The sale of pork without traceability tags is banned from Hoc Mon and Binh Dien wholesale markets in HCMC from today, so meat supply may fall short. This is why the authority has asked large meat processors to prepare more to offset the possible fall.

Nguyen Ngoc Hoa, deputy director of the Department of Industry and Trade, said at a press meeting last week that the agency has asked food processing companies like Vietnam Meat Industries Co (Vissan), Anh Hoang Thy Co Ltd and Saigon Agriculture Inc (Sagri) to supply pork, including processed and frozen meat.

Hoa stressed the preparation for checking pork at the two markets has been complete. Besides, local traders have been fully aware of the regulation.

The municipal government has instructed district-level authorities and market monitors to strengthen their inspections of pork products in a bid to prevent substandard pork from entering local markets.

He added the local government will tighten trading requirements for traders and slaughterhouse operators.

HCMC: 11 hospitals join medical tourism activities

11 State-owned and private hospitals have registered to provide healthcare services through medical tourism, according to the Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Health.

Health units include the Institute of Traditional Medicine , Ho Chi Minh City Odonto-Maxillofacial Hospital, National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology, Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City Children’s Hospital, the Hospital of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology, Ho Chi Minh City's Heart Institute, Ear-Nose-Throat (ENT) Hospital, Hoan My Hospital and Xuyen A Hospital.

HCMC’s health and tourism departments co-signed a memorandum of understanding, which aims to provide healthcare and wellness treatments to meet the high demand of international visitors for health services as well as promoting medical tourism in the city in the coming time.

24,000 train tickets sold for Tet on first sale day

More than 24,000 train tickets out of 72,000 bookings made online for the Tet period (Lunar New Year holiday) were sold on the first day of sales on October 15 in HCM City. 

Vietnam Railways plans to offer 300,000 seats for the Tet holiday, which begins on February 16.

Sales were brisk despite a 3-5 percent increase in price compared to the holiday period last year, according to Vietnam Railways.

As of 5pm on October 15, more than 30 billion VND (1.32 million USD) worth of tickets were sold. Only 30 percent of the tickets were sold at Saigon Railway Station while the remaining were sold online.

Each customer was allowed to buy no more than four single tickets to avoid speculation, according to Vietnam Railway.

Tens of thousands of online transactions were made during peak hours on the first day, four times higher than the period last year.

This year, the electronic ticket selling system for the holiday has been upgraded, with more customers now booking online.

Nguyen Xuan Thinh of District 2 said: “The booking was easy to do online. I booked three bed tickets worth 1.4 million VND (62 USD) each from HCM City to Thanh Hoa province, departing on February 5.”  

Bookings can be reserved for up to 72 hours and passengers can pay online later or via banks, the Saigon train station or ticket agents.

Customers said it was more difficult to buy short-trip tickets, such as from HCM City to the central region (Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, Quang Ngai provinces and Da Nang city), but it was easier to buy tickets for the HCM City-Hanoi route.

Chung Van Tai of Binh Thanh district said he could not buy a ticket to Da Nang on his desired date.

“As I’m aware, only tickets to Vinh and Hanoi cities are being sold on the first days, while tickets to the central region will be offered later,” he told Vietnam News. 

Meanwhile, Dang Phuong Linh of District 2 said she could not find a ticket to Quang Ngai. She ended up buying a ticket to Vinh, which cost more, but the train will drop her off at Quang Ngai.

“We should be informed in advance when the short-trip tickets are going to be available, so customers don’t waste time going to the station,” she said.   

Dinh Van Sang, Deputy Director of Saigon Railway One-Member Liability Limited Company, said: “At the beginning of the selling period, we prioritise selling tickets to Hanoi (90 percent) as there will be no passengers travelling from the central region to Hanoi during the pre-holiday period, which could cause a huge loss for us.”

Sang, however, said the number of tickets for shorter trips to central regions would increase in the coming days.

Vietnam Railways said the price of train tickets this year rose by 3-5 percent compared to last year, but some passengers said the price for some routes had increased by up to 20 percent.    

Meanwhile, if customers want a refund, they have to pay a fee equal to 30 percent of the ticket’s value, according to Vietnam Railways.

Launched in July 2014, the electronic ticket selling system has helped ease overload at ticketing offices of railway stations and ticket purchases via illegal channels during peak seasons.

The system can receive one million log entries at the same time.

