33 workers hospitalised with suspected gas poisoning symptoms

Thirty-three workers of a South Korean company in Ho Chi Minh City were hospitalised yesterday, after they showed symptoms of gas poisoning during lunchtime.

The workers of Likelion Company in District 9 were rushed in ambulances to Quan 9 (District 9) Hospital and Quan dan mien Dong (Eastern Region Army-People) Hospital with the symptoms of difficulty in breathing, nausea and headache.

After being put on a drip and given oxygen to improve their breathing, almost all of the workers were discharged from hospital.

Cao Thi Thanh Van, a representative of the company, said it was probable the workers inhaled paint from an adjacent workshop that was being repaired and repainted.

She said the workers were wearing face masks in the morning, while working. When they removed the face masks to eat at lunchtime, they developed the symptoms and fainted.

After the incident, the Centre for Preventive Health of District 9 visited the company to collect samples of the food the workers had eaten.

It is investigating the cause of the incident.

Phu Yen urged to expedite flood-proof home project

Phu Yen should speed up the project for building flood-proof houses for poor households, said Vu Xuan Thien, deputy head of the Department for Housing and Real Estate Market Management, under the Ministry of Contruction.

Thien said the project met the quality criteria, but was running behind schedule.

He led a working group to inspect and evaluate the quality of flood-proof houses in the central Phu Yen Province.

In line with Prime Minister's Decision 48/2014/QD-TTg, dated August 28, 2014, the province will provide financial assistance to build 420 flood-proof homes for poor households, with the total expenditure expected to be more than VND21 billion (US$963,000). About 336 of these houses will be built this year and the rest will be constructed next year.

The province has so far helped to build 110 flood-proof houses, accounting for about 33 per cent of the plan target.

The slow progress is to be blamed on state budget allocation, which happens so close to the Lunar New Year that poor households hesitate to build houses, and on the low disbursement of preferential loans by the social policy bank.

Thien said the state budget would allocate more than VND 5.8 billion (US$266,000) for the province this year to speed up the programme's implementation.

He said the province should build 420 flood-proof houses this year, instead of completing the construction over two years [2015-16] as planned, to improve the living conditions of poor households as well as to minimise the damage caused by floods and storms.

He also asked the province to make flood-proof houses for households that have not been classified as poor.

In 2013, Phu Yen piloted the building of 100 flood-proof homes for poor households along the Rivers Ky Lo and Cai in the mountainous districts of Dong Xuan and Tuy An.

Coach slams into elevated bridge's overhead barrier

A coach intentionally breaking traffic rules by climbing onto an elevated bridge slammed into an overhead barrier in Ha Noi early this morning.

The incident caused no casualties but created a traffic jam at the Chua Boc – Thai Ha crossroads where the elevated bridge sits.

The online newspaper Vnexpress reported that the incident occurred at around 6am when a 45-seater coach intentionally drove onto the elevated bridge, despite the prohibition sign on display.

The incident severely damaged the front of the vehicle, and the overhead barrier fell to the ground.

The coach's driver, said to be of middle age, reportedly tried to flee the scene but was pursued and apprehended by police and passers-by.

The light bridge is made of steel, and buses, coaches and trucks are banned from using it.

Since 2013, five accidents have occurred, where passenger buses and trucks slammed into this elevated bridge's overhead barriers. In one of these accidents, two people were injured.

AmCham blood drive attracts 860 donors

More than 860 volunteers donated 1,103 units of blood as part of a drive by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) to celebrate World Blood Donor Day on June 14.

The drive in HCM City was organised by AmCham Viet Nam, the HCM City Humanitarian Blood Donation Centre–Red Cross HCM City and the HCM City Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. The drive will end on June 24.

Company pollutes river with wastewater

The Hung Yen Environment Police Department on Thursday found that the Phuong Dong Export-Import Company was discharging untreated wastewater into the environment.

Located in Xuan Duc Commune in My Hao District, Phuong Dong produces and dyes industrial fabric products.

The environment police found the company was directly discharging untreated wastewater into the River Cau Luong every night, instead of using its existing wastewater treatment system. The company's action has caused serious pollution of the River Cau Luong and the water sources of people living in Xuan Duc and its neighbouring areas.

Authorities collected water samples for testing pollution levels and investigation.

Missing children found dead by river

The bodies of three children who had been missing were found yesterday morning on the banks of Dong Thap's River in Cao Lanh city in the southern province of Dong Thap.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nhung, 5, Le Thi Hong My, 5, and Le Van Thang, 7, had been playing near the river without adult supervision.

The parents said the children were not at home when they returned to their respective houses in District 3 in Cao Lanh City.

Local authorities and a rescue team searched overnight and found the bodies yesterday morning.

The two families received VND1 million (US$48) each in support from local authorities, along with VND2 million ($96) from local residents.

Ex-official gets 12 years for murder

A former official of Cau Giay District was sentenced to 12 years in prison for involvement in the murder of 53-year-old Kieu Ngoc Thanh, who was stabbed to death on Pham Van Dong Street in Cau Giay District last August.

According to the Ha Noi People's Supreme Court, five people were involved in the murder, including Le Trung Kien, former deputy head of a committee tasked with personnel-related matters at the Cau Giay District Party Unit, along with four others.

