of L’Humanité (Humanity) Newspaper – a body of the French Communist Party, which is underway at La Courneuve Park on the outskirts of Paris from September 15-17.

The booth of Vietnam features a place for the exhibition of Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper and another showcasing the country’s traditional cuisine.

The exhibition was opened with Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Ngoc Son, Lao Ambassador Yong Chanthalangsy and Politburo member of the French Communist Party Denis Rondepierre in attendance.

Speaking at the launching event, Nhan Dan Newspaper’s Deputy Editor-in-Chief Dinh Nhu Hoan said the newspaper is honoured to return to this year’s festival and it is an opportunity to demonstrate the close ties between the two countries’ Communist Parties, newspapers, and people.

The three-day festival depicts values of peace and human security and spirit of international solidarity, Rondepierre said, adding that it aims to promote a world of equality, progress and solidarity.

Seminars at the event focus to address the global pressing issues, including maintaining peace in the Middle East, the environment and climate change issues, inequality and poverty, struggle for democracy and EU reforms.

The festival also features cultural performances, book introduction, arts exhibitions, mobile cinema and discussions on literature.

Forum looks to enhance vulnerable groups’ access to justice

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) held a forum in Hanoi on September 15, looking into the promotion of justice access among low-income people and vulnerable groups.

Opening the event, Deputy Minister Nguyen Khanh Ngoc said Vietnam has obtained a number of achievements in law completion and enforcement to enhance people’s access to justice and law, especially among poor people and vulnerable groups. 

He noted the 2013 Constitution along with many laws and sub-law documents have been issued, showing Vietnam’s commitment to ensuring human rights and the equality of all people in the society. The apparatus and operations of law enforcement agencies have been reformed towards efficiency, integrity and transparency.

However, authorised agencies have also realised that much remain to be done to perfect the legal framework and better enforce law, especially to ensure the access to justice by low-income earners and vulnerable groups, the official added.

Nguyen Thi Minh, Director of the MoJ’s National Legal Aid Agency, said the Law on Legal Aid was first issued in 2006 and its amended version was approved in June 2017. The revised law increases the groups subject to legal aid from six to 14.

She said the expansion of the beneficiary groups demonstrated the Party and State’s comprehensive attention to vulnerable persons. The provision of full and quality legal aid for the groups will help implement social welfare policies well.

The expansion of the subject groups also means a sharp rise in the number of people that need legal aid. This is a big challenge to authorised agencies and requires them thoroughly prepare personnel and financial resources to ensure the law’s feasibility.

Minh noted aside from the state budget’s financial support, local administrations need to proactively mobilise private resources and international organisations’ assistance to this work.

Do Xuan Lan, Director of the MoJ’s Department of Legal Dissemination and Education, said grassroots reconciliation will help people come to know about their rights and legitimate interests when facing concrete cases, helping them have appropriate choices and reactions.

Agencies should combine grassroots reconciliation with lawyers’ activities, law advice provision, legal aid, law dissemination, and complaints and denunciation settlement so as to deal with disputes in a timely manner, he added.

At the forum, participants also discussed ensuring justice for gender-based violence victims, grassroots reconciliation facts, and regulations on legal aid, among others.

Vietnam-UK friendship association of Hanoi lauded for boosting bilateral ties

The Vietnam-UK Friendship Association (VUFA) in Hanoi has greatly contributed to fostering friendship and cooperation between Hanoi and London as well as between Vietnam and the UK, said Can Viet Anh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations of Hanoi.

Addressing the third congress in Hanoi on September 16, Can lauded the VUFA’s achievements in all fields, contributing to boosting affiliation between the two countries in culture, education, technology, trade and investment.

Since the association was set up on March 12, 2015, the association has drew thousands of members.

The association has launched diverse activities to strengthen people-to-people connectivity between Hanoi and London as well as Vietnam and the UK.

In the coming time, the association aims to popularise the image of the culture and people, especially cultural heritage of Hanoi and Vietnam, to British friends.

At the same time, the association will also organise events to celebrate major political events of both countries, along with activities to foster cultural collaboration between the two countries.

