Dak Lak: 8.8 mln USD of goods ready for Tet

Retailers and distributors in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak have prepared enough essential goods worth up to 200 billion VND (8.8 million USD) for the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, which falls on February 8.

Commodities at stabilised prices include rice, meat, poultry eggs, vegetables and confectionary, which are forecast to increase from 15-20 percent in demand on the occasion.

Co.op mart and Metro supermarkets lead the local businesses with stockpiled goods worth 62 billion VND and 24 billion VND, respectively.

The Nam Tay Nguyen Petrol Company committed to storing 2.5 million litres of petrol and 3 million litres of diesel with a total value of over 80 billion VND, serving the locals’ demand during the nine-day festival.

Along with taking measures to stabilise prices of goods, the local authorities call on enterprises to transport goods to remote areas in order to serve ethnic groups.

The provincial Department of Industry and Trade asked the local market management sub-department to work closely with relevant forces to enhance checks and inspections at production and trade establishments, aiming to strictly fight smuggling, trade fraud, and fake goods.

46 million USD allocated for urgent projects

The Prime Minister has decided to allocate 1.072 trillion VND (about 46 million USD) from the central budget reserves in 2015 to the Ministry of Transport (MoT) and localities to carry out urgent projects.

The beneficiary projects are those related to dyke and embankment building, natural calamity consequence overcoming, and national security and defence.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) is responsible for accurate information and data on the use of the central budget in accordance with regulations.

The Ministry of Transport and provincial and municipal People’s Committees are asked to manage and use the funding as regulated to ensure the effectiveness of the projects.

Deputy Chief Inspector jailed for corruption

The Dak Nong Province People's Court yesterday sentenced former deputy chief inspector of the provincial Department of Transport Le Dinh Trong, 41, to seven years' imprisonment for taking bribes.

The court also sentenced Nguyen Trong Toan, 37, and Nguyen Xuan Chung, 48, to six years and three years in jail, respectively, for giving bribes.

The court took VND20 million (US$800) from amount Trong received as bribe and deposited it in the provincial public funds.

The indictment showed that from the beginning of 2014 to October 2014, Toan, who was a worker of the Hiep Toan Co Ltd in HCM City's District 9, transferred VND40 million ($1,700) to Trong's bank account so that the latter would allow him to transport 89 trips of cooking oil from the city to Dak Lak, Gia Lai and Kon Tum central highlands provinces, and 89 trips of wood from Dak Nong Province to HCM City. The weight of the goods exceeded the loading capacity at weighing stations.

From April to October 2014, Chung, who was worker of the Phuoc Hoa Transport Co Ltd in Buon Ma Thuot City in Dak Lak Province, transferred VND29 million ($1,200) to the bank account of Nguyen Tan Man, former deputy head of the mobile weighing station No 56, so that Man would not check the 173 overloaded trips of Chung's company.

Man, who took bribes from Chung, died in October 2014, and was not sentenced.

Tay Ninh Police seize smuggled cigarettes

The Tay Ninh Province Police are investigating a lorry that reportedly smuggled 95,000 packets of cigarettes from Cambodia to Viet Nam.

Earlier, at midnight last Friday, the police received a report from residents that a lorry was transporting smuggled cigarettes from My Quy Tay in Duc Hue District in the southern Long An Province to Ben Cau District in the southern Tay Ninh Province.

The police stopped the lorry in Loi Thuan Commune in Ben Cau District.

On seeing the police, the lorry driver ran away, leaving behind the vehicle and its cargo.

The police found that the smuggled cigarettes were of Jet, Hero, Caraven and 555 brands.

Birth anniversary of Hoa Hao Buddhism’s founder celebrated

Authorities of the southern province of An Giang and over 25,000 followers of Hoa Hao Buddhism celebrated the 96th birth anniversary of the sect’s founder, Prophet Huynh Phu So, on January 14.

In her speech, Chairwoman of the provincial chapter of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Tran Thi Thanh Huong hailed the Central Executive Committee of Hoa Hao Buddhism and relevant units for developing a united sect working in line with the Constitution and law.

This year, local Hoa Hao Buddhism followers contributed more than 135 billion VND (6.1 million USD) to charitable activities, contributing to the provincial socio-economic development.