The others involved in the case were identified as Hoang Thanh Tuan, Le Hong Thuan and Nguyen Kim Binh and Nguyen Quoc Van.

Investigations by the police found that Kien agreed to let Binh hire people to beat victim Kieu Hong Thanh due to a money-related dispute between Van and Thanh. Officials said Van and Kien were friends.

Officials said Binh then hired Tuan and Thuan to beat Thanh, paying them VND30 million (US$1,440).

According to officials, Tuan and Thuan used a motorbike to stop Thanh's car on Pham Van Dong Street during the day, where Tuan stabbed him twice, leading to his death. Following this, Thuan gave himself up to police.

The court also sentenced Van to 12 years in prison and Tuan to death. Binh and Thuan were sentenced to 20 years in prison. The defendants also had to pay VND200 million in compensation.

Fire destroys footwear factory assets

A fire broke out on Saturday morning at a footwear company in the northern province of Hai Duong, causing billions of dong in losses.

The fire brought down a Hai Hung Footwear Export Company factory, along with thousands of shoes and numerous machineries. No casualties were reported.

The fire was extinguished around 12 pm, about two hours after it was ignited.

The investigation is ongoing.

Boat crash kills one off Da Nang coast

A sailor died yesterday morning when a fishing boat and a cargo vessel collided off the coast of Da Nang, according to the Regional Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre No.II.

The 10-man fishing boat, captained by Huynh Nung from Hoi An, was severely damaged on one side by an identified cargo vessel.

The crash killed sailor Le Thanh Ba and injured three crew members.

Viet Nam honours 100 blood donors

On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day yesterday, Ha Noi held a ceremony to honour 100 dedicated blood donors.

Among the 100 honourary attendees, 10 donated their blood between 60 and 96 times in 2014, while another 46 gave blood at least 20 times last year. About two dozens donors were recognised for their efforts in calling on hundreds of others to donate.

At the ceremony, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan asked local authorities to co-operate more with the health sector and Red Cross to increase public awareness about the benefits of blood donation.

Earlier on Saturday a blood donation day called The Kind-hearted Summer was held in Ha Noi, collecting a total of 1,500 units of blood from volunteers.

Bac Ninh pledges to support laid-off workers in RoK

The Bac Ninh Province's local authority has assured to help workers of the Republic of Korean GMIE Company, who were laid off this month and are worried about their jobs and rights.

On June 1, the company, which had been manufacturing mobile phone covers for Samsung in the Que Vo Industrial Park in Bac Ninh Province since 2012, suddenly suspended work on all its production lines, laying off 450 workers.

Khong Thi Nhung, a female worker of the company, said that since the company closed, she had been going there every day in the hope of receiving some information about her rights.

"The company managers met with us and announced the suspension. They promised that they would pay our social insurance for May and return the insurance tracking book to us, but we have not been able to contact them since then," Nhung said.

Bui Hoang Mai, vice head of the Managing Board of Industrial Zones of Bac Ninh Province, said the local Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will work on the local authority to advance social insurance payment to the Social Insurance Agency, to be paid to the workers.

The local authority has also contacted local firms to see if they could recruit these workers. Specific support policies for workers for maternity leave or pregnancy will also be discussed.

Mai said the Managing Board had contacted the RoK embassy about the issue. If the company's owner does not show up, the Bac Ninh Province authority will invoke the law on bankruptcy to take over the company's infrastructure and assets and address the rights of the workers.

Lower truck licence criteria sought

Cargo transport associations have asked the Ministry of Transport to lower the criteria needed to apply for an FC driving license for trailer truck drivers. Many drivers have failed to meet the requirements, thereby causing a serious shortage of drivers nation-wide.

According to the associations, the Ministry of Transport's requirements for upgrading class C,D and E licences (normal automobile licences) to a class FC (for trailer truck drivers) are too hard for drivers to meet.

In order for a driver to upgrade they must be 24 year old, have at least three years of driving experience and demonstrate 50,000 kilometres of safe driving.

The criteria is difficult for most Vietnamese drivers, therefore many do not qualify to apply for it.

Bui Van Quan, chairman of HCM City's Cargo Transport Association said that the ministry's campaign to regulate and check truck weight forced local truck companies to replace trailer trucks with container trucks to handle the heavy cargo loads.

He also said that demand for truck transport is increasing. This combination of factors means there are more trailer trucks but not enough drivers who have FC licences.

Chairman of Hai Phong City's Cargo Transport Association, Le Van Tien, said the number of trailer trucks in Hai Phong City increased by 20 per cent so far this year. The campaign to manage weight loads on trucks has pushed enterprises to mobilise 30 trucks instead of 20 trucks to transport the same amount of cargo.

Thus, he said, most of 100 trucking companies in the city face a shortage of drivers.

The associations proposed that the ministry make the number of years of work experience just one year and reduce the safe driving requirement to 15,000 km. This, they believe, would considerably expand the pool of drivers eligible for FC licences.

Quan said many transport enterprises already hire disqualified drivers or those with counterfeit licences to assure they can continue operating. This, many believe, is responsible for the recent increase in accidents.

Figures from the National Steering Committee of Traffic Safety showed that more than 20 container truck-related accidents occurred this year; there were only nine accidents in all of last year.

