Herbal plants presevation yields large profit

Net houses cover a vast hillside in Phúc Xuân Hamlet of Sóc Sơn District where thousands of plants are being grown. Each plant is marked with its name and a number.

Nguyễn Thanh Tuyền, owner of the field, fertilises golden camellia plants grown there. She has spent several years preserving and developing the rare herbal species.

The 5ha field is divided into different zones on which 60 herbal plants are being preserved and five others developed. The golden camellia dominate, covering 4ha.

Golden camellia is a precious herbal plant. Boiling the flowers and leaves in water and drinking it is believed to help adjust body fat and blood sugar, as well as detoxifying livers and kidneys.

But since the golden camellias were discovered in the forests of Viet Nam’s northern mountainous areas, they have been overexploited due to their health benefits, and as a result have gotten rarer.

“People hunted it down to sell to Chinese traders,” Tuyền said. “They went into the forests, cut down the trees and sold the seedlings.

“The plant would have become extinct if it weren’t preserved properly, so I travelled to many places to search, purchase them and bring the seedlings back here for breeding,” she said.

Her efforts paid off as there are currently 12,000 golden camellia plants of 22 types growing in her field.

Apart from golden camellias, Tuyền is preserving dozens of other herbal species, such as ardisia silvestris that is believed to cure abdominal pain and stomach diseases, and Japanese honeysuckle that helps reduce body heat, detoxify and prevent allergies. 

“There are some 196 types of herbal tea around the world. I’ve got 22 of the 26 types that are grown in Việt Nam,” Tuyền said.

The field is a source of safe herbal material for pharmaceutical companies, a source of sustainable income for growers and an example of environmental protection. All the plants are grown using organic methods.

“Organic fertilisers are more expensive than inorganic ones, but they have better quality and are safe for both producers and consumers,” Tuyền said.

She processed some of the plants into domestic and export products such as herbal tea, oil, hot herbal packs and herbal cosmetics. Based on the tea drinking habit of Asians, Tuyền learned to combine the plants with tea and produced eight types of herbal tea.

At first Tuyền struggled with growing the herbal field since the traditional farming techniques did not comply with the safe production process. Traditional farmers wanted quick crops, were impatient and always worried about finding outlets for their products.

However, her passion and determination to preserve and develop herbal plants charmed local residents and persuaded them to collaborate. From the original 5ha herbal field in Bắc Sơn Commune, Tuyền developed two other herbal zones in the Xuân Giang Commune (5ha) and Trung Giã Commune (3ha), increasing the total area of her herbal production to 13ha.

To date, all three of her production zones have been certified as having a sustainable, organic pharmaceutical production model that meets the criteria of safe soil, safe water sources and safe fertilisers certified by the Vietnamese Good Agriculture Practice (VietGAP).

In Bắc Sơn Commune, she rents lands and hires local farmers to take care of the plants, while in Xuân Giang Commune she collaborates with local cooperatives, she said.

On the other hand, farmers in the Trung Giã Commune collaborate with one another to help grow her plants, she added.

Trịnh Hồng Phong, the farmer wh rents Tuyền 5ha of his land, said that his family’s livelihood has improved greatly in the last year since the rental fee is a dozen times higher than his sales from growing tea and cassava in previous years.

His family members also earn VNĐ5 million per month from guarding and taking care of the herbal plants, he said.

Hoàng Chí Dũng, chief of the district’s economic division, said that the collaboration model in which enterprises contribute capital and production technology while farmers contribute land and labour is highly efficient.

For example, the golden camellias only yield crops every five to six years, but farmers can grow other herbal flowers, generating billions of đồng in revenue per ha per year, he said.

Growing herbal plants is a new direction for enterprises and farmers to expand cultivation areas and improve their lives, he added. 

150 potentially live artillery shells found in Quang Tri

The Military Command of Dakrong district, the central province of Quang Tri has worked with the Peace Trees Vietnam (PTVN) to tackle 150 war-era unexploded shells uncovered at an old underground cellar in the locality.

The potentially live shells were discovered on January 13 when soldiers of the command were clearing a mine-contaminated hilly area in Krong Klang town, Dakrong district, in a bid to turn it into a cultivable area. 

According to senior lieutenant colonel Ha Ngoc Sinh, Head of the Command, the shell-containing place belongs to Dong Toan base area, where fierce battles during war took place.