On the occasion, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of Hoa Hao Buddhism Nguyen Tan Dat was awarded with the Prime Minister’s certificate of merit for his dedication to charity and the sect.

Another six individuals were also honoured for their contributions to the sect.

Hoa Hoa Buddhism currently has 391 executive committees in 17 cities and provinces and over 2 million followers nationwide, mostly in An Giang.-

Hanoi pours nearly 2.4 bln USD in rural transport infrastructure

Hanoi has raised approximately 53.8 trillion VND (nearly 2.4 billion USD) investment in developing rural transport infrastructure.

The fund has been used to asphalt all of the capital’s inter-commune and commune-based axis roads and 95 percent of its inter-hamlet and hamlet-based axis roads in accordance with national technical standards while 90 percent of alleys have been concreted to prevent floods during the rainy season.

About 80 percent of inter-field lanes have also been concreted.

Rapid urbanisation, increased urban density and traffic on the outskirts of Hanoi and insufficient road maintenance have made many inter-commune and inter-hamlet roads deteriorate more quickly.

The inter-commune road linking Xuan Phuong and Xuan Canh communes and that crosses Hamlet 8 of Huong Ngai commune in Thach That district have been affecting local residents for years as they were bumpy and became difficult to pass when it was raining.

Ba Vi and Soc Son districts suffered the same with dusty roads in very poor conditions.

The upgrade of the roads has helped improve the local living standards.

Yet many works still need to be done so as to meet the rising travel demand, Deputy Director of the city’s Department of Transporation Ngo Manh Tuan said.

Not only the authority but also the locals should protect the roads, he stressed, adding that investment from the private sector is also needed.

Resettled residents expect Long Thanh Airport project to begin

Residents in the southern province of Dong Nai who will be resettled to other areas to make way for construction of Long Thanh International Airport expect the project to commence so that their lives will be stabilised soon.

This was revealed at a dialogue with a working group of the National Assembly's Economic Committee and representatives from Dong Nai province agencies last week that most of them supported the project's implementation.

They also hope that the National Assembly will promptly issue policies on financial compensation, support schemes, site clearance and resettlement for residents.

Nguyen Van Hau, a Long An commune resident, said thousands of households didn't dare to repair or build their houses despite the fact that the project was planned 20 years ago.

The road is covered with mud and dust while the project has been on hold for a long time so local people worry about having to move to other places, he said.

Nguyen Van Trung, another resident, said like other people in the commune he is ready to give up land for public interest but he hopes that the government will provide appropriate compensation.

Vo Van Chanh, Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee, said authorities are preparing documents to separate compensation, site clearance, resettlement and vocational training to submit to the Government for approval in a bid to speed up the project.

They are also completing policies on financial compensation, support schemes and resettlement for people who are affected by the Long Thanh Airport project to submit to the government for approval.

Nguyen Van Phuc, deputy head of the National Assembly's Economic Committee, said much attention has been paid by the National Assembly to the project.

He suggested the provincial authorities publicise and provide adequate information on the project. The External Committee will soon ask the National Assembly's Standing Committee to review and find a special mechanism for the issues.

According to Dong Nai province's Natural Resources and Environment, nearly 15,000 people from Long Thanh district's Binh Son, Suoi Trau, Cam Duong, Bau Can, Long An and Long Phuoc communes have to move to other places for the construction of the Long Thanh Airport project. Most of them are of working age and their incomes depend on agricultural and industrial production.

Total land used by individuals and families in the project's area amounts to 3,000ha, accounting for 60 percent of land revoked for the project.

The Long Thanh international airport project was approved by the National Assembly in June this year. Once completed, the airport will be able to handle 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of cargo per year.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2018, and the airport is likely to become operational by 2025.

The total cost of the three-phase project is estimated at 336.63 trillion VND (15 billion USD). The project's funding is expected to come from the State budget, official development assistance, corporate investment and public-private partnerships, among other resources.

Free condom distribution machine now operational in Vietnam’s Da Nang

A group of students in central Vietnam have created a vending machine that dispenses condoms free of charge to spare people the embarrassment of openly buying them at stores in the quite conservative country.

While automatic condom dispensers are not uncommon in several countries around the world, the machine students of Duy Tan University, whose campus is located in Da Nang City, have made is arguably the only of its kind in Vietnam.