More than 15 million train tickets have been purchased with the electronic ticket selling system, accounting for 13-19 percent of the total number of fares sold between 2015 and 2017.-

HCMC seeks national recognition for 14 treasures

The HCMC People’s Committee has proposed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognize 14 artifacts from the HCMC Fine Arts Museum and the HCMC Museum as national treasures, local media reports.

These items being preserved at the HCMC Museum include a bronze seal of Military Governor Le Van Duyet which was cast in 1802, and a collection of 12 banknote zincographs.

In addition, a lacquer painting titled “Thanh nien thanh dong” by artist Nguyen Sang, which is on display at the HCMC Fine Arts Museum, is also on the list of ancient items recommended for recognition as a national treasure.

Quang Nam in place for APEC 2017 events

The central coastal province of Quang Nam has finished preparations for APEC 2017, heard a press conference held in the locality on October 17.

Quang Nam has been chosen to host various events within the framework of the APEC Year 2017, including the Finance Ministers’ Meeting and Voice of Future (VOF). The province also planned to promote local image through investment promotion, culture and tourism exchange programmes.

Local authorities directed relevant sectors to ensure infrastructure, security and food safety to serve APEC’s activities.

Volunteers have been arranged to support the events.

According to Le Van Thanh, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, publications and brochures will be delivered and exhibitions will be organised at conventional halls to popularise the province’s tourism and investment potential from October 19-21.

On the occasion, the province has designed typical tours for tourists to discover the locality’s culture and people. Those comprise tours to tranquil ancient city of Hoi An, mysterious My Son sanctuary, Hoi An Silk Village, discovering the life and culture of the Co Tu ethnic minority group, and to the Cu Lao Cham Biosphere Reserve.

Police in central provinces arrest drug traffickers

The Border Guard in the central province of Hà Tĩnh successfully busted a large-scale drug trafficking case, seized 20,000 methamphetamine synthetic drugs weighing 10kg in total.

The information was confirmed by Colonel Võ Trọng Hải, head of Hà Tĩnh border point.

On Saturday, the local police along with customs officers arrested Xồng Dua Dóng, 31, from neighbouring province of Nghệ An, while he was transporting two backpacks with drugs through the Cầu Treo international border gate.

He failed to run away when the police were chasing him.

On the same day, police in Nghệ An Province also arrested two people with 20 cakes of heroin.

They were identified as Lầu Bá Cha and Lầu Bá Vừ, 30, from Kỳ Sơn District’s Mường Típ Commune.

The cases are under investigation.

550 sight-impaired students enjoy beach trip

Saigontourist Travel Service Co. under the umbrella of Saigontourist Holding Company, the country’s leading tourism services provider, late last week organized a day trip on the beach in the southern province of Vung Tau for 550 visually-impaired students from nine schools and shelters in HCMC and the Southeastern region.

This year’s event attracted the participation of students from Nguyen Dinh Chieu School for the Blind, Nhat Hong Shelter for visually impaired children, Huynh De Nhu Nghia school, Bung Sang school, Thien An shelter, and the School for Sightless Adolescents and Orphans in Binh Duong Province among others. 

Apart from numerous exciting activities, Saigontourist handed over scholarships to the disadvantaged students and valuable gifts to schools.

This is the 14th year Saigontourist has held the annual charity trip named “Thap sang niem tin” (Lighting Hope) for sight-impaired students. So far, more than 6,000 visually-impaired kids have joined the event.

Saigontourist Travel Service Co., a subsidiary of Saigontourist Holding Company, is the country’s leading tour operator. Last year, the company obtained a total revenue of more than VND3.9 trillion from travel services, surging 13% against a year earlier. Meanwhile, the number of local and international tourists catered to by Saigontourist amounted to 800,000, a pickup of 15% year-on-year.

Hanoi Gift Show 2017 opens

Over 250 domestic and foreign firms are showcasing their handicraft and gift products at 650 pavilions at the Hanoi Gift Show 2017, which kicked off on October 17 at the exhibition fair and economic-trade transaction area in Hoang Quoc Viet street, Cau Giay district, Hanoi. 

They are from nearly 30 provinces and cities nationwide, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hue, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ben Tre, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and five foreign countries, namely China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Nepal.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Doan Toan said the exhibition is a good opportunity for handicraft and gift producers and traders to meet, seek new customers, partners, and sign memoranda of understanding, agreements, and contracts.