The soldiers are continuing the clearance activities in the vicinity of Dong Toan base area, he added. 

Previously, on January 11, the PTVN, which consists mostly of US war veterans, safely demined a 266-kg bomb MK 82 500 LBS in Quang Tri, which was 1.7m in length and 23cm in diameter. The bomb was unearthed in Coc hamlet, Huong Linh commune, Huong Hoa district.

Alleged Vietnamese sex workers nabbed by Indonesian gov’t

Indonesian authorities have arrested 32 foreigners, mostly from Vietnam, who were allegedly working as prostitutes in multiple entertainment venues across Jakarta.

The arrests were made following investigations by Indonesia’s Immigration Office under their Law and Human Rights Ministry, which said on January 13 that the foreigners had violated immigration procedures, The Jakarta Post reported on January 15.

A total of 32 suspected female sex workers, mostly from Vietnam, were arrested during a string of raids on January 12 at three entertainment centers in West Jakarta, North Jakarta and Bogor in West Java, the paper said, citing Yurod Saleh, head of the Immigration Office’s foreign nationals watchdog.

Twenty-seven passports issued by Vietnam, Kazakhstan, China, Uzbekistan, Morocco and Russia were confiscated during the raids, along with five million Indonesian rupiahs (US$375) in cash, cellphones, contraceptives and karaoke hostess uniforms.

The arrested women had allegedly overstayed their tourist visas and other visas on arrival, and failed to present their passports upon request from Indonesian investigators, the newspaper reported, again citing Saleh.

The arrests are the second operation carried out in three weeks, with a total of 137 alleged sex workers taken into custody by Indonesian authorities so far.

Investigators are looking into possible human trafficking networks responsible for sending the alleged sex workers to Indonesia.

On January 13, nearly 50 Vietnamese women were among dozens arrested in a series of raids by Malaysian authorities at four entertainment venues in the southern state of Johor.

Ethnic minority people get support

Central Highlands localities have provided nearly 4,500 poor ethnic minority households with land for production since 2013.

The region has also assisted 2,000 more families with land for housing, according to the steering committee for the Central Highlands.

Dak Lak leads with more than 1,000 households provided with farmland.

Local provinces have also changed jobs and provided vocational training for over 15,000 households, while supplying fresh water for over 57,000 households and built 230 water supply facilities in underprivileged areas.

The committee said the Prime Minister’s Decision 755/QD-TTg is a special policy which aims to provide land for housing and farming for poor ethnic minority groups.

It proposed the Government direct ministries and agencies to arrange funds to implement the policy for development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 2017-2020.

Meanwhile, the southern province of Dong Nai has provided over 65,000 health insurance cards worth more than 15.8 billion VND (over 700,000 USD) for ethnic minority people in 63 disadvantaged communes.

Local authorities are carrying out a project to support artists who contributed to preserving traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities.

Dong Nai is home to 189,089 ethnic minority people, making up seven percent of the provincial population.

Last year, the locality reported over 1,900 ethnic minority households were living under the poverty line, 14.13 percent of total poor households./

Vietnamese people in Argentina, Malaysia celebrate Tet

The Vietnamese community in Argentina gathered at a get-together on January 15 held by the Vietnamese Embassy in the country to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, the Vietnamese’s most important event of a year, which falls in late January.

The event was attended by more than 100 participants who are embassy staff, Vietnamese people in localities across Argentina and Argentinean friends, including Chairman of the Argentina-Vietnam Culture Institute Poldi Sosa.

Addressing the ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Dinh Thao reviewed the domestic situation as well as the progress of the Vietnam-Argentina relations.

He affirmed the country’s policy of paying much attention to the Vietnamese community abroad, while lauding the solidarity and mutual support of Vietnamese people in Argentina in settling their life in the host country.

The ambassador expressed his hope that the community will continue promoting the solidarity and making more contributions to the national construction and defence as well as the growth of the Vietnam-Argentina ties.

Along with Tet gifts, participants also had a chance to enjoy music and dance performances and Tet signature food.

Also on January 15, the Vietnamese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, also held a get-together to welcome the New Year of the Rooster, which drew about 400 Vietnamese people in the country and local friends.

Ambassador to Malaysia Pham Cao Phong expressed his delight at the achievements made by the Vietnamese community here, especially their mutual assistance during hard time.