The machine, currently installed in front of the office of the Hai Chau District chapter of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, is as simple as a metal box with a button and a tray for the barrier devices to come out.

There are also a screen displaying the number of condoms left in stock and a small slot for cash donations to help finance the machine’s operation.

The condom dispenser issues announcements to encourage the use of contraceptives or give warnings when someone tries to take too many condoms at a time, according to newswire VnExpress.

It will also say thanks to anyone who puts money into the donation slot.

The machine will automatically alert its creators via text messages whenever it runs out of condoms. It also tracks the number and time used for statistical purposes.

Since its installation on December 31, about 20 people have used the machine on a daily basis, VnExpress quoted the students, majoring in electrical and electronics engineering, as saying.

Interestingly enough, the machine received the most users between midnight and 5:00 am the following day, suggesting that even with a vending device, Vietnamese people are still red-faced when it comes to buying a condom.

However, Nguyen Cong Tin, the team leader, believes that the machine will increase the number of condoms used, helping reduce unwanted pregnancies or abortion.

“The machine is completely automatic and easy to use, so people do not need to be shy,” he told VnExpress.

Tin said the team members take turns to check the machine every day, adding that local healthcare centers are in charge of supplying the free condoms.

“Our biggest hope is to have a more ample financial source to have a stable [condom] supply for the machine,” he said.

The students also hope to be able to install more machines at public places in Hai Chau and Lien Chieu District in the near future.

“We really appreciate such a meaningful tool from the Duy Tan University students,” Nguyen Tan Tai, a staff member of the Hai Chau District chapter of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, told Tuoi Tre News on Thursday.

The Hai Chau youth union is the first to install the machine and it “hopes that more people will know of this condom dispenser,” he added.

The construction plans for four urban subdivisions were announced yesterday by the Ha Noi Department of Planning and Architecture and the Ha Noi Urban Planning Institute.

Accordingly, the four urban subdivisions of H2-1, H2-2, H2-3 and H2-4 will be constructed in the districts of Cau Giay, Nam Tu Liem, Bac Tu Liem, and Thanh Xuan, besides Ha Dong and Thanh Tri.

Subdivision H2-1, located in the three districts of Cau Giay, Nam Tu Liem and Bac Tu Liem, is planned as a hub for a wide range of sectors, such as administration, culture, services and commerce, as well as finance, banking, education and tourism, besides sports and entertainment.

The subdivision will also have many leading national research institutes and the headquarters of government sectors.

The plan aims to take the pressure off historical central areas, whose old apartment complexes are waiting to be redeveloped in order to provide living space to the people, and to develop a modern urban area around Ho Tay.

The regulations for constructing the subdivisions combine new and traditional architectural elements, improving the existing areas, and synchronising the infrastructure to improve the living environment and space.

The plans will build a foundation for the districts to map out the construction details, propose investment priorities, manage urban development and adjust other plans to harmonise with the 2030-50 construction orientation of the city.

Two arrested for smuggling heroin

Police in the northern province of Hoa Binh arrested two smugglers illegally transporting eight cakes of heroin on January 7.

The suspects were caught with the contraband in a bag hidden on their truck on National Highway 6 through Phong Phu Commune, Hoa Binh's Tan Lac District.

The traffickers confessed they were transporting the cakes of heroin from Son La Province to Thai Nguyen Province to be sold to customers.

The case is under investigation.

Ha Noi police seize dubious cosmetics and health food

Ha Noi police and the market watch department's inspectors yesterday seized nearly 18,000 cosmetic and food products.

The total value of these products was estimated to reach billions of dong, Hai Quan (Customs) online newspaper reported.

Examining Viet Han Electronic and Trading Limited Company in Mo Lao Ward of Ha Dong District, officials from the Division of Economic Crimes and Management Positions Investigation (PC46) discovered a cache of 13,965 exported products.

These illegal products included tubes of face wash gel and moisturising cream, seal oil, Omega 3 capsules, ginseng liquid and caterpillars.

Nguyen Minh The, 39, the company's director, failed to present invoices indicating the products' origins.

Another package containing 3,308 products without clear origins were found in nearby An Minh Food Limited Company.

The package included 1,390 bottles of aloe vera spray, 98kg of lingzhi mushrooms, 690 pairs of spectacles and 420 tubes of Dabo hand and foot cream.