Earlier this month, five people, three of which were overseas Vietnamese, died at the intersection of National Highway 1A and Linh Trung Processing Zone.

Head of the Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam's Vehicle Management Department, Nguyen Thang Quan, said that there are 36 driving training centres but many of them cannot offer training courses on trailer truck driving. The centres sold off their trailer trucks as the number of FC license applicants decreased in recent years.

Quan said the DRVN proposed that the ministry allow these centres to hire trailer trucks for the courses to better meet drivers increasing demand for license upgrades.

He added that transport enterprises could check the validity of an FC licence via the website. Enterprises should also offer health care policies and insurance to drivers to encourage them to do the job.

Check on river dredging

Dredging of a section of the Dong Nai River in HCM City by a private company will soon be inspected comprehensively by the Dong Nai Port Authority following alleged violations of the terms by the company.

Hoang Hong Giang, head of the Inland Waterway Department, said the Southern Inland Waterway Division had been ordered to appraise the licence issued to Hiep Phuoc Maritime and Investment Development JSC (Hiep Phuoc Co).

The HCM City's Department of Transport had on 9 June demanded suspension of the work and an overall inspection. Tran Ngoc Thuong, deputy director of the Dong Nai Province Department of Mineral Resources and Environment, said the work was stopped because Hiep Phuoc Co had collected sand too deep from the riverbed and dredged outside permitted areas.

A Hiep Phuoc Co spokesperson said the company had dredged a section in Long Binh Ward in Dong Nai Province but had yet to reach Long Phuoc Ward in District 9.

But residents in Long Phuoc said the company had mined sand there in February 2012 and sold 3,500-4,000 cu.m of it daily, eroding 42 hectares of their land.

City authorities had then urged the Ministry of Transport to rescind the licence for the project after the illegal mining was confirmed by the District 9 People's Committee.

On May 26 this year the city transport department inspected a section of the river in Long Phuoc and confirmed that land had indeed been lost to erosion and subsidence after sand was removed.

On May 25 the District 9 People's Committee met with relevant agencies to review efforts to combat the illegal sand mining.

Hot spell damages highway

Hot weather is blamed for deep ruts and bumps along Thanh Tri Bridge in Ha Noi, local media report. The bridge was opened in 2007.

Since 2009, there have been many reports about the degraded surface of the bridge. Most of them blame spells of hot weather.

However, experts said it was not fair to blame hot weather for the poor roads because builders must conduct studies about all environmental impacts before starting a project.

Meanwhile, in central Ha Tinh Province, ruts have also appeared along an upgraded section of National Highway 1 more than 30 kilometres long that runs through the province. Some are four or more centimetres deep.

An official from Transport Ministry's Road safety Project Management Board, Truong Duc Lien, said that the tracks appeared on the road after a 10-day heatwave last month.

The work was started in June, 2013, with an investment of more than VND1.2 trillion (US$55.5 million). It was opened for traffic early this year.

Lien said that the prolonged heatwave raised road temperatures to 72 Celsius, making it soft and easily damaged.

Xuan Truong construction company who built the road have been given the job of repairing it. They expect to finish work next week, Lien said.

Meanwhile in the centre, an interdisciplinary inspection team will evaluate damages to houses caused by the use of explosives in rock mining for a tunnel in the Da Nang-Quang Ngai Highway.

On Tuesday, the inspection team, which has been set up by the People's Committee of Duy Xuyen District in central Quang Nam Province, started the damage evaluation of 110 affected residences. Project-affected residents in Chiem Son Village and project contractor from Song Da Corporation will join the inspection process.

The move is expected to calm agitated residents and help the project resume its construction.

Last month, more than 110 households in Chiem Son Village reported that unscheduled explosions at mines for the tunnel construction project had heavily damaged their houses and polluted the air with dust and smoke.

After the residents complained to local authorities and after three rounds of negotiations, the construction unit of the project, Song Da Corporation, proposed a total compensation of more than VND630 million ($28,980). However, residents did not relent and surrounded the tunnel to block the construction unit from building the tunnel.

The project, worth VND2 trillion ($92 million), has been abandoned since then, causing a loss of tens of billions of dong. The project is set to miss its early September deadline for completion.

Chairman of the committee Nguyen Cong Dung said that after finishing the inspections, the team will propose to adjust the compensation so that the project can continue.

It will also propose that all mining explosives be stopped after 9.30pm to avoid causing inconvenience to those living nearby.

Hue fishermen net a bumper catch

A family of fishermen in central Thua Thien - Hue Province has caught a huge batch of giant sea catfish (Arius thalassinus Ruppell), worth around US$184,000.

Earlier this week, the father and son team, Nguyen Kiem and Nguyen Luan, discovered the fish in the Chan May Gulf, which borders part of the province's Phu Loc District. They used 14 fishing boats to net and hold 70 tonnes of the fish.

It took the family three days to sell all of it to wholesale traders for dried fillets, a seafood specialty in southern Viet Nam.

The catch earned a total revenue of some VND4 billion. It also set a record for the largest and highest value fishing catch in the area.

According to experts, the fish approach the shore at this time of year to breed, so the entire school of fish is in danger of being netted.

Even though the bumper harvest delighted local fishermen, experts have warned that overfishing the area in this manner will deplete its marine resources and destroy the fishery industry here.