He also lauded their activities and donations for the homeland, as well as the community building and development activities such as Vietnamese language courses and talks for Vietnamese brides in the host country.

During the event, individuals and collectives with outstanding achievements were honoured.

Deputy PM urges radical changes in vocational training

Vocational training needs radical and substantive changes, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said at a conference held by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) in Ho Chi Minh City on January 16.

To improve the quality of vocational training, education establishments must have comprehensive autonomy in finance, personnel and curriculum, he said, adding that autonomy will give them momentum to better training quality and the teaching staff’s capacity to attract students.

Education establishments and businesses must also have close and substantive coordination. They should build workshops right at schools and classes right at companies to help learners practise what they have learnt, he added.

At the conference, participants said many schools have struggled to attract learners or maintain operations as there is a fact that a lot of trainees after graduating were unable to gain a suitable job. Meanwhile, it takes much time and money for schools to improve their training.

MoLISA Minister Dao Ngoc Dung said vocational schools must improve training quality and ensure employment for trainees first so as to attract learners. If they fail, they will have to merge with others or shut down.

Sharing the same view, Nguyen Thi Hang, Rector of the HCM City Vocational College of Technology No. 2, said manpower must meet the demand of export-oriented manufacturing amidst international integration. 

Relevant agencies should expeditiously design standards on vocational training which are in line with regional and international ones. It’s time to set up independent agencies for vocational training examination, she noted.-

Hanoi Archdiocese extends greetings to Mass Mobilisation Commission

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation Truong Thi Mai on January 16 received Archbishop of the Hanoi Archdiocese Cardinal Nguyen Van Nhon who came to extend Lunar New Year (Tet) greetings to the agency.

Cardinal Nguyen Van Nhon wished Mai and all members of the commission a New Year with good health and luck and strong performance in fulfilling all assigned tasks.

He also briefed the host on major activities and conditions of the Catholic community as well as Catholic parishes and dioceses.

Mai thanked the guest for the wishes, expressing her hope that Cardinal Nguyen Van Nhon and other priests of the Hanoi Archdiocese enjoy a happy New Year and make more contributions to the country’s development, join the Party and State’s efforts in caring for material and spiritual life of the people.

Extending her Tet wishes to Catholics in the Hanoi Archdiocese, Mai affirmed that belief and religious activities are normal practices and the right of each people.

More investments poured into Central Highlands

More than 62.1 trillion VND (2.73 billion USD) will be poured into the Central Highlands from 2016 -2020, including over 55.67 trillion VND (2.45 billion USD) from the State budget, up 1.43 percent from the previous five-year period, according to the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands region.

The region’s budget capital exceeded 27.2 trillion VND (1.2 billion USD), accounting for 49.4 percent of the total State investment. In the 2011-2015 period, the local budget capital only accounted for 32.5 percent of the total.

The investment will be spent on completing regional transport projects, particularly seven national highways linking south central coastal provinces and Central Highlands provinces.

The Central Highlands will also prioritise the capital to agricultural restructuring in tandem with the development of irrigation works, climate change response, and policies on farming land and water for poor ethnic minority people in the region.

Financial priorities will be given to accelerating the construction of large-scale irrigation works, including Krong Pak Thuong, Ea H’leo 1, Ea Tam reservoirs in Dak Lak; Nam Xuan, Gia Nghia lakes in Dak Nong; the H’Drai irrigation complex in Kon Tum; and Da Xi lake in Lam Dong.

The works are expected to help ensure water supply for additional 36,000 hectares in the region in dry season.

The region will earmark its funding for upgrades to schools, hospitals at all levels, particularly in ethnic minority areas.

The investment will also fund the national target programmes such as sustainable poverty reduction, new-style rural area building in a bid to improve locals’ living conditions.

Vietnamese firm donates marble bust of Laos’s late President

A Vietnamese company has created and presented a marble bust of Laos’s late President Souphanouvong to the Kaysone Phomvihane Museum in Vientiane.

The bust, 1.35 metres in height and 500kg in weight, was made of white marble sourced from the Vietnamese province of Nghe An – the hometown of late President Ho Chi Minh, who founded the Indochinese Communist Party and laid the foundation for the special relationship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries nowadays.

At the presentation on January 16, Nguyen Nam Moc, Director of the bust maker – Fine Arts and Technology Development Co. Ltd, reviewed the life of President and Prince Souphanouvong as well as his contributions to Laos and the countries’ special relations.

