First Vietnamese language class opened in Malaysia

Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia, Pham Cao Phong, gave books to class participants at the opening ceremony

The first ever Vietnamese language class for Vietnamese descendants in Malaysia began on October 16.

About 30 Vietnamese youngsters, with 80 percent of them being children of Vietnamese women marrying foreigners, attended the class, which is opened once a week on Saturday.

They are divided in two classes based on ages and placement test results, and use textbooks brought from Vietnam, which were compiled under the program of Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training. 

The classes, which is co-organised by the Vietnamese Women Club and the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia, are run by two main teachers, who can get help from six other standbys from the club. 

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Pham Cao Phong, Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia, appreciated effort of the Vietnamese Women Club in preparing the class.

He stressed that the course aims to teach not only Vietnamese language, but also Vietnamese culture as a way to connect Vietnamese children with their mother land and promote Vietnam – Malaysia ties.

Hanoi spends big on rural development

Hanoi will arrange over 72 trillion VND (3.24 billion USD) to implement a programme on developing agriculture, building new-style rural areas, and improving quality of local life in 2016-2020.

The programme is designed by the municipal Party’s Committee.

The Hanoi branch of the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies will provide about 200 billion VND (nearly 8.9 million USD) each year in the form of loans with preferential interest rates to farmers and city-based businesses operating in agricultural and rural development.

Urban districts and agencies in the city are requested to assist with the construction of socio-economic infrastructure and environmental protection projects in rural areas, particularly remote and ethnic minority areas.

According to the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, as of September 2016, Hanoi had 212 new-style rural communes, an increase of 11 communes from 2015.

Long An urged to become one of economic centres

The Mekong Delta province of Long An should make all-out efforts to become one of the three economic centres in the southern region, together with Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho city, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said.

At a working session with the provincial leaders on October 17, the PM highlighted the rapid and effective economic shifting in Long An which now houses 7,900 businesses.

Long An should set up a special group to accelerate economic shifting in the locality, he suggested.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc said he was satisfied with Long An’s development achievements and orientations, especially in new-style rural area building, urging the province to complete the rural construction programme before 2020.

It is necessary for the province to mobilise all resources in order to turn Long An International Seaport into a central port of Mekong Delta, he said, calling on the locality to pair economic development with environmental protection and social order and safety maintenance.

Regarding smuggling, especially tobacco smuggling in the province, the PM called for the involvement of the entire political system in the combat.

Sharing a 133-km border line with Cambodia, Long An has favourable conditions for economic development, with annual economic growth at 11.26 percent over the past five years and GDP per capita at 50.7 million VND (2,281 USD).

As from October 16, the province has put into service a public administrative service centre which deals with administrative procedures of the six departments of Planning and Investment, Natural Resources and Environment, Construction, Industry and Trade, Justice, and Science and Technology.

While in Long An, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc made a field-trip to the construction site of Long An International Seaport in Tan Lap commune, Can Giuoc district.

Covering 147 hectares, the 9 trillion VND (405 million USD) port is scheduled to be operational in 2023.

He also toured the Five Star Eco City project invested by Five Star International Group and visited local heroic mothers.

Fronts of Vietnam, Laos laud diversified cooperation

The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) and the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) rejoiced at their increasingly diversified cooperation and the countries’ stronger amity during talks in Vientiane on October 17. 

The talks were part of a working visit to Laos from October 17-20 by a Vietnamese delegation, led by Vice President of the VFF Central Committee Bui Thi Thanh. 

Vice Chairman of the LFNC Central Committee Chanthavong Senamatmontry said the visit aims to implement agreements reached by President of the VFF Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan and President of the LFNC Central Committee Saysomphone Phomvihane during the latter’s visit to Vietnam last August. 

Thanh said the Party, State, VFF and people of Vietnam are glad about Laos’s enormous attainments in national building, unity consolidation and external relations expansion, which have contributed to the country’s higher stature in the region and the world. 