The officials also seized 500 red ginseng bottles and 150 red ginseng tins at VHP Business and Import Export Limited Company, located on Tran Khat Chan Street.

According to the concerned agencies, these were possibly sample items imported from other countries, collected by these companies and sold in the Ha Noi market.

Division 15 of the Ha Noi ïmarket watch department is holding the goods for further investigation.

Serious dengue fever outbreak in Binh Dinh

The Pasteur Nha Trang Institute in the central province of Binh Dinh has concluded that four recent deaths were caused by the dengue fever virus.

The province reported 2,726 cases of dengue fever last year, causing five fatalities, with four of the five cases being children.

Le Quang Hung, deputy director of the Binh Dinh Department of Health, said that serious dengue fever cases treated in the province did not initially include typical symptoms, creating difficulties for their being diagnosed.

The victims, however, were hospitalised when the disease reached a serous stage, he said.

All of the fatalities displayed symptoms that included shock, organ failure and respiratory distress.

At present, the weather has also been a factor, allowing mosquitoes to spread the disease, as the number of dengue fever cases has continued to rise, said Hung.

The Binh Dinh General Hospital's Paediatrics Ward has 100 beds, but routinely must care for 300 patients, with one-third of them suffering from dengue fever.

On Wednesday and Thursday, doctors from the Pasteur Nha Trang Institute, the HCM City-based Paediatrics Hospital No 2 and the Quy Nhon Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, reviewed methods to prevent the spread of dengue fever in the province.

Director of the Institute, Vien Quang Mai, added that this outbreak has been particularly serious, noting that all four types of the disease appeared in the province. Further, incidents of the D2 type virus increased by seven-times compared to previous seasons.

Doctors from the HCM City-based Paediatrics Hospital No 2 said that the Paediatrics Ward has provided the recommended treatment, based upon guidelines set by the Ministry of Health.

Also, in the future, doctors from the two hospitals will exchange experiences that will aid in the treating of serious dengue fever cases.

Quang Ninh judges diesel oil smugglers

The Quang Ninh People's Court today handed down a judgement against a ring of diesel oil smugglers that had earned an illegal profit of more than VND168 billion (US$7.4 million).

Nguyen The Dung, 61, former director of the Dong Thap Petroleum Co Ltd, and Truong Huu Co, 51, director of the Eastern Asia Transport Trading Joint-Stock Company, were sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment.

Vi Van Dung, Nguyen Ngoc Thi, Tran Quoc Viet and Nguyen Thanh Nam, as well as Pham Van Bau, Chu Thi My Huong, Dang Viet Anh and Le Thanh Thao Ly were sentenced to 3-16 years of imprisonment. Ly receives a five years' probation.

Pham Hoang Giang and Pham Van Khuong were sentenced to 14-15 months of imprisonment as accessories to the crime. Khuong receives a probation.

Tran Manh Hung and Dinh Van Long received a warning for their lack of responsibility leading to serious consequences.

Dang Thu Ngan evaded capture and is a fugitive.

From the end of 2011 to July 2012, Nguyen The Dung agreed to sell diesel oil from his company to Co, Ngan and Vi Van Dung.

The Dung asked Thi and Viet to draw up fake contracts and customs returns to regularise their illegal sales of more than 7,690 tonnes of diesel oil worth more than VND168 billion (US$7.4 million).

They then sold the oil to Chinese smugglers at the Ta Lung Border Gate in Cao Bang northern province, the Muong Khuong Border Gate in Lao Cai northern province and in Mong Cai City, Quang Ninh northern province.

The Dung asked Huong to accept Chinese currency from the Chinese traders.

Landslides disrupt people's lives in An Thanh Hamlet

Dangerous landslides are threatening the lives of people of 17 households in An Thanh Hamlet in the southern An Giang Province's An Phu Town.

Duong Thanh Phong, vice-president of An Phu People's Committee, said landslides were affecting an area along the Da Phuoc River that was nearly 1km long and 5m wide.

An official of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment said the river section where the landside was occurring was 3m to 7m deep.

More landslides are expected to occur in the next few days.

The local people live just 2m away from the riverbank.

Pham Van Coi, 67, who has lived in the area since the country's reunification in 1975, said this was the first time dangerous landslides have occurred, causing his house's stone pillars to gradually fall into the river.