At the congress, the association’s members elected an executive board for the 2017-2022 period with 35 members led by President Pham Vinh Quang, head of the Foreign Ministry’s Department of Culture Diplomacy and UNESCO Affairs.

Free health, cancer screening programmes for poor in HCM City

The Red Cross launched a commission to support its humanitarian movements and charity activities on September 15.

The commission is a voluntary organisation established to encourage the involvement of individuals, organisations and businesses in the activities of the Red Cross, Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu, its chairwoman said.

To mark the occasion the organisation began a charity programme to help 1,500 disadvantaged people get surgery and other treatment.

“For the Poor Patients” will pay the cost of the surgeries and treatment, give gifts to poor people and undertake other charity activities.

It will also sponsor screenings for breast, cervical and colon rectal cancers for 2,500 poor people at the HCM City University Medical Centre and Vinmec Centre Park International Hospital from September 23 to October 7.

The same day, the Military Hospital 175’s oncology centre performed free health checks and tests for cancer for 100 people to mark its fifth anniversary.

The hospital plans to hold an international symposium on cancer treatment on September 22. 

Charity Fun Run to be held in HCM City

The British Business Group Vietnam will host the 17th annual Fun Run for Charity in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City on September 24.

The organiser expects 10,000 runners to attempt the three-kilometre run this year. It will start at 8 am at Tan Trao street in the Phu My Hung Urban Area. There will be food, games and music performances at the venue.

All proceeds will go to charity programmes in Vietnam.

Participants can register for the run at the BBGV office at 25 Le Duan Street in District 1 or at www.ticketbox.vn.

More information on donations and registration is available at www.bbgv.org.

Programme gives free medical treatment to poor patients

A programme named “For Poor Patients” made debut on September 15 with the aim to provide free medical check-ups and treatment for 1,500 patients with disadvantaged backgrounds nationwide.

Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Red Cross Society Central Committee, said needy patients will receive free examination and treatment at Vinmec hospitals in Hanoi, Ha Long city, Nha Trang city, Phu Quoc island and Ho Chi Minh City.

Alongside the “For Poor Patients” programme, a free cancer screening programme will also be held at the Hospital of the HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy and the Vinmec Central Park Hospital in HCM City from September 23 to October 7. It is intended to screen 2,500 people for breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer.

Also on September 15, the oncology centre of the HCM City-based Military Hospital 175 provided free cancer screening and advice for 100 patients, including welfare policy beneficiaries and revolution contributors.

Cam Ranh-Seoul flight targets Korean visitors

The Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Tourism Association and the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Jeju Air has signed a deal to launch air service between Cam Ranh and the RoK capital city of Seoul.

Starting later this year there will be a daily flight. Each trip will take around five hours.

The tourism association will work with local tour operators and hotels to develop services and human resources to serve Korean tourists. It will also seek to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese travellers to visit the RoK.

The association conducted a survey of the RoK market, finding it had great potential for growth and reached out to its Korean partner.

The association also intends to add new markets beyond the already-robust Chinese and Russian tourist flows.

HCM City boosts ties with Laos’ Xiang Khouang province

Ho Chi Minh City always treasures ties with Laos and will work with Lao ministries and localities to foster the two countries’ traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive partnership, as well as collaboration between the city and Xiang Khouang.

Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem made the statement at a reception on September 15 for a delegation from Laos’ Xiang Khouang province and Ministry of Public Security led by Xiang Khouang Deputy Governor Khamsense Manivong.

Liem congratulated Xiang Khouang on socio-economic achievements that the province has gained over the past time, with yearly GDP growth of over 8 percent.

Xiang Khouang and Lao Ministry of Public Security’s cooperation with Viettronimex in installing security cameras in the province has also contributed to deepening the Vietnam-Laos partnership, said Liem, expressing his hope that through this visit, the two sides will set up long-term collaboration.

For his part, Khamsene Manivong thanked Ho Chi Minh City for supporting Xiang Khouang in socio-economic development with effective projects.