Korea to train Hai Duong's female human resources

Female human resources in Hai Duong Province will receive training under a Korean public-private partnership co-operation project, Beautiful classroom.

The US$200,000 project, which is aimed at training female human resources for managers in service industry, started this morning at Hai Duong Vocational Centre.

Disparity in the incomes of male and female workers and unsafe work environment are the main factors obstructing women from participating in the economy, said KOICA's Chief Representative Chang Jae Yun.

"Through this project, we want to help women improve their skills in service industry as that will help them reach higher positions at work," added Yun.

Some 150 managers in the service industry will be given classroom training in English, Korean languages, and computer as well as service skills in 2015, with an aim to provide skilled managers for Korean enterprises in Hai Duong Province.

The project is funded by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Asiana Airlines.

There are currently more than 270 foreign enterprises, including 30 Korean firms, operating in Hai Duong Province.

Police to prosecute case of attack on reporters

The District 9 Police Bureau in HCM City have decided to prosecute a case in which two reporters of Giao Thong (Transport) newspaper were attacked and their assets were snatched.

The police have identified a number of suspects who attacked the two reporters, Vinh Phu and Linh Hoang, said Trinh Van Sam, head of the Social Order Crime Investigation Team of the District 9 Police.

The incident took place on Monday, when the journalists were pursuing an investigative report on overloaded trucks carrying sand on Lo Lu and La Xuan Oai roads in Truong Thanh and Long Truong Wards in District 9.

Overloaded trucks causing pollution in the area has become a major concern for local residents.

More grave is the threat such overloaded trucks are posing to the Tang Long Bridge, which can only handle vehicles weighing up to 13 tonnes.

According to the reporters, the suspects attacked them and snatched their cameras before fleeing.

They both suffered head injuries and were shifted to a nearby hospital with the help of local police and residents.

The National Traffic Safety Committee and editor-in-chief of Transport newspaper have asked the HCM City authorities to investigate the matter and prosecute the culprits.

Five members of family die in fire

Five persons, including two elderly and one child, were killed in a huge blaze that destroyed a house in alley 190 of Hoang Mai Road, Hoang Mai District, Ha Noi, early this morning.

All the victims belonged to a 10-member family that lived in the house.

Five other persons, who lived on the house's second floor, luckily escaped through a window, thank to the efforts of the neighbours.

Witnesses said the flames rose and spread rapidly. The house was located in a very small alley, which made it difficult for the firefighters to stamp out the blaze.

The authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze.

Transport Minister grants request to solve transport problems

Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang has promised to invest in improving roads in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang.

He will also provide a mobile weighing station to check the weight of overloaded trucks.

Thang made the promises yesterday while receiving a group of Cao Bang delegates who are in Ha Noi for the 13th National Assembly's 9th session.

La Ngoc Thoang, head of the delegation, told Minister Thang that the ministry and the Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam, which is under the ministry, had earlier issued separate decisions to approve the upgrading of two sections on Highways 34 and 4A in the province, which have been branded as ‘black spots' due to their degraded road surfaces, leading to frequent road accidents. He expected the promised investments to arrive soon.

These two ‘black spots' include a section of road stretching from Km 85 to Km 114 on Highway 34 in the province's Bao Lam and Bao Lac districts, as well as another section running from Km 85+600 to Km 91+100 in Thach An District on Highway 4A.

In response to their request, Thang said that this month the Road Maintenance Fund, under the ministry, will begin allocating money for upgrading these roads.

"In case the Fund has not had enough funding, contractors (of these road projects) will be asked to upfront their own money," Thang assured the Cao Bang delegates.

Regarding overloaded trucks damaging the province's roads, Minister Thang told the guests that this month he would also ask the Directorate for Roads to provide a mobile weighing station for the province to check trucks.

"The other day, I traveled to Ban Gioc Waterfall, where I saw with my naked eyes hundreds of overloaded trucks on the road," Thang was quoted by the Giao thong (Transport) newspaper as saying.

Further, he called the attention of provincial leaders to this problem, urging them to take different measures, including issuing strict punishments to overloaded trucks.

Binh Thuan gives financial aid to procure water

Drought-hit central coastal province Binh Thuan yesterday decided to set aside VND15 billion (US$750,000) to support the provision of water to State agencies and the general public.

The money will go to part of the general public who are buying water at a price of VND60,000–100,000 ($2-5) per cubic metre and for digging bore wells, installing water pipes, and building water supply facilities.

The lower tiers of the provincial government are expanding the range of people entitled to State assistance (for buying water) to include low-wage earners and people who are under the State's social security cover.

Ham Tan and Tuy Phong Districts have been the hardest hit, where 40,000 people are said to be facing a serious water shortage.

The province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that all 16 reservoirs in the province have recorded water levels at a mere 10-30 per cent of their holding capacity.

As of yesterday, eight water plants in the province had stopped their operations due to insufficient water supply to run them.

The eight plants are located in Tuy Phong, Ham Thuan Bac, Ham Thuan Nam, Ham Tan, and Tanh Linh districts in the province.

The drought is believed to have begun last year, when rainfall was low and the wet season ended earlier than usual.

The drought has stunted the growth of some 1,000ha of crops in the province.

Tourism authority also seeks to help farmers

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has joined the ranks of the agriculture, trade and communist youth agencies in calling for consumption of farm produce to help farmers out of the doldrums.