At the talks, both sides shared the view that they have done a good job of enhancing personnel training and research as in line with the fronts’ cooperation programme between 2012 and 2016, during which the VFF Central Committee provided training for more than 100 officials of the LFNC. 

They agreed that more training courses will be organised for the LFNC officials by the VFF. They will boost communication activities to educate young people about the time-tested friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos. 

The two fronts are bound to step up the exchange of information and views on issues of shared concern, while supporting each other’s interests on the basis of international law and their respective countries’ stance. 

They will also increase mutual visits and create favourable conditions for the fronts’ local chapters, especially those in border areas, to foster collaboration, the officials said. 

Also on October 17, VFF Vice President Thanh met with President of the LFNC Central Committee Saysomphone Phomvihane.

Vietnamese, Cuban youths join hands in boosting bilateral ties

The Party and State of Vietnam always facilitate the friendly cooperation between Vietnamese and Cuban youth unions, said Hoang Binh Quan, head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Affairs.

The official made the affirmation at a reception for a delegation from Cuba’s Young Communist League led by Second Secretary Ronald Hidalgo Rivera in Hanoi on October 17.

Quan urged the two countries’ youth unions to exchange their experience in educating young people while coordinating with each other in multilateral activities of the world’s youths.

Vietnam always treasures the fraternity, time-honoured friendship, comprehensive cooperation and solidarity with the Cuban Party, State and people, he stated.

For his part, Ronald Hidalgo Rivera said he believes that the Cuban delegation’s visit will contribute to consolidating the friendship and cooperation between the two countries as well as their young people.

Cuban young people will stand side by side with their Vietnamese peers to promote the fine bilateral relationship, he pledged.

PM, Long An province pledge maximum support for investors

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and authorities of southern Long An province pledged all possible support for investors in the locality but asked them to respect their commitments, especially those relating to environment protection.

Addressing an investment promotion conference in the locality on October 17, the Government leader asked the province to do all out in building an incorruptible administration to win businesses’ trust.

The local administration should strictly implement its pledges to businesses and people, through maximising the use of advanced technology in administration and information management, and its development policies should position businesses in the centre, he noted.

“The Government and I have high hopes that Long An will become one of the powerful economic drivers of the country during this working term,” the PM said. 

He also pointed to the need to increase dialogues with businesses and show good performance in planning, advising Long An to learn from development experience from Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong province.

He suggested that domestic and foreign investors cooperate with the local governments to build large-scaled and green industrial clusters with strong competitiveness.

Long An’s authorities have committed to improving the business and investment environment towards fast-processing procedures, safe business and effective investment, and sustainable growth. 

The province has posted the fastest growth in the Mekong Delta region and among localities with high growth in the southern major economic region over the past five years. 

It ranked ninth in 63 localities nationwide in the provincial competitiveness index, and second among 13 Mekong Delta localities only after Dong Thap. 

It enjoys a favourable location for economic development as it neighbours the country’s economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City and shares the 133-km border with Cambodia with nearly 14,000 hectares border gate economic zone.

For his part, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Van Can affirmed that Long An will do its utmost for investors as it considers their successes and difficulties as its own. 

He called for investments into transport infrastructure system serving the industrial expansion in the province’s major economic area and high technology in line with agricultural restructuring. 

He also introduced 16 projects that are calling for investment, including a project to build urban and transport system connecting Long An with Ho Chi Minh City . 

On October 16, the province launched its Public Administration Centre which is the headquarters of six departments. 

After three years of implementing its socio-economic master plan, Long An has attracted 722 projects worth over 5 billion USD, mostly from Taiwanese, RoK, Singaporean and US investors. 

Foreign direct investment has helped the province secure a 12 percent growth annually, nearly doubling the average figure of the country. However, a number of projects are found to potentially cause pollution. 

Within the framework of the conference, Long An signed memoranda of understanding of cooperation worth tens of thousands billion VND with four domestic and foreign investors. 