The event shows efforts and commitments Hanoi has made to building a government of facilitation and to providing support for local businesses and trade villages, he added.

The four-day event is expected to receive around 600 highly capable importers from various countries and territories around the world, including the US, the European Union, Japan, Russia.

Cao Quoc Hung, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, suggested the city focus on incentives for trade villages and instructed the municipal Department of Industry and Trade to continue to organise the annual event and make it a leading export fair in terms of scale and quality.

HCM City customs detects smugglers

Customs officers at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport detected a Vietnamese passenger taking advantage of a new customs procedure to illegally transport watches from Switzerland.

The male passenger detected at the “Green Door” (nothing to declare gate) was asked to move to the “Red Door” (goods to declare gate) for checking.

He was found carrying 21 Swiss watches hidden in his trouser leg to pass the inspection of the customs officers.

All files related to his smuggling were transferred to the HCM City’s Customs Department.

Also, the customs officers recently detained a passenger carrying a large number of panther’s fangs and lion’s claws when passing through the "Green Door" to evade the inspection of customs officials.

In March, the customs branch of Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport deployed the "Green Door" and "Red Door" to maximise the convenience and shorten the procedure time for passengers on entry, in accordance with international practice, towards the goal of attracting investment, trade and tourism.

The "Green Door" is applicable to passengers who do not have to declare goods, or for those whom customs authorities do not have questions, and passengers move through the "Green Door" to enter the country without any checks, instead of passing through the area of luggage scanners, as done previously.

They must be responsible for their declared behaviour.

Vietnamese language course opens in the Netherlands

The Embassy of Vietnam in the Netherlands has organised a course to teach Vietnamese language to overseas Vietnamese in the Netherlands.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on October 15, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Ngo Thi Hoa said thanks to the support from the State Commission on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, the Embassy has organised the course, the first of its kind in the Netherlands to help Vietnamese expats learn their native language.

Hoa expressed her hope that the course will provide students with fundamental knowledge of Vietnamese language, history and culture.

Pham Van Dinh, a representative of the Vietnamese community in the Netherlands said families will work with the Embassy to teach their children Vietnamese.

The course will teach 10 students aged between six and 16 in the 2017 – 2018 school year. It is expected to help them read, write and communicate in Vietnamese language.

Embassy staff and Vietnamese students in the Netherlands will take part in the course.

New project to support ethnic groups in mountainous regions

The Central Highlands province of Kon Tum will launch a project to aid the socio-economic development of households in ethnic and mountainous areas in the locality in 2017-2020.

The project, with total investment of over VND270 billion (US$11.89 million) sourced from the State budget, will provide support for 21,000 households. 

They were poor ethnic families in disadvantaged mountainous and extremely poor areas, households without lands, water and support of State policies.

The project aims to help the poorest ethnic households in the province improve their lives and stabilise production, thus reducing the rate of poor families in ethnic and mountainous areas by 3-4% per year. 

It also strives to shift jobs for 80% of people in poor ethnic minority groups, handle water shortage in disadvantaged areas and create favourable conditions for those people to access to preferential credits.

Vietnam grapples with Internet cable problems

Sluggish Internet connectivity caused by problems with cross-sea cable systems has become a regular annoyance in Vietnam, and users are running out of patience.

At 7:20 am on October 12, the Asia America Gateway (AAG) cable network suffered a problem at its landing point in Hong Kong, signaling another period of slow connection speeds for Internet users in Vietnam.

The 20,000-kilometer system provides one of Vietnam’s lifeline Internet gateways to the world by linking it with other Southeast Asian countries and with the US across the Pacific Ocean.

The problem was by no means the first experienced by the AAG, which has one of the largest capacities out of those that Vietnam is connected to.

Since its launch in 2009, the AAG has experienced repeated problems, with two ruptures in 2014 and four cable cuts in 2015.

Vietnam’s Internet was also impeded between March 3 and 18 last year because of a power leak, according to local tech news website ICTNews.

As many as four separate problems have been reported with the AAG so far in 2017.

AAG and other submarine cable systems, including the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG), Intra Asia (IA) and South-East Asia - Middle East - Western Europe 3 (SMW-3) cables, are responsible for 90% of Vietnam’s international connections.

The APG system, which had been expected to be a reliable alternative to the AAG when it was put into use late last year, turned out to be a disappointment  after a rupture was reported in June along a section connecting the central city of Da Nang with the US, Japan and Hong Kong.