Farmers have been struggling with falling prices and an influx of imported agricultural goods, leading to various organizations launching campaigns to support farmers to sell their goods.

Nguyen Van Tuan, head of the VNAT, has written to hotels, travel firms and tourism services businesses to prioritize using and promoting home grown produce.

A leader of a resort told the Daily that the resort has high demand for fruit and vegetables but those producing these items seldom get in contact with major consumers like his resort.

This resort often buy farm goods from a corporate distributor to ensure stable and quality supplies. But it also wants supplies from cooperatives and major household businesses to diversify supplies with better quality but no one has come to his resort to introduce their goods.

Guests at his resort prefer vegetables and aromatic herbs grown in central Vietnam thanks to their special flavors, so staff of the resort have gone find them on their own and spent a lot of time and energy to talk suppliers into guaranteeing stable supplies and clean products.

Lorry mounts pavement, kills one person

A lorry, travelling in a residential area of the southern Binh Duong Province, suddenly mounted a pavement and hit a motorbike, killing one person and injuring another critically.

The victims were a 29-year-old man and his father who was standing on the pavement to buy goods at a shop.

The two victims and their motorbike were dragged for 10m by the lorry.

The father is being treated at a provincial general hospital.

The case is being investigated.

On Monday morning, two bikers were killed when a sand-laden truck crashed into their motorbike on Bai Chay Bridge in Quang Ninh northern province.

The motorbike that was moving ahead of the truck was crushed under its wheels.

According to initial investigations, the driver of the truck lost control of the vehicle due to speeding.

Authorities demand investigation into maggot-infested food

The health authorities in the southern Binh Duong Province yesterday asked the food safety department to investigate the discovery of maggots in food prepared for a company's workforce.

Last Tuesday, 1,800 workers of a textile company refused to have lunch after detecting maggots and insects in a vegetable dish.

Nguyen Thi Hoa, the food provider, said she had bought the dish's ingredients from a shop in Thuan Giao market in Thuan An Town.

The ingredients were produced by the HCM City-based Au Lac Vegetarian Food Co., Ltd.

An inspection team later found that 19 vegetable boxes of the Au Lac Company, or approximately 190kg, which were seized from Thuan Giao market and the company's warehouse contained maggots and insects.

The expiry date of the food is due later this year.

Au Lac Company CEO Nguyen Thi Ai Trinh said the packaging of the maggot-infested ingredients was "very similar" to those of her company.

However, she refused to take the blame, suggesting that insects and maggots could have entered the packages during the delivery or the preservation stages.

Trinh said her company would give Hoa VND30 million (US$1,400) to compensate for the loss she had incurred after the workers refused to eat and their company suspended the food contract with Hoa following the incident.

On Saturday, the HCM City Food Hygiene and Safety visited Au Lac Company to take samples for testing. But they could not do so because the company had not stored any products that were produced at the same time as those found infested with maggots and insects.

Quang Tri gets VND28 billion as drought relief

The Government will provide Quang Tri with VND28 billion (US$1.3 million) to fight a severe drought in the central province.

The decision on the financial aid was made during Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai's field visit to the drought-affected region today.

The amount will be used to make urgent supplies of clean water and other provisions to residents in drought-hit areas and dredging of canals and reservoirs to preserve water for local needs.

A prolonged period of heat, which lasted a couple of months, has affected the area, with temperature touching 42oC in some places. Water in reservoirs is lower than the dead level, contributing to the spread of the critical drought, especially in the province's Huong Hoa District.

The district's clean water plant is operating at 20 per cent of its capacity due to water shortage and it has halted regular water supplies for a month. Local residents are buying well water at high costs for daily use; but overexploitation is said to soon exhaust water in wells.

Some 10,000ha of rice and vegetables have withered because of prolonged heat and drought. Other 3,700ha of farmland are chapped and uncultivated. The summer-autumn crops in the province are losing 20 per cent of their total production.

Deputy PM Hai has encouraged the locality to stand strong against this hard situation as the heat and drought have been forecasted to last until September.

Following Hai's directive, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will work with local authorities to plan the irrigation and reservoir system here in order to improve the province's reaction capacity to overcome the drought situation.

The ministry will also take charge of seeking crop varieties to help local farmers choose their next crop for cultivation.

Hai Phong's largest coach station shut down

Tam Bac Coach Station, once the largest station in the centre of the northern coastal Hai Phong City, has been closed down to make way for a green space project.

After several delays, the crowded station was closed at midnight yesterday as part of a city plan to build a park there. Its closure has caused deep regret among local citizens and passengers.

"I have travelled a lot from Hai Phong to Ha Noi, so I have nice memories of the station," said Nguyen Thi Thuy, 38, one of the last passengers to travel from the Hai Phong station to Ha Noi.

While waiting at the station yesterday afternoon, Thuy praised the convenience the station provided to her and many other visitors who wanted to travel from Hai Phong to other cities and provinces, including Hai Duong, Quang Ninh and the coastal tourist city of Ha Long.

Hoang Tu, a passenger from Hai Duong Province, said he was really sad to know the coach station had been closed forever. Tu used to travel from Hai Duong to Hai Phong to visit the nearby Sat Market, where he could find all electronic items that he wanted to purchase.