He said that the Lao delegation’s visit aims to study the security camera model and cooperation in the project of setting up security cameras in Xiang Khouang.

He also hoped that Ho Chi Minh City will create optimal conditions for the project, thus fostering the solidarity between the two countries.

During their stay, the Lao delegation also visited camera systems in some localities and enterprises of Vietnam.

Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian women foster ties

A forum themed “Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian women foster friendly cooperation to achieve sustainable development goals until 2030” took place in Ho Chi Minh City on September 15. 

The event was meant to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, the 55th anniversary of the Vietnam-Laos diplomatic ties and the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Cambodia diplomatic ties. 

Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said throughout the history, the three countries’ women unions have stayed side by side to fight for the sake of national independence, gender equality and development. 

Hailing the theme of the event, Minh affirmed that in regional and global commitments, attention has been paid to women issues while gender equality is considered both goal and prerequisite for sustainable development. 

He expressed his belief that the three women’s unions will continue coordination and propose measures in response to common challenges at present. At the same time, he urged them to renew approaches and take stronger actions to nurture the three countries’ friendship and prosperity, thus laying foundation for an ASEAN Community of peace, stability and sustainable and inclusive development. 

Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women’s Union Nguyen Thi Thu Ha said following the signed cooperation agreements, the three women’s unions have contributed to people-to-people diplomacy and effectively collaborated in poverty reduction, rural development, vocational training and job creation for women, health care for women and girls, tourism and border issues. 

Inlavan Keobunphanh, Chairwoman of the Lao Women’s Union, emphasised the need to boost cooperation between the Lao, Vietnamese and Cambodian women’s unions for sustainable development. 

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Cambodian Women for Peace and Development Men Sam An believed that the three women’s unions would contribute to peace and socio-economic development in the three countries and the region as well. 

Participants shared experience in improving women empowerment, particularly in economic and political fields, preventing women and child trafficking, promoting tourism and international cooperation, and educating young generations about the development of traditional friendship and collaboration among women in the three countries. 

They suggested building legal regulations on gender equality and women empowerment, accelerating the delivery of regional and global commitments on sustainable development, gender equality and women advancement while strengthening the operation of the three women’s unions.

Support given to Vietnamese expats living on Tonle Sap Lake

A Vietnamese government delegation on September 15 visited Vietnamese expatriates and Cambodians in Kampong Luong commune of Kro Ko district, Pursat province, which is located on Tonle Sap Lake of Cambodia.

The delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Hong Nam, presented needy families in the locality with more than 800 gift packages.

Nam affirmed that the Vietnamese Party, State and people always pay attention to overseas Vietnamese and poor Cambodians, especially those living on Tonle Sap Lake, and want to help them address difficulties.

Through this fact finding trip, the delegation will suggest the Vietnamese Government and call on businesses to increase investment in this area, which will help enhance the two countries’ cooperation and assist Cambodia to attain the targets of economic development, social stability and environmental protection, he added.

During their visit to Cambodia from September 11 to 17, the Vietnamese delegation is scheduled to tour provinces bordering Tonle Sap Lake and the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk to seek investment and business opportunities for Vietnamese firms.

Complaints down, issues remain: NASC

The number of complaints and denunciations since the end of 2016 has declined, but there have been more complicated cases involving larger numbers of people, according to a Government report on the settlement of complaints and denunciations in 2017. 

The report, which was presented to the National Assembly (NA)’s Standing Committee yesterday, shows that the number of complaints and denunciations by citizens has decreased compared to previous years on most criteria, such as the number of citizens’ visits to State administration agencies for complaints and the number of written complaint applications. The sense of responsibility of heads of State management agencies in directing, administering, considering and settling complaints and denunciations, especially complicated cases, has reportedly increased. Citizen reception has gradually been associated with the settlement of complaints and denunciations and many cases have been resolved right at the source, the report said.

However, according to the Government, the ratio of successful settlement of cases is higher than at the same period last year, but is still below target. Many localities still demonstrate poor performance in this regard. The number of cases involving many people has increased, up 13.5 per cent compared to the previous year, the majority of which were related to land issues. 