The family is using bamboo poles to reinforce the house and to prevent it from falling.

Local people said small cracks had appeared in the hamlet a year ago, but now the landslides were occurring for real.

"Most of the households in the area are poor and do not have other places to go to. The town has also run out of land, and so cannot help the affected people. We are not able to deal with the problem," Phong said.

"We are all poor labourers and cannot afford to buy land. We have to live here, despite the risk," Diep Thanh Tung, a 61-year-old resident, said.

Although the Lunar New Year is just a month away, no one here has a safe place to live.

"We have to welcome the New Year in wobbly houses that are ‘hanging' in the water god's mouth," Tung said.

The Vietnam Journalists Association, in collaboration with Canada’s HealthBridge Foundation in Vietnam, held a seminar on the role of the press in preventing the negative impact of alcohol abuse, in Hanoi on January 8.

Speaking at the event, HealthBridge Vietnam Director Pham Thi Hoang Anh analysed the impact of wine and beer abuse on poverty, and the characteristics of families with regular use of alcohol.

According to a survey of the foundation, 57.72 percent of Vietnamese families drink beer and wine regularly, with the country spending 16.4 trillion VND (721.6 million USD) annually on alcohol. The money, if used buying rice, could feed nearly 21 million people a year.

Therefore, Anh stated that intensifying communications on the negative impact of wine and beer, on public health and the economy is essential, especially in rural and ethnic-inhabited areas.

Increasing taxes imposed on alcohol drinks and their prices has been proved effective in reducing alcohol consumption around the world, she said; adding that the prevention of alcohol abuse needs to be included in gender equality and poverty reduction programmes.

According to the World Health Organisation, alcohol is a direct reason for 30 diseases and indirectly causes 200 other diseases and trauma.

Vietnam is among a few countries seeing a rise in consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is now the biggest beer consuming market in Southeast Asia and the third in Asia, after Japan and China.

Alcohol is a major killer of Vietnamese men aged from 15-49. It is also a cause for 33.7 percent of domestic violence cases in the country.

At the seminar, participants suggested that Vietnam’s laws related to alcoholic beverages should be amended, to create a better legal framework - to help prevent the negative consequences of excessive drinking on public health, and society in general.

Vietnam Red Cross Society elects new President

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu, has been elected as new President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS) for the 2012-2017 tenure.

Thu earlier held the position as Secretary of the VRCS Party Committee.

The fifth conference of the 9th VRCS Executive Board aims to review the association’s activities in 2015 and initiate orientations for 2016.

In 2015, the VRCS presented over 1.9 million gift packages to poor families and Agent Orange/Dioxin victims, as well as over 19,700 cows to households in 62 disadvantaged districts and 452 border communes. This aid distribution encompassed 61 cities and provinces nationwide.

The association also ran international projects in natural disaster prevention and risks management based on community, in 27 cities and provinces.

In 2016, the VRCS will continue to bring Tet gifts to poor households and AO victims, provide free health check-ups and medicine for the poor, and encourage people to join blood donor drives.

It will increase coordination with press agencies to disseminate humanitarian activities, and announce celebration plans for 70 years of the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day (May 8).

Vietnamese firms in Cambodia contribute to homeland’s growth

Vietnamese businesses investing in Cambodia received compliments on their contributions to economic growth of the homeland in 2015 at a get-together hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia in Phnom Penh on January 8.

In his speech, Ambassador Thach Du praised achievements made by Vietnamese firms in the year, urging the firms to further enlarge their operation in the future, as they are contributing to the promotion of bilateral ties.

He briefed participants on current Vietnamese-Cambodian cooperation, and the host country’s policies and laws for investors and entrepreneurs, including those from Vietnam.

Attendees mentioned difficulties and challenges facing their businesses related to regulations of goods temporarily imported for re-export , tax, competition and trade fraud.

They underlined the need to further enhance coordination between Vietnamese and Cambodian authorities in implementing agreements of economic, trade and investment agreements signed between the two nations. The focus is on loosening trade barriers.

Participants also suggested promoting closer connection among Vietnamese firms operating in Cambodia and increasing the provision of consultancies and advice for expat enterprises in assessing projects, which for investment.