Local authorities also granted investment licences to 12 investors with a total investment of 4.3 trillion VND (192.7 million USD).

Patients find relief in traditional-modern mix

Tran Thi Tuyet Nhung, 55, had suffered pain for two months earlier this year before she decided to visit Binh Chanh District Hospital for treatment.

After an X-ray was taken, doctors at the hospital’s traditional medicine ward told her she had sciatic nerve pain and prescribed 10 acupuncture treatments and several herbal concoctions. By the end of treatment, she no longer felt pain.

Nguyen Thi Lam Thao, the head of the ward, said that patients like Nhung were benefiting more and more from both traditional and modern Western medicine treatments. The use of medical tests like X-rays with traditional medicine treatments is being used at many hospitals in Vietnam.

“Patients with cerebrovascular disease, for example, are given herbs to increase the circulation of blood to the brain and physical therapy to help the patient move normally after a diagnosis based on modern tests by hospital doctors trained in Western medicine,” she added.

Dr Tran Minh Son, Head of Thu Duc District Hospital’s Traditional Medicine Ward, said that modern tests could detect disease effectively. “The ward’s doctors then decide on the best therapy for patients. Medical tests can show if patient suffer from heart disease or diabetes.”

“If patients have high blood pressure or blood sugar, they are sent to the hospital’s General Medicine Ward where they will be given Western medicines to help control the problem, which are better than herbs,” he added.

However, after the blood pressure and blood sugar levels become stable, herbs are given to prevent further problems, Son said.

“Herbs help reduce harm caused by western medicine used by patients for a long time. This combination increases quality of treatment for patients,” he said.

Pham Vu Khanh, Head of the Traditional Medicine Management Department under the Ministry of Health, said the combination of Western and traditional medicine began in 1945 in the country to provide better primary healthcare.

But it remained underused. In 2014, the Ministry of Health launched an action programme that called for traditional medicine wards at general hospitals at all levels (district, city, state). The wards act as advisors on traditional medicine treatment to hospitals’ top managers and directors.

According to a HCM City Department of Health, the city has 10 general hospitals with traditional medicine wards and 22 out of 23 district hospitals have set up a traditional medicine ward. District 1 Hospital is the only hospital in the city with a team specialising in traditional medicine.

Although 89 percent of general hospitals in the country have a traditional medicine ward, Khanh said that was still not enough. He said many local authorities had not recognised the importance of traditional medicine and had not incorporated the practice in their healthcare service policies.

“The combination of traditional medicine and Western medicine helps reduce complications. For instance, a woman who has a urinary retention after delivering her child can be treated with acupuncture. The modern treatment for the condition such as bladder drainage, urethral dilation and urethral stents could cause complications, including infection,” he said.

According to the Health Department’s report, the number of patients treated with traditional medicine only or a combination of Western and traditional medicine at district-level hospitals and health centres last year increased by 6.2 percent compared to the figure in 2010.

Besides public health facilities, private hospitals and foreign clinics are also using the traditional/modern medicine combination. For instance, the privately run American Chiropractic Clinic in the city combines physical therapy with chiropractic medicine and acupuncture to treat back, knee and neck pain and other problems.

Khanh said that traditional medicine doctors had improved in both quality and quantity. “Many of them are very good,” he said, adding that universities of medicine and pharmacy offer a major in traditional medicine.

In addition, students majoring in Western medicine take courses in traditional medicine to broaden their knowledge and capabilities.

Son said that more and more doctors now have combined training compared to two years ago. For instance, his ward has seven doctors trained in both fields.

The country is also rich in a variety of herbs, which are usually produced in caplets or small bags for patients to use easily.

However, only 10 drug companies produce herbal products, so hospitals have a limited choice when bidding for products, he said.