The firm had earlier created a statue of Souphanouvong placed at Luang Prabang University and another depicting him commanding the Vietnam-Laos joint military alliance in a fight against France on March 21, 1946 in Thakhek town of Khammouane province.

Admiring Souphanouvong, the company presented the bust as a gift to Laos on the occasion of 55 years of the two nations’ diplomatic ties (September 5, 1962) and 40 years of the signing of the bilateral treaty of friendship and cooperation (July 18, 1977). 

Souvandy Sisavath, deputy office manager of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee, described the bust as a demonstration of the sentiment of the company and the Vietnamese people towards Souphanouvong, reflecting the countries’ special ties.

The bust will be placed at the Monument to President Souphanouvong in Phonsaath village of Xaythany district, Vientiane capital, he added.

Government allocates rice, medicines to localities

The Prime Minister has instructed relevant ministries to allocate rice, antiseptic and vaccines from the national reserves to support localities in need.

Accordingly, the Central Highlands provinces of Gia Lai and Dak Lak will respectively receive over 605.2 tonnes and 500 tonnes of rice on the occasion of Lunar New Year.

The central province of Binh Dinh will get 30,000 litres of antiseptic while 430,000 doses of vaccines will be allocated to the central province of Quang Ngai to prevent diseases on cattle herds.

The provincial People’s Committees are responsible for receiving and promptly distributing the items to the locals.

Deaths after vaccination lower than warnings

Head of the Department of Preventive Medicine Tran Dac Phu said the mortality of kids after vaccination is lower than the warning.

As many as 22 babies died in the country last year after injection in the National Expanded Immunization Program in 2016. Most kids died after vaccinating tuberculosis, hepatitis B, five-in-one vaccine Quinvaxem, measles vaccine and encephalitis vaccine in the National Expanded Immunization Program. Some kids suffered incidents after injecting paid vaccine.

Through examination, medical experts in the scientific council said that most deaths were caused by other diseases which kids had before not because of vaccine quality. Currently vaccination is the only way to prevent disease.

Concerning to compensation for incident after vaccination, Dr. Phu said that the government’s decree about compensation after injecting vaccine in the National Expanded Immunization Program takes effect on July 1, 2016.

Nghe An develops offshore fishing ships

The central province of Nghe An aims to develop a fleet of offshore fishing ships by 2020.

The province also plans to cut down on small capacity vessels and offer incentives for near-shore fishermen to change jobs or build ships with capacity of over 90 CV to work offshore.

Management of fishing will be strengthened and expanded while applying technology to ensure sustainable exploration, protection and development of marine resources.

Efforts will also be made to protect the sea and islands, with the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago as a strategic fishing ground and the Tokin Gulf as the traditional one.

Investment will be poured into logistic facilities serving the fishing sector to lengthen offshore trips, ensure safety and security in the waters, while bettering preservation, processing and consumption to enhance efficiency.

The province is calling for investment in offshore ship building and repairing facilities while developing seafood-processing villages and other services.

37 projects enter final round of science-tech competition for senior high school students

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, the competition organizer, has announced 37 project winners of the science-tech competition for senior high school students in the city.

The event took place in Le Hong Phong High School for gifted students in January 14. Of over 600 entries of 1,000 candidates sent to the organizer, 37 good projects were selected for the final round.

11 projects were run by students of Gia Dinh School and five of students of Le Hong Phong School.

According to the Department, more high quality projects were sent to the organizer this year and most of them are practical especially in automatics, IT. For instance firefighting robots, black box for people- a device for rescue, survey of students’ behavior in love and planning and setting up new tourism network in HCMC are useful in reality. 

Authors of firefighting robot - Vo Bao Huy and Trinh Thanh Tam from Hoa Binh School said that because the city has lately had many fire causing losses of human and property, they designed the product for more effective firefighting, especially the product will help reducing risk for those partake in putting out the flames.

Tenth graders Tran Phan Thanh Hai and Nguyen Lam Tuong from Marie Curie school said that their product to support disabled people is designed to help parents have more time for cooking and help ease disabled people’s burden in daily activities and labor.  

The competition is a play yard for students inspiring their passion for schience and technology to create useful products for the society. 

First prize winners will participate in the national competition later.