Vietnam was among the top five countries pouring investment into Cambodia in 2015, with a total registered capital of around 3.2 billion USD. Two-way trade reached 3.06 billion USD as of November 2015, up 0.41 percent against the previous year.-

People-to-people diplomacy contributes to national development

The biggest achievement of people-to-people diplomacy in the past 30 years has been the continued maintainance and consolidation of the network of Vietnam’s international friends during the renewal cause.

This has contributed to nation building, development and poverty reduction during this period, said President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Vu Xuan Hong in his interview with the Vietnam News Agency.

He said that as the unit in charge of people-to-people diplomatic activities, the VUFO has diversified its operations to help foreign friends and partners understand Vietnam’s situation exactly in order to take advantage of their support for the nation building cause.

The union has intensified dialogue on sensitive issues to protect the image and interests of Vietnam in the international arena, while stepping up activities to boost cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment, tourism, culture, education and science & technology between Vietnam and other countries, and encouraging the involvement of overseas Vietnamese.

Therefore, people-to-people diplomacy has acted as a channel to mobilise humanitarian aid, expand Vietnam’s relations with other countries, and help foreign friends understand more about the country’s situation, Hong stated.

As of late 2015, non-governmental aid for Vietnam had been valued at around 4 billion USD, with the focus on poverty reduction, settlement of war aftermath, the environment, health, education and social welfare in all the 63 provinces and cities.

He affirmed that during the 30-year reform process, Vietnam has reconnected with its traditional friends and found new suitable friends and partners who contribute to the national construction, development and safeguarding.

Notably, people-to-people diplomacy has always been connected closely with the external-relations activities of the Party and State. The Party and State, in turn, have also paid increasing attention to the work, while facilitating operations of the VUFO, he added.

People-to-people diplomacy has been considered a common task of the entire political system and people, so it has attracted the involvement of many people, from Party, State and Government leaders to entrepreneurs, artists and civilians, he said.

Public awareness of the work has also improved with the motto of “each citizen is an ambassador for the image of the country”.

Meanwhile, the VUFO, responsible for people-to-people diplomatic activities, has been consolidated comprehensively with 111 member associations and better staff.

The important thing the union has to do now is to help Vietnam have more friends as the more friends the country has, the less conflicts or situations that have negative impact it will face, Hong added.-

Leading women promote gender equality

Ambassador Nguyen Nguyet Nga, honourary president of ASEAN Women's Circle and senior advisor to APEC 2017 National Secretariat, spoke of gender equality issues that Viet Nam as a country still needs to face and improve.

"One of our priorities in enhancing gender equality is to work with other countries to implement the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

"Secondly, we wish to contribute to the enhancement of women's empowerment in Asia - Pacific, and we need to help them integrate in the region."

Viet Nam will host APEC meetings in 2017 and one of the Ministerial Meetings to be organized in 2017 would be the High-level Policy Dialogue on Women and the Economy.

She made her comments at a talk among diplomatic and business leaders in Ha Noi moderated by Nguyen Viet Loan, a Ha Noi native and noted cultural advocate for Viet Nam in the past 25 years in international business circles.

Also present at the meeting were high-profile women of the diplomatic corps including Victoria Kwakwa, World Bank country director in Viet Nam.

"Viet Nam's gender equality has been performing well in the primary and secondary education level," she said. "But in terms of payment, women do not receive the same pay level as men. Or some jobs are reserved for men, women come after."

Kwakwa also said that she had worked with many talented women from the Ministry of Finance, but they eventually did not rise to the top level.

Women in developing countries tend to usually look up at the level of equality, government support and liberation of their developed sisters. But hear what the Ambassadors of Sweden, the Netherlands and France have to say.

"There's a term in Sweden that's quite popular called ‘leaning in'," said Camilla Mellander, Swedish Ambassador in Viet Nam.

"After a 10-hour work day everyday, you cannot be a perfect host at home or play with your children at weekend sports. But you need to keep your femininity and cherish it."

Indian Ambassador Preeti Saran said that the gender issue in India had been a complex one. She said that the same 2,000-year-old tradition that honours female gods also holds today's women back.

"My first impression of Viet Nam," she said, "was on my way from the airport to the city, I saw women wearing skirts riding their motorbikes around. Women can wear what they want and set out to do what they need."

Dutch Ambassador Nienke Trooster said, "There are human things that need to be done. When women go to work, who would replace them to raise the children and do housework?"