At the local level, there have been many cases of late settlement.

The NA Standing Committee also listened to reports by the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuracy. 

Speaking on its assessment of the Government’s report, the NA Law Committee remarked that the Government’s report has yet to make deep analysis of the results and quality of the reception of citizens on the handling of petitions and denunciations, particularly the causes behind the cases. The report also fails to give full data on the handling by the heads of agencies on violations when receiving citizens and dealing with complaints. 

Solutions to existing problems given in the report are too general, the committee said. 

The committee’s chairman, Nguyễn Khắc Định, requested that in the future, the Government should improve the efficiency of citizen reception work and complaint settlement, as well as the popularisation and education of law among the community.

“The report fails to specify the objective and subjective causes of problems, which were stated in reports many years ago, as well as what new factors have arisen in the past year,” Định said, requesting that the Government’s report undertake a more thorough analysis of the causes of complaints and denouncements that resulted in a sharp increase in the number of cases involving many people.

SME Ministerial Meeting wraps up in HCM City

Three important documents were adopted at the 24th APEC Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting that wrapped up yesterday in HCM City.

They are the APEC SME Ministers’ Initiative on Promoting Innovative Start-ups, the Strategy on Green, Sustainable and Innovative MSMEs and the 24th SME Ministers Statement, and all emphasise the importance of developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by APEC members.

Speaking to the media, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyễn Chí Dũng, the chair of the 24th APEC SME Ministerial Meeting, said the APEC SME Ministers’ Initiative on Promoting Innovative Start-ups and the Strategy on Green, Sustainable and Innovative MSMEs are expected to be submitted for the 2017 APEC Economic Leaders Week in Đà Nẵng in November.

Dr Wimonkan Kosumas, deputy director general of Thailand’s Office of SMEs Promotion, said green innovation is one way to achieve a sustainable economy.

“Green innovation is now a pathway to strengthen market access and also a huge area of innovation that is very impactful on our SMEs,” she said.

The APEC strategy promotes green innovation and sustainable development by trying to come up with prioritised sectors that can start working on such as food sector, infrastructure, green building, green construction and other several areas.

During the week-long (September 10-15) 2017 APEC Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting, a series of meetings and forums took place, like the 2017 APEC Online-to-Offline Initiative Forum, APEC SME Finance Forum, APEC Start-up Forum, Digital Economy Forum, and the 45th Meeting of the APEC Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises Working Group.

In yesterday’s meeting APEC economies shared experiences and learnt from each other that their governments should have programmes for the development of SMEs, Dũng said.

“The meeting’s outcome contributes to orienting detailed policies and actions for developing SMEs, especially since in the digitally driven economy it is vital to shape a new model of growth.”

Sim Ann, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Culture, Community and Youth, said the key directions in terms of the initiatives to support start-ups can be summarised through four concepts: innovation, skills development, productivity and internationalisation. 

The APEC SME Ministerial Meetings, held annually since 1994, sets out the direction for the Working Group. In September last year the SME Ministers endorsed the SMEWG Strategic Plan for 2017-20 which provided a roadmap to address critical issues pertaining to the growth of SMEs and micro enterprises in the APEC region like entrepreneurship, innovation and the internet and digital economy; financing for business expansion and capability development; inclusive business eco-system that supports SME growth; and market access for SMEs.

The next SME Ministerial Meeting will be held in Papua New Guinea.

Prosperous Yên Bái farmer helps neighbours succeed

Dương Thị Lan, 53, a farmer in Tân Lập Commune in the northern mountainous Yên Bái Province, has built a veritable agricultural empire, with business activities ranging from animal breeding, forest planting to offering agricultural products. Earning over VNĐ800 million (US$34,800) a year, this year she has been honoured by the Việt Nam Farmers’ Association as one of the most outstanding Vietnamese farmers.  

The successful woman from the Tày ethnic group, who “dares to think and dares to take action” has made great achievements from a humble beginning.