Besides improved training and herbal products, equipment used in traditional medicine treatment has also improved and is more modern than it was in the past, according to Huynh Tan Vu of HCM City University Medical Centre’s Pain Treatment Ward in Phu Nhuan District.

National effort needed to treat hemophilia

A national programme for comprehensive care of hemophilia, a hereditary blood disorder, is needed, according to Dr Phu Chi Dung, Head of HCM City Blood Transfusion Hematology Hospital.

The programme would help provide fund for surveillance, prevention and treatment to patients with hemophilia.

Dung spoke at a roundtable meeting on policies and new treatment guidelines for hemophilia held by the hospital in cooperation with the city’s Department of Health. 

The meeting was held under the sponsorship of Shire, a biotechnology company that focuses on rare diseases and other highly specialised conditions.

The country has a total of 6,000 patients with hemophilia, but only 2,373 of them receive treatment, Dung said, adding that 717 out of 2,000 people with the disorder in the southern region receive treatment. 

Most of the 717 patients are treated at the Blood Transfusion Hematology Hospital (BTH), two paediatrics hospitals or Cho Ray Hospital.

“Most doctors trained in hematology at provincial hospitals do not work in the field because these hospitals do not have wards to treat diseases related to blood disorders, including hemophilia,” Dung said.

In addition, recombinant clotting products and others needed for treatment are not available at these hospitals.

“Patients with hemophilia come to our hospital for treatment when they have complications such as joint damage, causing repeated bleeding,” he said.

Dung said these complications could be prevented if patients received medicine. 

He said the city’s Department of Health and Social Insurance Agency should ask the Ministry of Health for coverage of treatment to prevent complications as well as coverage for treatment at patients’ homes or at health centres where they live.

Dr Nguyen Phuong Lien, head of the hospital’s general planning division, said that treatment costs for the blood disorder were high, from 2 million VND to 5 million VND (88.9 USD). However, this figure does not include insurance coverage which accounts for 80 percent of the total costs.

Boy missing after heavy rain in Bình Dương Province

An eight-year-old boy was missing as of late Monday afternoon following prolonged heavy rains, which flooded streets in the southeastern province of Bình Dương on Sunday.

The boy, Hoàng Xuân Hiếu, from Bình Dương’s Dĩ An Town was swept into a manhole on Street No.4 at about 4pm, according to witnesses.

The province’s rescue forces have mobilised hundreds of people to help find the boy.

In Bình Dương’s Thủ Dầu Một City, heavy rains flooded many streets, including Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Street and National Highway No.13.

National Highway No.13 in Thuận An Town was flooded up to 0.5 metres in some sections.

Rain water swept about six motorbikes travelling on Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Street into nearby fields. The province’s rescue forces rescued the six drivers, who had been swept out into the field by about 100 metres.

In HCM City, heavy rains and high tides on late Sunday afternoon flooded at least 18 streets until about 9pm, according to the city’s Water Drainage Company.

Many streets, including Nguyễn Xí, Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh, Xô Viết Nghệ Tĩnh and Đinh Bộ Lĩnh in Bình Thạnh District; Văn Việt and Đỗ Xuân Hiệp in District 9; and Huỳnh Tấn Phát in District 7, were submerged under 20-50 cm of water.

A section of an embankment on TX25 Street in District 12’s Thạnh Xuân Commune broke, flooding dozens of houses and more than 10 ha of vegetable plants and ornamental trees.

Thạnh Xuân Commune authorities have mobilised more than 70 people to help protect  flooded houses.

High tides at the downstream of the Sài Gòn – Đồng Nai River were estimated to peak on October 17-18, according to the Southern Centre for Hydrometeorology Forecasting.

Support from Japan

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has announced it will fund US$211 million to help HCM City tackle flooding next year. Japanese-Vietnamese firms (SPC) will be established to implement each part of the project.

Mitsui Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Shimizu Corporation and Maeda Corporation are among the firms that will participate in the project.

In addition to offering low-interest loans, JICA will be involved as a private investment company.