Front leader gives Tet gifts to poor households in Son La

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan visited and presented gifts to poor households and welfare policy beneficiaries in the northern mountainous province of Son La on January 14-15, ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival. 

Talking with local residents in Chieng Co commune, Nhan said he was delighted to know that the commune has established a coffee cultivation cooperative, saying that it is a right direction and the locality needs to build an irrigation system to increase coffee output. 

The same day, the Front leader held a working session with the provincial Party Committee and VFF chapter to discuss the development of agricultural cooperatives in tandem with sustainable farm production and consumption. 

He spoke highly of the province’s strategic determination to shift to fruit cultivation and expand cooperative models, suggesting that Son La should seek high-quality seedling suppliers and establish a cooperatives alliance which is responsible for supplying fertilisers and plant varieties. 

Nhan also asked the provincial agriculture and rural development sector to train a contingent of cooperative leaders, and described Son La as a promising destination to host a conference on building new-style cooperatives hosted by the VFF Central Committee in the coming time. 

Speaking at the event, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Hoang Van Chat said Son La currently records 261 cooperatives, including 30 involved in fruit tree growing and 16 others in vegetable cultivation; and 18 farm produce production g and consumption chains. 

As many as 41 firms and cooperatives with 84 products have met Vietgap food safety standards.

This year, one of Son La’s priority tasks is to grow more fruit trees on slopping land areas, launching Vietgap production and consumption chains, and building brands for its products, he said. 

Also on January 14, Nhan attended a get-together of border guard officers, soldiers and residents in border areas of Moc Chau district. 

The organisers presented gifts to 300 poor households, 1,000 gift packages and 50 scholarships to needy students worth a total of more than 500 million VND (21,700 USD). 

Earlier, the Border Guard High Command coordinated with the Long Sap Border Station to hold cultural and sport events, folk games and glutinous rice cake wrapping competition in the lead up to Tet.

Vietnam offers equipment to Lao academy of politics

A ceremony was held in Vientiane on January 15 to hand over interior equipment, worth 6.6 billion VND (300,000 USD) in total, to the Laos National Academy of Politics and Public Administration.

This is an additional project of a two-phase project on upgrading facilities of the academy at a cost of 124 billion VND (almost 6 million USD), funded as the Vietnamese government’s non-refundable aid to its Lao counterpart.

Speaking at the event, Ubon Mahasay, deputy director of the academy, thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, Government and people for their valuable assistance to the Lao people in general and the academy in particular.

The project has helped the academy have modern equipment to train high-ranking officials and future leaders of the country. It is also a clear manifestation for the traditional and faithful relationship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, he said.

Ubon Mahasay pledged to use the equipment effectively and boost cooperation with the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics to tighten the special relationship between the two academies in particular and the two countries in general.

Video teleconference system launched at district people's courts

The People’s Supreme Court has launched a video teleconference system at district-level people’s courts.

Addressing the launching ceremony on January 14, Chief Judge of the Supreme People's Court Nguyen Hoa Binh said the installation of the video teleconference  at district-level people’s courts complies with the Party’s orientation to reduce national-scale conferences and increase the application of information and communication technology (ICT) in holding online conferences in instructing, managing and handling public affairs.

The project aims to develop an e-court system to ensure transparent and public operation of courts at all levels to better serve people and relevant bodies, Binh added.

The video teleconference network, installed at provincial-level people’s courts in 63 provinces and cities across the nation in 2014, has proven to be effective.

In 2016, the network was developed at the Central Military Court and 710 district-level people’s courts nationwide to improve their efficiency and performance.

Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan spoke highly of the recent ICT application in the sector, saying that this has created a favourable environment for local people.

The launch of websites and the video teleconference network have helped update information and improve the efficiency of the sector, while saving time, costs and meeting the requirement of administrative reform, the minister said.

HCM City opens new premium bus route to busy airport

The new route is designed to reduce private vehicle traffic to Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Ho Chi Minh City launched another first-class bus route to Tan Son Nhat International Airport on January 15.

The announcement came just weeks after a local developer proposed building a cable car to the former American-run air force base, arguing that a planned US$250 million subway line wouldn't come fast enough.

Ultimately, the city plans to route all air traffic 40 km outside the city to the Long Thanh International Airport in neighboring Dong Nai Province. Government authorities estimate the airport will receive its first flights in 2025.