In a rare incident in August, all three submarine communications cables crucial to Vietnam’s international connectivity – IA, SMW-3 and AAG – came down with problems simultaneously, causing global connection from Vietnam to be slowed for over a month.

According to Nguyen Manh Hung, chairman of Vietnam National Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), recent problems with Internet cables are not to be blamed on faulty designs but rather on their locations.

As most of these cables make their landing points in Hong Kong or Singapore, they can be subject to constant disturbance caused by large vessels that frequent the busy ports, leading to ruptures, Hung explained.

Other possible explanations for repeated issues include anchors dropped by ships out at sea and natural geological fractures, he added.

“As for the AAG system, the developer must take some responsibility for not having conducted careful enough surveys of the network map to allow such problems to recur so frequently,” one leader of an Internet provider in Vietnam said on condition of anonymity.

Government provides rice for flood-hit Nghe An province

The Prime Minister on October 16 decided to allocate nearly 29,000 tonnes of rice from national reserves for the central province of Nghe An, which has suffered serious losses due to natural disasters.

The provincial People’s Committee is responsible for promptly distributing the rice to the affected people.

According to the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue of Nghe An province, recent heavy rains and floods have claimed seven lives and submerged 584 houses and more than 3,660ha of farming land.

VFF calls for community’s support to flood-hit people

The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF)’s Central Committee has called for all organisations, agencies and community join hands in supporting people suffering from recent floods in northern and central localities.

On October 16, the VFF received 502 million VND (22,098 USD) from the Voice of Vietnam and 300 million VND (13,206 USD) from the Ministries of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The campaign has also been responded by many other central agencies, including the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Economic Commission, Commission for Internal Affairs, and Commission for Information and Education.

Statistics show that 102 people were killed and reported missing by heavy rains and floods in northern mountainous and central localities. The disaster destroyed 198 houses, submerged over 30,000 other houses and affected a large area of crop.

Preventive measures against dengue fever prove effective

There will be no another dengue fever outbreak peak as that occurred earlier this year if current preventive measures continue to be maintained, according to the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health.

The department reported that dengue fever has been efficiently controlled. In Hanoi, the number of dengue infection cases has dropped by 80 percent in the recent seven weeks, falling from 500 cases per day to 100 cases per day.

The decline was seen in all localities of Hanoi, including the two hot spots of Hoang Mai and Ha Dong districts.

Since early April, as many as 40,000 teams involving nearly 80,000 people have been set up to kill mosquitoes and larva, while the dengue fever supervision system in Hanoi has operated effectively with the engagement of experienced experts, along with training courses and health consultations at health care establishments.

The department advised that in the coming time, Hanoi and other localities should continue maintaining efforts against dengue fever, while continuing to enhance the capacity of the monitoring, warning and responding system to minimise the number of new infection cases protect people’s health.

The health sector warned the community to continue strengthening preventive measures against dengue fever by killing mosquitoes and larva, while working with authorities in preventive activities.

New project to support ethnic groups in mountainous regions

The Central Highlands province of Kon Tum will launch a project to aid the socio-economic development of households in ethnic and mountainous areas in the locality in 2017-2020.

The project, with total investment of over 270 billion VND (11.89 million USD) sourced from the State budget, will provide support for 21,000 households. They were poor ethnic families in disadvantaged mountainous and extremely poor areas, households without lands, water and support of State policies.

The project aims to help the poorest ethnic households in the province improve their lives and stabilise production, thus reducing the rate of poor families in ethnic and mountainous areas by 3-4 percent per year. 

It also strives to shift jobs for 80 percent of people in poor ethnic minority groups, handle water shortage in disadvantaged areas and create favourable conditions for those people to access to preferential credits.

Bangladeshi FM condoles with Vietnam on flood damage

Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali on October 15 sent a letter of sympathy to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh over serious human and property losses caused by recent devastating flooding and landslides. 

Northern mountainous provinces and part of the central region have been submerged by widespread floods resulting from torrential rains on October 10 and 11.

The death toll climbed to 72 as of 21:00 pm on October 15, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

Thirty others are still unaccounted for while 33 are injured.

Army must keep improving itself to deserve people’s trust: President

Amid complicated and unpredictable global and regional situations, the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) must always stay alert and continually improve its combat strength so as to deserve being the faithful and trustworthy political and combat force of the Party, State and people.