The project will be implemented in flood-prone neighborhoods along Sài Gòn River, about 10 kilometres away from the city centre in areas that have had neither embankments nor quality sewage systems.

An 8.1 kilometre-long canal will be built along the sewage system, creating a wide, open area of 61 hectares. Japanese firms will then build a 20-storey apartment building in the area for 24,000 households, to be completed in 2022.

The city will receive some of the funds in advance to build dykes, roads and sewage systems and prepare for resettlement of families living in affected neighborhoods.

If flood-related problems can be solved, especially during the country’s period of rapid urbanisation,  HCM city would continue to progress well, Japanese investors have said.

Besides Việt Nam, similar projects will be conducted by Japanese firms in other Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar and Cambodia.

HN begins to build southern gateway road

Construction has started on the main road in the southern gateway of the city in Hoàng Mai District at a cost of VNĐ2,067 billion (US$92.66 million).

Tam Chinh Road, linking beltway 2 with beltway 3, is expected to create favourable conditions for travel, especially for the district’s residents. It will help miminise transport pressure on the southern routes of the city, promote social-economic development and create a beautiful and modern landscape in the region.

The 3,557m road will be completed within 720 days.

The city budget and the district’s land-use fund have invested in the project.

Expense for land clearance work is VNĐ1,648 billion ($73.9 million) and the contract for construction cost VNĐ243.6 billion.

Participating at the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday morning were Hà Nội Party Committee Secretary, Hoàng Trung Hải, and leaders of the city and district authorities.

At the ceremony, Nguyễn Thế Hưng, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee, said it was one of the key transport projects to achieve the city’s goal of reducing traffic congestion in the 2016-20 period.

The total area acquired for the project was some 112,000sq.m. from three wards.

The district People’s Committee has been putting in the maximum effort and is focused on completing land clearance work to achieve the project deadline.

The district authorities were asked to coordinate with the contractor to ensure quality and criteria on lighting system, trees and landscape are met.

Dyke breach threatens lives in central province

Flood waters broke a protective dyke in Quảng Bình Province on October 17. No casualties were reported.

Some 20m of the dyke was breached in the province’s Bố Trạch District due to continuous heavy rainfall caused by a low tropical depression in the central provinces last week.

The incident will affect the livelihood and agricultural production of the locals.

The district’s authorities have arrived at the scene to instruct and support residents in clearing the area and preparing for a coming storm, Nguyễn Ngọc Tuấn, vice chairman of the commune’s People’s Committee, said.

The district provided some 2,000 sandbags, as well as bamboo poles and stones, to fix the dyke to prevent saltwater from intruding into the upstream flow and the domestic water source of the residents.

The dyke plays a major role in preventing saltwater intrusion and protecting agricultural production of not only Bố Trạch District, but also of the four neighbourhood districts of Bắc Trạch, Mỹ Trạch, Hạ Trạch and Thanh Trạch.

Another dyke in the province’s Cam Thủy Commune is also at risk of breaking due to heavy rainfall. Nguyễn Bá Trọng, chairman of the commune’s People’s Committee, said the rains had caused landslides and broken 60m of the dyke downstream and 30sq.m. of its concrete foundation.

Since the dyke is the only route connecting Tân Lộc Village with the commune’s centre, if it breaks, some 100 households will be isolated and saltwater will flood their paddy fields, Trọng said.

Heavy rains on October 13-15 flooded some 800 households, causing water to overflow from some 40ha of lakes, damaging 70ha of paddy fields and killing thousands of cattle in the commune, he said.

By yesterday morning, the storm had killed nine and injured 13 people, drowning 15 fishing boats and swamping some 71,000 households in Quảng Bình Province. 

Nutrition week focuses on climate change

A week-long communication campaign was launched nationwide on October 16 in efforts to strengthen community awareness on nutrition safety and malnutrition prevention in people, especially children.