Three first-class bus routes (numbers 109, 119 and 49) currently link Tan Son Nhat to the city center.

The new route will run 17.5 km from the Mien Dong (Eastern Region) Bus Station in Binh Thanh District through Tan Son Nhat and on to the An Suong Bus Station in Hoc Mon District.

The city hopes the new route will reduce the number of private vehicles bound for the congested airport.

The buses leave every 25-30 minutes between 5:30 a.m. to 8:25 p.m.

Fares will range from VND7,000-10,000 (US$0.31-0.44).

Vietnam, Japan cuisines help facilitate tourism: seminar

Similar geographical circumstances and culinary philosophies have allowed Vietnam and Japan to share many common features in their cuisines, which could help spur tourism, gastronomists commented at a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City on January 14.

The seminar, hosted by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, was attended by Vietnamese and Japanese chefs, gourmets and restaurateurs who discussed the many similarities between the countries’ cuisines and their crucial role in ‘branding’ Vietnam and Japan’s respective tourism industries.

Toshiki Ando, director of the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, said he had noticed a recent increase in the number of Vietnamese restaurants springing up in major Japanese cities, while local television channels were also airing more programs on Vietnamese cuisine.

The opposite case could also be observed in Vietnam, Ando said, with as many as 200 Japanese restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City alone, and an additional 300 restaurants offering Japanese food on the menu, the director said.

Kazuo Nishiyama, head chef of a Japanese restaurant at a five-star hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, who has been living in Vietnam for 18 years, was surprised the first time he tried Japanese food in Vietnam, as it tasted nothing like that prepared in his home country.

Things are different now, the chef said, as Japanese dishes served in Vietnam are getting closer and closer to their original flavor.

“I think it is because the skills of Vietnamese chefs have been improved,” Nishiyama said.

Toshiki attributed this improvement to the openness between the two governments and peoples who are equally willing and eager to learn about the other’s culture.

According experts at the seminar, Vietnam and Japan both boast long coastlines that run the length of the countries, making seafood and vegetables top choices on the daily menu of Vietnamese families.

Both Vietnamese and Japanese cuisines emphasize the freshness and natural flavors of the ingredients without excessive seasoning, according to Dr. Nguyen Nha, who is running a local project aimed at promoting Vietnamese cuisine to international diners.

Nha added that prominent methods of cooking in both countries are steaming and boiling, which are best for preserving the original flavors of ingredients compared to other methods. He added that dishes prepared with fresh and raw seafood are common in both countries.

Rice and noodle dishes are also favored on the dining table of Vietnamese and Japanese people, according to Junichi Kajiwara, CEO of food manufacturer Acecook Vietnam.

Kajiwara also noted a difference in the use of seasonings, as Vietnamese people prefer fish sauce while their Japanese friends use soya sauce in adding saltiness to the dish.

“Understanding these key similarities and differences has facilitated our export of Vietnamese rice to other countries as well as our sales of Japanese products in Vietnam,” the CEO explained.

Bui Ta Hoang Vu, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, underscored the importance of local cuisine in improving the appeal of the city’s tourism industry.

In 2016, the city welcomed more than five million foreign visitors, over 500,000 of which were from Japan, making the East Asian country the fourth largest market for Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism, Vu said.

Increase in drug-resistant TB in southwest

An increase in the number of resistant-TB cases has occurred in the southwestern region of Việt Nam, according to the head of the region’s national TB prevention and control office.

At a conference on TB prevention held last week in Cần Thơ, Dr Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nhàn said that nearly 1,300 patients with resistant TB were diagnosed every year in the southwestern region, accounting for 25 per cent of the total number of resistant-TB patients in the country.

The provinces of An Giang (220), Đồng Tháp (150) and Kiên Giang (130) have the highest number of resistant-TB cases in the southwestern region, while Cà Mau, Vĩnh Long, Cần Thơ, Tiền Giang and Bến Tre provinces face a shortage of medicine and chemicals as well as funds.

Between 2011 and 2015, the prevalence of patients with TB per 100,000 people in the region was 141, according to the Ministry of Health. The figure was 1.3 times higher than the national rate of 112.

Nhàn said besides the shortage of human resources, staff in charge of TB prevention and control in the region had received insufficient allowances (benefits beyond salary and bonuses).