Hai Phong traffic police officer Tran Trong Van said he was proud to be among the first policemen to work at the coach station and now the last person to leave the station before it was closed down.

Van had worked in the station for 25 years and felt very sorry to leave it.

Hai Phong City People's Committee last month decided to close Tam Bac Coach Station after approving a proposal by the city's transport department to that effect.

Coaches running on the Ha Noi – Hai Phong route will move to other stations in the city, such as Thuong Ly and Niem Nghia Stations.

However, transport firms have complained they would be unable to manage the change at such short notice, Secretary of the municipal People's Committee office Pham Huu Thu said early this month.

Tam Bac Coach Station was built in 1989 at the centre of Hai Phong City. It was located opposite Tam Bac Lake and next to Sat Market, a major market in the city. The location of the station was quite convenient for local residents and visitors to the city.

About 106 coaches were operated on the Ha Noi – Hai Phong route daily and 37 coaches travelled to and from other provinces.

The city planned to close the station four years ago as the coaches reportedly picked up passengers on crowded streets in the inner areas of the city, causing traffic jams and threatening road safety.

Blind seek jobs plus diversity

The Vietnam Blind Association (VBA) has called for help from international organisations to bring a better life to the blind in Vietnam.

VBA president Cao Van Thanh made the call at a workshop held in Hanoi on June 16 to spotlight a common predicament of many blind people in Vietnam. Many, especially those living in mountainous and rural areas, are unemployed and are dependent on their families.

Phan Thanh My, who is with the (State-owned) People's Aid Co-ordin-ating Committee (PAC-COM), said last year, there were 213 projects funded by international organisations involving people with disabilities in Vietnam, but only 20 had anything to do with the blind.

She said these projects did not directly give support to the blind, but to projects related to healthcare, social affairs and employment that also included the blind.

My suggested that the VBA should come up with ideas to diversify livelihoods for the blind by placing them in jobs other than conventional ones.

She also suggested the VBA beef up its work on fund-raising and model them on the operations of other international non-governmental organisations or countries that have good practices of caring for the blind.

Dinh Thi Nguyet, from Catholic Relief Services (CRS), cited information technology as a job suitable for the blind.

At the workshop, the VBA praised international organisations that had given assistance to it over the past years.

Among them were the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted, the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired and the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam.

The workshop was held with the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations.

Life insurance group grants bicycles to poor children

The Vietnam Children Sponsor Fund and the Bao Viet Life Insurance Corporation signed a cooperation agreement in Hanoi on June 16 to grant 1,200 bicycles to poor children to support them in pursuing education.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Hong Lan said about 200,000 Vietnamese students forced to quit school each year.

One of the reasons is that they live too far away from school, with many having to walk around 5-10 km or even further to reach their school, she added.

After 10 years of cooperation, via the Vietnam Children Sponsor Fund, the Bao Viet company has granted nearly 9,000 scholarships and 12,000 gift packages worth nearly VND7 billion (US$324,800) to needy children across the country.

Dong Nai aims at sustainable agricultural development

The southern Dong Nai province has adopted a master plan for agricultural development through 2020 with a vision to 2030 which emphasizes sustainable growth.

The plan zones off two agricultural areas, the northeastern and the southwestern areas each with specific development directions.

The northeast zone, which covers Cam My, Xuan Loc, Dinh Quan and Tan Phu districts together with a number of communes in Vinh Cuu district with a total area of more than 376,000 hectares, is dedicated to protection and production forests, industrial plants such as rubber, pepper and coffee, fruit trees and safe vegetables.

Priority will also be given to developing aquaculture, animal breeding and hi-tech agricultural zones, in the zone.

Meanwhile, the southwestern zone will cover more than 214,000 hectares, spanning Bien Hoa city, districts of Long Thanh, Nhon Trach, Trang Bom, Thong Nhat, Long Khanh town, and a number of communes in Vinh Cuu district.

The zone will focus on hi-tech agriculture serving urban areas and tourism, such as the cultivation of special vegetables, flowers, bonsai, and decorative plants.

Director of the provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Development Pham Minh Dao said incentives will be offered to projects in line with the plan.

HCM City develops sports movement

The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has recently approved a plan to develop sports through 2020 with a vision to 2025.

The plan places importance on promoting sports practice among the community and in schools as a base to develop professional sports.

The city sets a target for 97% of local schools to organize regular sporting extracurricular activities for their students in addition to official physical training lessons.

By 2020, the city will ensure that one-third of the population exercise regularly and one quarter of all families practise some kind of sports.

About 70-80% of schools and all communes in the city will possess playing fields and sports grounds.

In order to boost the development of sports at schools, the city will build and experiment a physical training syllabus.

Furthermore, extracurricular activities at schools will be developed logically with a focus on universalisation of swimming classes.

Sports clubs at schools will be developed as basic units of physical education system.

Besides, the city will establish sports centres to offer more possibilities for youngster to play sports and discover new talents.

Greetings on Iceland’s National Day

On June 16, Vietnamese leaders on June extended greetings to their Icelandic counterparts on the occasion of the country’s 71 st National Day (June 17).

State President Truong Tan Sang extended congratulations to President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, while Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sent his greetings to Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson.

On this occasion, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also sent a letter of congratulations to Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson.