Organised by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), the event aims to celebrate Nutrition and Development Week and World Food Day (October 16).

With the theme "Ensure reasonable nutrition and safety of family meals in the context of climate change",  this year’s campaign will focus its activities on encouraging people to develop family production and promote sustainable production and awareness of environment protection.

“Access to essential foods has been always a pressing problem for every household in areas affected by natural disaster and climate change. As a result, children face risks of malnutrition, disease and fatality,” NIN director Lê Danh Tuyên said.

“Priorities will be given to families in provinces and areas affected by disaster and climate change to improve the quality of meals through ready food sources and to raise income for enhancing their quality of life,” Tuyên said.

The campaign will also raise community awareness on a healthy and balanced diet, ensure food hygiene and safety and promote a healthy lifestyle through regular physical exercise to prevent obesity.

During the week, the health departments will collaborate with the agricultural sector to provide guidelines on proper cultivation techniques for farmers and to develop VAC (garden-pond-livestock pen) integrated farming systems, a Vietnamese approach to household production of safe and nutritious food.

NIN experts said an unbalanced diet was among the top causes of malnutrition in the country. In 2015, 24.6 per cent of the country’s children under five were underweight, down 0.3 per cent compared with 2014, while the rate of stunted growth was 14.1 per cent, down 0.4 per cent compared with the previous year.

Rockslide kills three miners, injures one

Three miners died and another was injured in a rockslide that occurred yesterday afternoon in a company’s quarry in Châu Quang Commune in central Nghệ An Province’s Quỳ Hợp District.

The commune People’s Committee confirmed last night that the victims were buried while working at the quarry. One of the victims was identified as Lương Văn Hương, 34, of Châu Quang Commune.

The Quỳ Hợp District People’s Committee sent employees to the scene this morning to assist the local authority to deal with the rockslide’s aftermath and determine the reason for the mishap.

The district is home to several rock mining areas where work safety requirements have not been met.

IT skills of youth in Hà Nội improved

Phase two of the YouthSpark Techspert Project, implemented by Microsoft and Kenan in Hà Nội this year, has opened up career opportunities for 150 students.

The project results were announced on Saturday in Hà Nội by Microsoft and Kenan.

Being a part of YouthSpark Techspert, Microsoft is providing financial and technical support for Kenan to conduct training and apprenticeship to increase career opportunities for the youth.

From June until the end of August this year, three training sessions and nine weeks of apprenticeship were conducted for 150 vocational students in Hà Nội.

The training provided knowledge to students about effective tools to improve working skills, such as Office 365 and Windows 10, and improved their sales and interpersonal communication skills.

In addition to the training, the students participated in apprenticeships at three major IT retail stores – Media Mart, Pico and Phúc anh – which helped them to see the practical value of the training sessions.

Results of the pre and post-training evaluations revealed that 96 per cent of the students had better knowledge of Microsoft products and 100 per cent students showed significant improvement in their knowledge of sales and interpersonal communication skills following the prgramme. 

Web series on young love, life draws millions

Young actress Chi Pu has had great success in her new role as producer of the web series Tỉnh Giấc Tôi Thấy Mình Trong Ai (Wake Up).

The seven-episode series on the lives and loves of young people attracts about a million viewers every Tuesday at 8pm on YouTube channel Chi Pu Official and www.vlive.tv.

“I’m happy,” said Chi Pu, who plays the leading role. She also was the co-scriptwriter of the series.

Wake Up features the story of young actress Hoàng Đan, who hopes for success with help from her manager Đức Duy.

Đan, who has a negative attitude about love and friendship, changes her mind when meeting a fan girl Mập Ú (Fat).

“I spent a year making the web series,” said the 24-year old who invested VNĐ2 billion (US$89,500) in the series.

“Web series are very popular in Asian countries. I hope my series gets a lot of attention in Việt Nam and other countries,” she said.

Chi Pu invited experienced filmmakers to work on the production to achieve the best quality.