Dr Nguyễn Viết Nhung, head of the country’s national TB prevention and control programme, said that TB prevention should be considered the task of the entire community.

He said that more investment was needed for new technologies as well as medicine for treatment and prevention in order to reach the target of TB elimination.

In the 2017-2020 project on active intervention in TB prevention in the southwestern region, the Cần Thơ TB and Lung Disease Hospital is expected to become the leading specialised centre in the region.

The national TB programme aims to raise the rate of successful TB detection and treatment cases and reduce the number of resistant-TB cases from now to 2020.

Cải lương troupe to perform for free in rural areas during Tết

HCM City’s Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương (reformed opera) theatre, one of the region’s leading traditional art troupes, is preparing a series of new shows to entertain farmers during Tết (Lunar New Year), which begins January 28.

The two shows will focus on historical events. Veteran and young talents like Tú Sương, Võ Minh Lam and Lê Thanh Thảo will perform in Hoa Vương Tình Mộng (Hero’s Love Story) and Bão Táp Nguyên Sa (The Storm), both of which depict heroes’ sacrifices for the country.  

They will also stage Hồn Ma Báo Oán (The Ghost) and Hiu Hiu Gió Bấc (The Wind), comedy shows featuring the year’s top social and cultural events. 

The plays, directed by young artists Quốc Kiệt and Lê Trung Thảo, will include sound and light effects to lure young fans.

Theatre director and People’s Artist Trần Ngọc Giàu said that a group of 20 young artists will travel to perform in the rural districts of Cần Giờ, Bình Chánh, Nhà Bè, Củ Chi and Hóc Môn.

“We will offer free shows at an outdoor stage located in cultural houses for rural residents, who love cải lương but have fewer entertainment choices than their urban counterparts,” he said.

Cà Mau Province’s Hương Tràm Cải Lương Troupe plans to offer quality shows for local farmers. Dozens of artists will travel around the province to perform for free or for only VNĐ10,000 to 25,000 (US$1.1).

Talented artists such as Kim Hiền and Minh Sang will take part in extracts from popular operas like Huyền Thoại Người Mẹ (The Legend of Mother) and Bên Dòng Nhị Nguyệt (Living on Nhị Nguyệt River), works which describe the love of parents for their children.

They will also perform Ông Táo (Kitchen God), a comedy featuring dances and songs based on traditional legends.

On the 23rd of the last lunar month, Vietnamese families will clean their kitchens and worship Ông Táo as he leaves for heaven to report about the family to the God of Heaven. He will return to the kitchen on the 30th.  

“Our play Ông Táo will reflect farmers’ daily lives, including work and family problems, and will have lessons and entertain the audience,"  Nguyễn Quốc Tín, head of the troupe, said.

"We face many challenges in offering a stable income to our performers and staging quality plays. However, we always offer free performances every Tết to send our best wishes to our people," Tín said.

He said that he hoped that local companies and organisations would offer more financial support to traditional troupes.

Last year during Tết his troupe travelled around Cà Mau and neighbouring provinces such as Hậu Giang and Đồng Tháp and performed for more than 35,000 people. 

Amusement park to offer hot-air balloon rides

Đầm Sen Cutural Park in HCM City’s District 11 will offer hot-air balloon rides for the first time during the Tết holiday (Lunar New Year) from January 28 to February 2.

Two of the park’s 17 hot-air balloons can carry one pilot and four passengers each, and four can accommodate one pilot and three passengers. The rest are for decorative purposes only.

Forty pilots from China and Germany have been hired for the event.

The hot-air balloons, which can reach 30 to 40 metres high, will be available from 8am to 10am and from 5:30pm to 7pm daily, except on February 2. Each ride will last seven to 10 minutes.

The service is available to passengers in good health who are 1.4 metres in height or more.

Park director Dư Hữu Danh said the rides would be the highlight of the park’s entertainment activities this year.

Though the activity was said to be costly, he said the park was happy to contribute to the city’s tourism development.

Overseas Vietnamese in Japan, Cambodia gather for New Year celebration

Vietnamese students in Japan and expatriates in Cambodia took part in get-togethers to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) on January 15.

In Tokyo, the Vietnamese Youth and Student Association in Japan (VTSA) held a congress to select a new executive board and a New Year party, gathering students, representatives from the Vietnam embassy and social organisations and Japanese friends.

The event featured musical performances and Vietnamese food.