"My husband is a full-time home maker. There are some trade-offs. How would you take in the fact that when my children are sick, the first person they call is my husband, not me."

To present the other side of socially successful women, who make more than their husbands, that they can be bosses at their companies, but when they go home, they still have to behave, or even pretend they make less.

The gender issue in developed countries seems to receive a backlash these days. All the women agree that women need to show support for each other, feel self-confident and treasure their values.

Ban imposed on Russia travel fims may hit arrivals to Vietnam: report

Tourism industry insiders are worried about a sharp decline in Russian arrivals as three major tour operators have been banned from conducting business activities in Russia.

Pegas Touristik, Anex Tour and Coral Travel, accounting for 70% of the Russian tourists in Vietnam, are among 19 companies unable to secure license renewals last month, which means they will not be allowed to run tourism operations in Russia, according to media reports.

The three are said to have business ties to Turkey, which upset Russia with the downing of a Russian jet in November.

Tour operators in Vietnam are worried that the peak season for Russian tourists, which started in October may end soon. Usually it would last through March.

They said the bad news came after the market bounced back slightly in October, after months of decline following the fall of the ruble.

Around 340,000 Russians visited Vietnam in 2015, a 7% drop from the previous year, according to figures from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Most of them came to the central resort town Nha Trang and Phu Quoc island in the south, staying for 12 days on average.

A resort owner in Nha Trang said Russians contribute the most to local tourism revenues.

“If they stop coming, it will be a very big loss to us,” the owner said, as cited by Tuoi Tre.

But Russian tourism officials said the hiccup should not be a big deal as there are still other tour providers who can take over.

Owner of a local resort also said that the market will survive as Russians’ demand for tropical beach destinations like Vietnam is huge, especially after Russia turns it back on Turkey and Egypt.

Hoang Thi Phong Thu, chairwoman of Pegas Misr Travel Vietnam which is the local partner of Pegas Touristik in Nha Trang, told Tuoi Tre that the Russian company has informed her that it will set up a new company under Russian regulations to resume the service soon.

Le Van Nghia, director of a local tourism company, said Vietnam’s tourism insiders just need to promote Vietnam better and offering good prices.

With stronger promotional efforts, more Russians will come, he said.

Hanoi: New rural area programme yields good results

The programme on building “new-style rural areas” in Hanoi has brought in good results, adding 172 out of 386 communes, or 44.56 percent, to the list by the end of 2015.

The figure has surpassed the target set by the city’s 15th Party Congress.

The city has made marked progress in agricultural production restructuring, as it has worked hard to switch to better crops and develop large-scale farms of rice, vegetables, fruits and ornamental plants that produce high-quality and safe products.

The local authority plans to accelerate its communication campaigns to raise awareness of the programme among locals this year, while the project “Don dien doi thua”, which welcomes the exchanging of small farming plots for a better reallocation of agricultural lands, will continue to be facilitated in an attempt to reduce fragmentation of landholdings.

The national target programme on building new-style rural areas, initiated by the Vietnamese Government in 2010, sets 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics, and defence, aiming to modernise rural areas.

The criteria cover the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacities, environmental protection, and the promotion of cultural values.

The country aims to have 50 percent of all communes nationwide meeting all the requirements by the end of 2020.

Tet gifts, charitable grants for needy people

Municipal authorities in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho presented gifts to policy beneficiaries and needy people on January 13 on the threshold of Lunar New Year (Tet).

The city has allocated 93.8 billion VND (4.3 million USD) in funding, and those eligible will receive gifts and charitable grants worth from 600,000 VND (27.3 USD) to 800,000 VND (36.4 USD).

The city has implemented several policies to support social welfare beneficiaries and disadvantaged households in the locality, and has made significant achievements.

On the same day, free check-ups and surgeries were offered to more than 200 children suffering from congenital deformities such as cleft palate and skin cancer in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Nai.

The initiative was organised by the Dong Nai General Hospital, the Italian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and Italy’s Intherenos Interplast organisation.

Italian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Cartotta Colli said the event has helped to tighten the relationship between Italy and the city as well as Vietnam at large.

Technical seminars on health to share experiences in the field were also held on the occasion.

Intherenos Interplast is an Italian non-governmental organisation that has been operating for over 25 years, conducting more than 7,000 surgeries in countries around the world.

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