Though she started breeding pigs in 1989, she did not succeed until nine years later when she bought an instruction book by a merchant in Vĩnh Phúc Province. Though the merchant overcharged her — she paid  VNĐ500,000 ($22), a huge amount of money at that time — the book was critical, explaining how to raise pigs and prevent diseases.

“I needed to enrich my knowledge about pig breeding so I decided to buy the book without any hesitation,” she said.

With the tips in her hands, Lan expanded her breeding area, which now consists of two rows with separate rooms for sows and market pigs.

Lan decided not to sell her sows after they reproduced but to keep them for further breeding. Now her farm has some 10 domestic and imported sows and almost 100 market pigs. Thanks to nutritious food, the pigs have grown up well.

Lan said that disease preventive measures must be taken when the pigs are small. Three days before sows give birth, they must take disease preventive drugs. Piglets must be injected with drugs which prevent head swelling and diarrhea within 24 hours of their birth, and again a week later.

“Feeding pigs is also important and farmers must ensure the appropriate diet for each age,” Lan said.

Now Lan can remember every detail of the instruction book, from the methods of farm hygiene to pig diets. For many years, she has sold more than six tonnes of pork each year, with profits of over VNĐ200 million ($8,700).

Lan’s life after getting married was difficult. In 1996, she received more than 5ha of land from local authorities to plant snowbell. Not long after that, more than 1ha of hill land behind her house was covered with the greenery of snowbell and cinnamon trees.

She said that planting snowbell and cinnamon trees is not difficult but requires a great deal of time. Six years after starting, snowbell generates timber sold at over VNĐ100,000 ($4.3) per cubic metre of wood. Cinnamon trees take ten years to make products. Now merchants come to Lan’s house to buy dried cinnamons and leaves.

“We can live well on forestry because snowbell and cinnamon trees bring relatively high profits. Each sale brings in hundreds of millions of đồng, she said.

Also in 1996, Lan bought a rice grinder and started to offer the service of rice grinding for locals.

In 2014 when ethnic people in the village were struggling to address diseases among agricultural animals and plants, Lan opened a store selling fertilizers, cattle food, pesticides and veterinary drugs. Farmers can buy these goods from Lan on credit and pay after they harvest their crops or sell their animal products.

Understanding the difficulties of fellow farmers in the village, Lan also helps locals with instructions on breeding and farming technique.

Her buffaloes and goats have been given to poor households. After these animals give birth, the breeding animals will be given back to Lan or other households for further productivity.

“It is very difficult for poor farmers to have enough capital to buy animals. I have given them capital which is my animals. Now some households have one to two buffaloes and more than ten goats,” Lan said. “I have been prosperous, so I must help villagers to get out of poverty to make a warm and happy life in the village,” she said.

Free health, cancer screening programmes for poor in HCM City

The Red Cross yesterday launched a commission to support its humanitarian movements and charity activities.

The commission is a voluntary organisation established to encourage the involvement of individuals, organisations and businesses in the activities of the Red Cross, Nguyễn Thị Xuân Thu, its chairwoman said.

To mark the occasion the organisation began a charity programme to help 1,500 disadvantaged people get surgery and other treatment.

“For the Poor Patients” will pay the cost of the surgeries and treatment, give gifts to poor people and undertake other charity activities.

It will also sponsor screenings for breast, cervical and colon rectal cancers for 2,500 poor people at the HCM City University Medical Centre and Vinmec Centre Park International Hospital from September 23 to October 7.

Also yesterday the Military Hospital 175’s oncology centre performed free health checks and tests for cancer for 100 people to mark its fifth anniversary.

The hospital plans to hold an international symposium on cancer treatment on September 22.

Progress on mineral resource maps plods: officials

Only five of 35 planned mineral resources maps have been completed, making it challenging for the government to reach its 2020 deadline for completing the map projects, officials said yesterday.

The Central Economic Commission (CEC) and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) discussed the progress on the maps yesterday at a meeting titled “Evaluation of five-year- implementation of guidelines, policies and legislation on minerals”.