Newly elected president of the VTSA Nguyen Phuong Nhi, a student at Tokyo’s Hitotsubashi University, said the celebration aims to bring people closer. 

Meanwhile, the gathering of Vietnamese in Cambodia saw the participation of local officials, Ambassador to the country Thach Du, business people and expatriates.

Speaking at the event, Chau Van Chi, President of the General Association of Vietnamese Cambodians, said despite living away from the motherland, Vietnamese in Cambodia keep traditions from home, particularly traditional festivals.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Thach Du praised the Vietnamese community and urged them to support each other and contribute to the growth of Cambodia.

Vietnamese expats in Singapore gather to celebrate Tet

About 1,000 Vietnamese expatriates and students in Singapore attended a gathering on January 14 to celebrate the approaching Lunar New Year. 

Together they listened to musical performances and enjoyed Vietnamese dishes traditionally made for the lunar New Year Festival (Tet). 

Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Nguyen Tien Minh hailed the Vietnamese community in Singapore for their friendship and cultural activities in 2016. He particularly highlighted the community’s campaign to raise donations to build outdoor exercise facilities for soldiers in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago.

Vietnam and Singapore recorded annual trade revenue of 20 billion SGD (14.3 billion USD). Singapore was ranked third among 114 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with 1,772 valid projects worth approximately 38 billion USD.

The same day, Ambassador to Algeria and Senegal Pham Quoc Tru visited several Vietnamese families living in Senegal’s capital city Dakar and presented them with New Year gifts.

He also attended a get-together with 40 representatives of the Vietnamese community in the city. 

The ambassador extended his Tet greetings to the expatriates, stressing that overseas Vietnamese are an indispensable part of Vietnam and the Government always creates the best conditions for them to do business and social activities back home.

Senegal is home to several thousands of Senegalese of Vietnamese origin, most of them are of the second, third and fourth generations and unable to speak the mother tongue. Only a few of the first-generation Vietnamese in Senegal are alive and they are now in their nineties.

Gala raises over 100 bln VND in support of children

The National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) raised more than 100 billion VND from 40 individuals, organisations, businesses and philanthropists at home and abroad at a televised gala in Hanoi on January 14. 

Speaking at the event, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh said over the past 24 years, the NFVC has successfully fulfilled its task of linking domestic and foreign philanthropists together to rally resources for children in need of help. 

Tens of thousands of children living with congenital heart disease and disabilities have received free treatment and medicines while hundreds of thousands of poor children accessed scholarships, toys and bicycles. 

The total donations have amounted to over 5.4 trillion VND (234.7 million USD) and more than 30 million children have benefited from such support. 

In 2016 alone, upwards 98 billion VND were used in support of 180,000 children. 

Thinh also called on individuals and organisations at home and abroad to continue standing side by side with the NFVC and helping the poor, orphan and disabled children realise their dream. 

On the occasion, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs presented certificates of merit to 24 units and individuals in honour of their dedication to child protection and care.

OVs in New York celebrate Lunar New Year

Over 400 guests and overseas Vietnamese enjoyed a warm celebration of the Lunar New Year festival (Tet) hosted by the Vietnamese permanent delegation to the United Nations (UN) in New York on January 15.

The event was attended by representatives from the UN, the ASEAN permanent delegations to the UN, among other Vietnamese representative offices.

Addressing the event, Head of the Vietnamese delegation Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga briefed the guests on Vietnam’s achievements in 2016, highlighting the success of the 12th National Party Congress and the election of deputies to the 14th National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils.

Vietnam recorded an economic growth of 6.21 percent in the year amid complex international developments and drought and salt water intrusion at home while ensuring territorial sovereignty, peace and stability.

The country welcomed over 10 million tourists, up 26 percent from 2015, and more than 2,500 FDI projects worth over 15 billion USD, according to Nga.

Vietnam has also implemented the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change. 

The Vietnamese diplomat underlined the development of Vietnam’s external relations bilaterally and multilaterally, particularly the growing bilateral Vietnam –US ties with the visit of US President Barack Obama to Vietnam a highlight in the relationship.

Nga lauded the contributions the Vietnamese community in the US as well as international friends have made to Vietnam’s achievements, expressing her hope that Vietnamese in the US will promote solidarity and aid relations between the two countries.

During the event, participants enjoyed Vietnamese food and art.

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