Vietnam and Iceland established their diplomatic ties on November 15, 1996.

Dong Nai aims at sustainable agricultural development

The southern Dong Nai province has adopted a master plan for agricultural development through 2020 with a vision to 2030 which emphasizes sustainable growth.

The plan zones off two agricultural areas, the northeastern and the southwestern areas each with specific development directions.

The northeast zone, which covers Cam My, Xuan Loc, Dinh Quan and Tan Phu districts together with a number of communes in Vinh Cuu district with a total area of more than 376,000 hectares, is dedicated to protection and production forests, industrial plants such as rubber, pepper and coffee, fruit trees and safe vegetables.

Priority will also be given to developing aquaculture, animal breeding and hi-tech agricultural zones, in the zone.

Meanwhile, the southwestern zone will cover more than 214,000 hectares, spanning Bien Hoa city, districts of Long Thanh, Nhon Trach, Trang Bom, Thong Nhat, Long Khanh town, and a number of communes in Vinh Cuu district.

The zone will focus on hi-tech agriculture serving urban areas and tourism, such as the cultivation of special vegetables, flowers, bonsai, and decorative plants.

Director of the provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Development Pham Minh Dao said incentives will be offered to projects in line with the plan.

GMS countries promote tourism via social networks

On June 16, travel agency representatives from the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) gathered in central Danang City to discuss ways of promoting tourism via social networks.

The promotion model has become prevalent thanks to the current boom of IT, an effective tool for publicizing areas to tourists.

Participants presented the prospects for tourism marketing for small and medium-sized enterprises, ways to make full use of social pages to become more interactive with travelers, and how to use mobile phone technology to popularize post-trip photos.

Also high on the agenda was how to use digital technology and social media to promote the Greater Mekong Sub-region’s tourism.

Matthew Zatto, a Destination Marketing Sales Manager at Tripadvisor, said before visiting a place, tourists will learn all relevant information on social networks.

He said, “Vietnam has gained many prestigious awards from TripAdvisor. For example, Hanoi was ranked second among the top 25 Asian destinations last year. Meanwhile Da Nang tops the world's 10 most-visited destinations in 2015. Ho Chi Minh City or Hoi An are also destinations much sought after and praised by tourists on TripAdvisor’s website.”

RoK companies sponsor social activities in the south

Twenty major businesses from the Republic of Korea (RoK) including the Shinhan Bank, Hanwha Life Insurance and Hana Tour have pledged to sponsor social activities in the south of Vietnam, reported the Sai Gon Giai phong (Liberated Saigon) daily.

The RoK Consulate General and the RoK Chamber of Commerce and Industry inked a memorandum of understanding on June 16 with Vietnamese media outlets communicating the firms’ corporate social responsibility in the southern region.

The Vietnamese side includes Sai Gon Giai phong, the Vietnam-Korea Times of the Vietnam News Agency, and the Tien phong (Vanguard) daily newspaper.

At the signing ceremony, RoK Consul General Park Noh-wan said more than 3,400 companies from his country are doing business in Vietnam and employing over 1 million local workers. About 2,000 enterprises are running projects in HCM City and neighbouring provinces, specifically.

A number of RoK businesses have been donating to charitable work in Vietnam, he noted, adding that he hopes the communications will encourage contributors and advocate for more corporate social responsibility.

Vietnam holds int’l seminar to protect child rights

Vietnam held an international seminar on abolishing harmful activities towards children on June 16, on the sidelines of the 29th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC).

The event, which drew representatives from 40 countries, international agencies and non-governmental organisations, was to carry out the country’s commitments in connection with its bid for HRC membership.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh, Head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva, highlighted efforts made by nations to protect women and children’s rights through implementing relevant international conventions.

He called on countries worldwide to pay attention to convention committees’ recommendations on eliminating infringements on children’s rights.

In regards to Vietnam’s status on gender quality and child rights, the Ambassador affirmed the country’s strong commitments in building legal regulations and implementing specific policies to address challenges to protecting children’s rights, adding that comprehensive education and consultations have been carried out in remote areas to eradicate unsound customs on women and children.

He suggested countries and related convention committees foster communication and education of international and national legal documents on women and children.

A number of harmful customs to women and children were also overviewed at the conference, including early marriage, forced marriage and child abuse.

International representatives spoke highly of Vietnam’s contributions to the general discussions of the HRC.

Women and children’s rights have been among Vietnam’s key priorities and are one of the main HRC discussion topics at the 29 th session.

The 29 th HRC session, which will run through July 3, will address several urgent global issues concerning human rights, and touch on migration and the situation in Ukraine, South Sudan, and Syria.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau: 26 poor families have new houses

The first phase of the POSCO Vietnam village project in Tan Hoa commune, the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau, has been inaugurated after seven months of construction, with the transfer of 26 newly-built houses to poor households.

The village of 85 homes costs nearly 8.1 billion VND (386,000 USD), each worth 95 million VND (4,523 USD) and covers an area of 53.6 sq.m.

The first phase commenced from November 2014- June 2015 at a cost of around 2.5 billion VND (119,000 USD) while the second phase will start this July.

Sponsored by the POSCO Vietnam Ltd Company and Habitat for Humanity Vietnam (HFH Vietnam), the project is also helped out by a group of Vietnamese and Korean volunteers who engaged in the construction.