President Tran Dai Quang, Chairman of the Defence and Security Council and Commander of Armed Forces, made the remark during a working visit to the Ministry of National Defence at the Mieu Mon training centre in Hanoi on October 17.

Reporting about the VPA’s performance in 2017, Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Phan Van Giang, Chief of the General Staff of the VPA, said the army has fulfilled assigned tasks well, including advising the Party, the State and local authorities about military-defence tasks, along with training, organising drills and being ready to combat.

He added that it has coordinated with police and other forces to deal with arising situations in a timely manner, thus establishing itself as the core force in protecting the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and border, airspace, sea and island security . The VPA is also the key force in addressing natural disaster consequences, search, rescue, and settling war consequences. It has also effectively taken part in reinforcing local political systems.

Speaking at the working session, President Quang applauded the Defence Ministry’s achievements in leading and instructing the realisation of military-defence tasks.

He asked the Central Military Commission and the ministry to continue implementing resolutions of the Party Central Committee well, the targets and tasks set in the resolution of the army’s 10th Party congress, along with the tasks assigned by the Party, the State and people.

They need to have a firm grasp of the situation and advise the Party and State about socio-economic development associated with defence and security, he said, adding that they also have to step up building a revolutionary, regular and elite VPA that is gradually modernised.

The Central Military Commission and the Defence Ministry need to keep optimising the combined strength of different forces, be active, creative and steadfast in achieving the set targets, and ensure safety during training, drills, search and rescue. It is also necessary to boost communications to raise people and armed forces’ awareness of the Party, State and people’s attention to the army, the President added.

He told them to strengthen the Party building and clean-up, fight the degradation of thought, morality and lifestyle, self-evolution and self-transformation in the army’s Party organisation, and continue studying and following late President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and style.

The commission and the ministry have to work closely with police and relevant forces to defeat all sabotage plots and activities of hostile forces, keep political security and social order and safety, and ensure absolute safety for important events, especially upcoming activities of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, President Quang noted.

Vietnamese movies screened in Russia to mark October Revolution

Vietnamese films will be introduced to audiences in Russia from October 27 – 31 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution.

The Vietnam Cinema Department will host the Vietnamese film days in Russia, featuring the screening of “Toi Thay Hoa Vang Tren Co Xanh” (I See Yellow Flowers upon the Green Grass), Cuoc Doi cua Yen (Yen’s Life), My Nhan (Beauty),  12 Chom Sao: Ve Duong Cho Yeu Chay (Zodiac 12: Five Steps of Love), and Em Chua 18 (Jailbait).

The movies, with Russian subtitles, will be shown free of charge in theatres across Russia.

35 young workers receive Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Prize

The Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Prize was awarded to 35 young workers for their outstanding contributions to HCM City’s socio-economic development at a function on Sunday.

They were chosen from out of 69 outstanding workers who applied modern technologies to improve production and, thus, boost socio-economic development.

One of them was Nguyễn Hùng Linh of the Phú Nhuận Jewelry Joint Stock Company who adopted a robotic ultrasound system to improve labour productivity and quality.

Replacing the manual ultrasonic process being used earlier helped his company save more than VNĐ120 million (US$5,287) a year.

Nguyễn Thị Hương Lan of Vinamilk helped the company save hundreds of millions of đồng through her suggestion to set up a communication channel between various departments involved in the production process.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Phạm Hồng Sơn, secretary of the city committee of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union, said since the prize was instituted 10 years ago 259 young workers have won it.

“They continued to accomplish more in their work and some won national labour awards.”

Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà, deputy secretary of the city Party Committee, congratulated the young workers and hoped they would further develop their skills and set examples for everyone like national hero Nguyễn Văn Trỗi did.

Nguyễn Văn Trỗi, born in 1940, fought in the country’s revolution and died at the age of 24.

Condolences to Somalia on heavy losses in terror attack

President Trần Đại Quang on Monday sent condolences to his Somali counterpart, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, after the devastating terrorist bombing that hit the capital Mogadishu on Saturday.
More than 300 people were killed in the truck bombing, and the death toll is predicted to rise as many people remain unaccounted for.

The country declared three days of national mourning following the attack.

Officials visit flooded areas

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Trần Hồng Hà on Monday led a team of government officials to meet local officials in areas affected by heavy rains and floods, in order to support recovery efforts.  