The film’s director is Minh Hoàng, who won top prize in the short film category at the 2015 Golden Kite Award given by the Việt Nam Cinematography Association.

She also invited singer Quang Vinh and young actress Vân Anh to play Đức Duy and Mập Ú.

Popular singers and actors, including Gil Lê, B Trần and Phở Đặc Biệt, have helped to attract young audiences.

The film’s soundtrack is written by hit-maker Phạm Toàn Thắng, singer Trang Pháp and young composer Kai Đinh.

Wake Up has been praised by the media and the public, receiving thousands of positive comments on its YouTube channel.

YouTube viewer kawaii_senpai_desu_chan commented: “Although the film’s content is simple, it’s close to young people,” while viewer A Flying Andrew TV said it “had to be good with such beautiful and talented cast.”

Chi Pu, whose real name is Nguyễn Thùy Chi, is known primarily as an actress, not a producer.

She played minor roles in director Nguyễn Quang Huy’s Thần Tượng (Idol) film in 2013 and in Vietnamese-American director Cường Ngô’s Hương Ga (Rise) in 2014.

In 2015, she was invited to play the leading role of a young woman who faces challenges in the pursuit of happiness, in HCM City Film Studio’s (TFS) 30-part TV series Vẫn Có Em Bên Đời (Having You by My Side), directed by Võ Việt Hùng.

She was named favourite TV serial actress awards at the 2016 HTV Awards, which are given annually by HCM City Television.

Last year, she and her friend, singer Gil Lê, played leading roles in Yêu (Love) about a songstress and her childhood girlfriend.

The film won the Mai Vàng Award for Favourite Movie early this year. It also earned an impressive VNĐ12 billion ($545,000) three days after it began screening to the public.

Apart from acting, Chi Pu has a passion and desire for filmmaking. She has produced two short films My Sunshine and Cô Gái Trên Tầng Thượng (Girl on a Rooftop).

Lotteria organises football tournament for kids

Hà Nội H.Y.S FC have won the 4th Lotteria Challenge Cup football tournament for children and a cash prize of VNĐ60 million (US$2,700).

In the final round played on Sunday in HCM City’s Phú Nhuận Football Mini Stadium, eight outstanding children’s football teams from six cities -- Hà Nội, HCM City, Đà Nẵng, Cần Thơ, Vinh and Hải Phòng – had competed for the title.

The second prize of VNĐ40 million ($1,800) and third prize of VNĐ30 million ($1,350) went to Hà Huy Tập 2 (Vinh) and Kid Star FC (HCM City).

Kid Star FC also won the Fair Play Award for their sportsmanship.

For the first time a Fair play Camp was held before the final round, with the players getting a chance to talk to the 2015 Golden Ball winner Nguyễn Anh Đức and 2016 Olympic shooting gold medallist Hoàng Xuân Vinh.

“The 4th Lotteria Challenge Cup themed ‘Let’s play fair’ was meant to [inculcate] true sportsmanship, honesty and a sense of discipline in the children,” Kim Dong Jin, Lotteria Việt Nam’s CEO, said.

Payment dodgers, beware!

The owner of a tattoo shop on Lê Văn Sỹ Road in HCMC’s District 3 posted on his facebook that a man came to his shop on Saturday and asked for a tattoo on his right arm.

When the tattoo was nearly completed, the man asked to go out, intending to run away. But he was caught by the owner of the shop and ended up with one more tattoo saying: “I will not dare to refuse to pay money for tattoos.”

The owner of the shop also posted a video clip of him tattooing the man on his Facebook page. In the clip, the would-be escapee kept hiding his face with his T-shirt in shame.

The clip received many likes and comments sympathising with the punishment.

If you want to be a playboy, do not refuse to pay for it.

10% discount for cockroach in pot

An anonymous woman and a group of friends ordered mushroom dishes last Thursday at a shop on Láng Hạ Street in the Đống Đa District of Hà Nội. After 45 minutes of waiting, an employee brought pots of cooked food to each person in the group.