The mapping of mineral resources over a total area of 62,380sq.km, divided into 35 projects, is supposed to be complete by 2020. Fourteen projects over an area of 14,500sq.km area were begun in 2016 and are still underway, while seven others accounting for 18,124sq.km are behind the schedule.   

If the continuing projects are completed on schedule, by 2020, 80 per cent of Việt Nam’s land will be presented on mineral resources maps.

Moreover, the geological and mineral surveys of the coastal area up to 30m of water depth are almost completed.

Only two surveys of coastal areas are being conducted. The surveyed areas are the coasts between Hải Phòng City and Thanh Hóa Province’s Nga Sơn District, and between Nga Sơn District and Nghệ An Province’s Diễn Châu District.

In addition, 3,000 individuals and organisations are being allowed to explore and mine minerals, according to the MoNRE’s data.

Speaking at the meeting, Cao Đức Phát, deputy head of CEC, said that after five years of guidelines, policies and legislation on minerals, the status quo has several major disadvantages. To effectively manage the mineral resources, it is important to adjust some provisions in the mineral law to align with common world practice.

Representatives of related agencies also need to initiate solutions to effectively manage, protect, and explore minerals for the sustainable development of Việt Nam, he said.

Vietnamese man survives titanic three nights at sea clinging to plastic bag

The 22-year-old was on his last legs when another fishing boat appeared over the waves.

A Vietnamese fisherman was rescued on Tuesday (September 12) night after going overboard off the central province of Quang Ngai Province on Sunday.

Danh Viet, 22, from the southern province of Kien Giang, said he had slipped and tumbled into the water.

After being held back by strong waves on his attempt to swim to shore, he bumped into a large plastic bag that he inflated and used as a buoy.

“I was hungry and cold. I thought I was dead,” Viet recalled about his two days and three nights at sea.

“I started sailing when I was 13, but I've never found myself in a situation like that. I got married recently, and when my family heard the news they broke down thinking I was dead,” he said.

At around 10 p.m. on Tuesday night, Viet saw a fishing boat and tried to call for help, but the noise from the engine drowned his voice out.

Using his last ounce of strength, Viet swam to the boat and was rescued by fishermen from Quang Ngai Province.

He has since made a full recovery.

HCM City pet owners face fine, animal impoundment if dogs run loose

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City are making sure dog owners pay extra attention to their pets or risk impoundment and euthanasia of the animals, according to an update to the city’s veterinary regulations.

From September 15, residents will be charged between VND600,000 (US$26.36) and VND800,000 (US$35.14) for letting their dogs out without a leash and muzzle, as per Decree No. 90/2017/NĐ-CP on administrative penalties in the field of veterinary.

Dogs that wander off their owner’s property will be collected by local authorities and impounded at 252 Ly Chinh Thang Street in District 3, according to Pham Minh Tri, head of the Animal Health and Quarantine Office under the municipal Veterinary Department.

Stray dogs will be housed at the facility for a maximum of 72 hours, after which they would be killed by injection and incinerated at the Dong Thanh landfill in Hoc Mon District.

Owners must go to the facility and pay a fine in order to retrieve their animals.

Any impounded dogs have not previously been given a rabies vaccination by their owners will be given the vaccination at an additional charge, raising the total cost of retrieving impounded dogs to VND1.5 million (US$70.29).

According to Khuong Tran Phuc Nguyen, chief inspector of the city’s veterinary department, detaining stray dogs has been a department policy since 1975.

The new regulations are simply a revision to the amount of the fine, Nguyen elaborated, adding that previous regulations only fined owners between VND100,000 ($4.39) and VND300,000 ($13.18).

Patrolling for stray dogs is performed by officers from the veterinary department accompanied by local police officers in order to prevent obstruction by local residents, said Tri.

These officers can be identified by uniforms carrying the logo of the animal quarantine office.  They also carry specialized tools and travel on a truck with a blue license plate, he continued.

Recent statistics show that 70 of arrested dogs are reclaimed by their owners.

The facility on Ly Chinh Thang Street is currently holding two lost dogs that were impounded on Wednesday (September 13).

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