Thanh Hóa is one of three localities hardest hit by the recent heavy rains and floods, triggered by the tropical low-pressure system last week.

Hà ordered the ministry’s units to delay other non-urgent activities to support the localities in restoring normalcy to people’s daily lives. He also called upon the ministry’s staff to donate resources and money for people living in affected areas.

On Sunday Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh also held a working session with the local authorities to direct recovery from the heavy rains and floods.

Minh requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to promptly repair two dykes in Xuân Minh and Thọ Trường communes. The damage to the dykes means another downpour would put over 440,000 households in three districts of Thọ Xuân, Yên Định and Thiệu Hóa at serious risk.

The same day, National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tòng Thị Phóng arrived in the northern mountainous province of Sơn La to inspect damage from the October 9-11 floods. Phóng and local officials presented gifts to affected families.

The latest statistics from the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disasters Prevention and Control showed the death toll from the devastating floods in Việt Nam’s northern and central regions has increased to 72, while another 30 remain missing.

The committee’s report, released on Monday, also said that Hòa Bình was hit the hardest as 23 people were killed in the flood and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, followed by Thanh Hóa with 16 casualties and Yên Bái with 15.

Nghệ An and Sơn La lost nine and six people, respectively, while Hà Nội and Quảng Trị reported two and one respectively.

The toll was likely to rise in the upcoming days as search and rescue efforts continued for the 30 missing people.

The tropical storm Nakhun on Monday weakened to a tropical low-pressure system. It was moving southwest at 15km per hour.

Due to the tropical low-pressure system, heavy rains are forecast to hit the north and north-central provinces till the end of Tuesday.

Climate fair introduces solutions towards climate change response in Vietnam

Initiatives on progress programmes in regards to climate change response in Vietnam with support from the European Union (EU), were introduced at a fair which opened in Hanoi on October 14.

The 2017 EU Climate Diplomacy Fair was cohosted by the EU Delegation in Vietnam and the Hanoi People’s Committee at Ly Thai To flower garden, aiming to send a message to raise public awareness concerning the need for emergency responses to climate change. 

Over 20 booths from Vietnam and EU countries, as well as projects funded by the EU, showcased products and EU supportive initiatives in efforts to combat climate change, in addition to measures to promote sustainable energy in the country.

Speaking at the opening, Nguyen Duc Chung, Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee, emphasised that the fair is an important event, contributing to raising awareness of Hanoians on issues around climate change.

Since joining the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, the Government of Vietnam has actively integrated climate change targets into its national development agenda. With that spirit, Hanoi authorities will always set environmental protection and sustainable development towards a strategic priority in its development, Chung affirmed.

He expressed his wish that the event would continue to offer an opportunity for policy makers, scientists and locals to discuss and deepen climate change response initiatives to build a green, clean, civilised and modern Hanoi. The Hanoi chairman also urged for the EU to strengthen its cooperation with the capital city on the basis of mutual development.

Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung and Ambassador-Head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam, Bruno Angelet, look at a solar energy generation model at the event.

Saying that this is the first time the EU and Hanoi People's Committee have cooperated to organise an event on climate change, Ambassador-Head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam, Bruno Angelet, expressed his desire that the event would be held annually, as well as expanding cooperation in this area with the capital city.

Ambassador Angelet also said that Vietnam is one of the country’s most severely affected by climate change and related natural disasters. To ensure consistency with international commitments related to climate change and sustainable development. The EU is actively supporting Vietnam in its efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change through energy sector reform and adaptation through funding for climate change impact studies, as well as taking appropriate adaptation measures.

Responding to climate change is an important priority in the EU's relations with Vietnam. Accordingly, the EU is assisting Vietnam's energy transformation, which includes significant financial support, as energy is a key sector for economic growth, but is also a large source of greenhouse gas emissions, the EU diplomat added.

Visitor to the fair were also offered with performances, photo exhibitions, contests and film showing on the theme of environmental protection and climate change response.

As part of the event, there was also a talk show called "Green Energy Journey" held by GreenID and Vietnam Sustainable Energy Alliance on the same day, discussing the promotion of renewable energy, energy saving and energy efficient use in Vietnam.

HCM City celebrates 70th anniversary of Southern Revolutionary Movies

A ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Southern Revolutionary Movies was held in Ho Chi Minh City by the municipal Cinematography Association on October 15.