To the surprise of her friends, one woman immediately found a cockroach in her pot and removed it with chopsticks.

The shop manager gave the customers new dishes of food, saying the cockroach might have run into the pot from elsewhere.

The manager also proposed a 10 per cent discount for the meal. He said the shop used to have cockroaches and they had used various measures to kill them, but cockroaches could still appear unexpectedly, though not usually at the shop.

After such an incident, it is more reasonable to give the customer a free meal, instead of a 10 per cent discount. The shop could lose many customers with such shoddy work and poor food safety and hygiene.

Celebrities pitch in for Central Region flood victims

Some of the biggest celebrities in Vietnam – including Phan Anh, Ho Ngoc Ha, Dam Vinh Hung, Tuan Hung, Pham Huong and My Linh, are helping to raise money for the victims of the flooding over the past weekend.

Record torrential rains over the weekend have hit the people of two provinces of Quang Binh and Ha Tinh hard. On her Facebook, Phan Anh has called on people to join hands to act.

He wants to support at least 1,000 households in the hardest hit areas of the two provinces with gifts for each household to include: 500,000 canisters of 0.5 kg of shrimp paste and water purification packets.

According to Phan Anh, as of mid-day on October 17, he has collected more than US$94,000, including roughly US$21,700 donated by himself and his immediate family members.

Ngoc Trinh wrote on Facebook page: Let's do it, do not be silent. Let's all join hands for the dear Central Region.

Ho Ngoc Ha shared on her Facebook live scenes from the flood prone areas of Quang Binh asking for contributions to help those damaged. On October 18 and 19 she and her family will return to her childhood home to deliver food and other basic necessities.

On the personal pages, the singer wrote she had permission from the organizers to cancel some of her shows scheduled for early this week so that she could help those damaged in the Central Region by the flooding.

Singer Dam Vinh Hung also urged fans not to sit on their hands but dig deep into their pockets to help those hurt by the flooding. On October 23, the singer and colleagues will sing at his tea room in Ho Chi Minh City to raise funds to benefit flood victims.

In addition, Hung has plans to form a fundraising music concert in Ho Chi Minh City, with the participation of many nationally famous singers to raise money to help the flood victims of the Central Region.

Tuan Hung also solicited the audience to contribute to a fund he established to help flood victims. Looking ahead, he said he currently has plans to tour the US and will solicit funds from overseas.

On December 6, the singer said he will close the account and personally hand deliver the monies collected to the people of the two provinces of Quang Binh and Ha Tinh. Already he has contributed more than US$2,100 to flood victims.

Miss Pham Huong also urged her fans to contribute to help the Central Region flood victims. She wrote in her Facebook that she would like to launch fundraising activities to help her those who are hurting.

She unveiled she will join fundraising activities on October 20 and 21 to help her brothers and sisters who have been injured or damaged.

On her Facebook, Miss Do My Linh also shared her concern for the Central Region flood victims. My Linh said she will travel to the region this weekend to support the children.

My Linh will accompany Ngo Thanh Tu and some other friends and she is actively soliciting donations from individuals on her fan page.

Jackpot winner claims she will give away money

Jackpot winner Nguyen Thi Dao from the southern province of Tra Vinh, who won the lottery of US$4 million (VND92 billion) by Vietlott, says she plans to present 400 gifts to poor households.

Dao said she also has plans to donate some money to charity organisations such as the Red Cross Society to support needy families.

This is the largest jackpot prize ever paid out to a Vietnamese winner. On October 17, Ms Dao authorized her father and relatives to go to Ho Chi Minh City to claim the prize money.

Vietlott, or Vietnam Computerized Lottery One Member Limited Liability Company, signed an exclusive 18-year contract in January with Malaysian conglomerate Berjaya to operate computerized lottery games in Vietnam.

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