The ceremony was attended by former Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Le Thanh Hai, former Vice Standing Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Dua, former Deputy Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Pham Phuong Thao, and head of HCMC Department of Propaganda and Education Than Thi Thu.

Vice Chairwoman of Vietnam Cinema Association Duong Cam Thuy expressed her deep gratitude to founders of the Southern Revolutionary Movies who made great contribution to the industry and making invaluable documentary films, such as Mai Loc, Tran Kiem, Nguyen The Doan, Khuong Me, Tran Nhu, Tuyet Trinh, Vu Son, An Son and more.

On October 15, 1947, the Southern Cinematography and Photography Branch was established by the Command of the Military Zone 8 in the Dong Thap Muoi region (the area stretching over three provinces in the Mekong Delta, Long An, Tien Giang and Dong Thap) to capture the life and fight of soldiers and people on celluloid. 

The first film of the Southern Cinematography and Photography Branch was the documentary, Tran Moc Hoa (Moc Hoa Battle) by director and cinematographer Khuong Me which was released in December, 1948.

On this occasion, an photo exhibition featuring nearly 100 photos of filmmaking and veteran artists of the Command of the Military Zone 8 was launched also.

US$ 3,000 fine issued to man transporting unsafe food

People’s Committee in the central province of Ha Tinh today issued a fine of VND70 milllion ($3,082) to Nguyen An Thang who was found transporting unsafe food to sell.
 
Nguyen Anh Thang, 43 years old, hailing from the northern province of Bac Giang was fined for trading unsafe food without origin and certificates.

Before, after a long time of tracking, the market management board and police in Ha Tinh Province detected a vehicle to carry 504 containers with over 23 tons of rotten pig organs which has awful smell.

Driver Thang could not show any document relating to the origin of the amount of organs. He confessed that he is the owner of the amount of pig organs. He collected all organs in Ho Chi Minh City to sell in the northern and central Vietnam.

All pig organs were destroyed later.

When urgency really means it

The owner of the Metro Line No. 1 project in HCMC in recent months has repeatedly sent urgent petitions to authorities asking for funds to pay contractors, stressing that the project may come to a dead halt if capital for the project is not ensured. Nevertheless, such urgent proposals have almost fallen on deaf ears.

The metro line project, which is now 40% complete, links Ben Thanh Market in the city’s downtown area to Suoi Tien Park in District 9, and plays a crucial role in the city’s transport, needless to say. However, says the HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) as the project owner, it is paperwork and red tape that have been putting the project under tenterhooks, as contractors have threatened to suspend all construction works if they are not paid in due time.

At a meeting last Friday, MAUR urged the city government to quickly advance payment of VND1,173 billion for the contractors this month and next, otherwise the project will get stalled. Consequences under that vision are tremendous, as the city’s traffic infrastructure development plans will be adversely affected, compensations to the contractors will be huge, and the final cost will rise further due to delays.

Japan has agreed to extend loans for the huge project, but the capital cannot be disbursed since it is yet to be determined how much capital from the central State budget should be allocated for the project. To date, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance and the HCMC government have not agreed on the amount of capital to be borne by the central Government. As long as a consensus is not reached among these parties, the project cannot be submitted to the National Assembly for endorsement.

As stated, it is not the lack of funds, but the complicated procedures regarding public investment procedures that have menaced the project. 

However, this sticky issue is not a newly-surfaced problem.

The HCMC government on August 25 signed a decision advancing VND500 billion from the municipal budget  for the project, while pending disbursement from the central Government. On September 8, MAUR again sounded a big alarm bell over the shortage of funds for the project, as the advanced payment from the city’s budget was just a situational solution. 

In July, following a proposal by the city authorities, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had urged the Ministry of Planning and Investment to work with relevant agencies and the HCMC government to address the problem, and report the result to the Government prior to July 30. Specifically, the Prime Minister had agreed to extract funds from the public investment plan for 2016-2020, at nearly VND21 trillion, for HCMC to finance infrastructure projects, but just one third of the sum had been disbursed so far.

Months have elapsed, but the knot is still untied.

Considering all the benefits that the Metro Line No. 1 project if executed on schedule will bring about for HCMC as the economic locomotive of the country, and weighing all the potential damages if it is delayed simply by paperwork, it is high time there be a taskforce to fast-track the project. The urgency in this case really means it.

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