The HFH Vietnam will develop livelihood models designed for beneficiaries via community development projects.

Tan Hoa commune is the poorest locality in Tan Thanh district, recording the highest household poverty and unemployment rates.

Multi-trillion-VND credit programme offered for healthcare sector

A State-owned bank is offering a credit programme worth 20 trillion VND (over 930.2 million USD) to assist the development of the healthcare sector.

The Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) said the programme provides financial supports to speed up the implementation of targets set in the Government’s Decision 93/NQ-CP on mechanisms and policies for healthcare development.

The programme will provide concessional loans for the maximum term of around 20 years to hospitals to upgrade facilities and purchase medical equipment with the goal of easing patient overload and improve health care service quality.

Both central and local hospitals can borrow from the programme.

Hospitals advised to have area for suspected MERS-CoV cases

All hospitals across the nation should set up a separate section giving medical services to suspected cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in order to prevent the spread of the virus inside the hospitals, according to a Health Ministry’s official.

The section will stay open for those who enter Vietnam from Middle East countries and the Republic of Korea within 14 days, said Luong Ngoc Khue, Head of the ministry’s Medical Examination and Treatment Management Department.

He added that patients showing MERS-CoV symptoms should be isolated immediately and their medical samples are sent to the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi or Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City for testing.

Meanwhile, the department will collaborate with the Department for Preventive Medicine to organise five training courses on MERS-CoV detection, treatment and control in medical centres for doctors and nurses, Khue revealed.

The department has also launched a hotline 098-437-1919 and website www.kcb.vn to receive all reports on MERS-CoV in Vietnam, he said.

So far, no MERS-CoV case has been reported in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, according to the World Health Organisation, the virus has spread to 26 countries. As of June 16, four new cases were reported in the RoK, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 154 with 19 deaths.

Peat reserves in southern forest roughly 13 million tonnes

Current peat reserves of U Minh Ha forest in southernmost Ca Mau province are estimated at 13 million tonnes, worth tens of millions of US dollars, according to the Southern Geological Mapping Division under the General Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam.

That was just part of greater peat reserves that existed here in the past, said Nguyen Tan Truyen - deputy head of the science-international cooperation section at the U Minh Ha National Park.

He added forest fires have ruined a considerable volume and area of peatland.

Peat is a rare non-renewable natural resource with high economic value. The peatland area in Vietnam is only 36,000ha with about 24,000ha in the Mekong Delta and U Minh forests in Ca Mau and neighbouring Kien Giang province.

In U Minh Ha forest, peat can only be found in 8,527ha out of the total area of 40,000ha.

Peat acts as a filter helping refine water while peatlands are critical to easing the seriousness of floods and sustaining river flows in the dry season. This type of land also harbours a rich diversity of endemic species.

Tra Vinh dredges channels to cope with drought season

The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh is dredging 57 irrigational channels as an effort of recovery from the current drought and salinisation.

The dredge, costing 10 billion VND (465,000 USD) sourced from the Ministry of Finance, will be carried out in the districts of Chau Thanh, Cau Ngang, Cau Ke, Tieu Can and Tra Cu, said an official from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

According to the department, drought and salinity intrusion dried up over 10,000ha of winter-spring rice.

About 1,000ha of summer-autumn rice are thirsty for water.

Worryingly, the salinity levels in Co Chien, Hau and Cau Quan rivers are reaching higher.

Northern and central regions, especially localities from Khanh Hoa to Ninh Thuan, have suffered from prolonged drought and shortage of water in midday temperatures hovering around 42 degrees C.

The heat waves are expected to continue and result in more severe droughts and deep salt intrusion in coastal and delta areas, according to the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting (NCHMF).

Vietnam’s modern patrol vessel in the spotlight

A patrol and rescue vessel was officially launched and handed over to the High Command of the Vietnam People’s Navy on June 16.

The vessel FC624 was made in Vietnam basing on the UK and Russia’s design by Hai Minh Company under the Ministry of Defence. The ship is over 63 metres long and 12 metres wide. It is equipped with special facilities and information system in line with GMDSS-A3 international standard.

RoK companies sponsor social activities in the south

Twenty major businesses from the Republic of Korea (RoK) including the Shinhan Bank, Hanwha Life Insurance and Hana Tour have pledged to sponsor social activities in the south of Vietnam, reported the Sai Gon Giai phong (Liberated Saigon) daily.

The RoK Consulate General and the RoK Chamber of Commerce and Industry inked a memorandum of understanding on June 16 with Vietnamese media outlets communicating the firms’ corporate social responsibility in the southern region.

The Vietnamese side includes Sai Gon Giai phong, the Vietnam-Korea Times of the Vietnam News Agency, and the Tien phong (Vanguard) daily newspaper.

At the signing ceremony, RoK Consul General Park Noh-wan said more than 3,400 companies from his country are doing business in Vietnam and employing over 1 million local workers. About 2,000 enterprises are running projects in HCM City and neighbouring provinces, specifically.

A number of RoK businesses have been donating to charitable work in Vietnam, he noted, adding that he hopes the communications will encourage contributors and advocate for more corporate social responsibility.

NA to make insurance law change based on poll results

Most Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) deputies have supported modifying the law to give workers the option of a lump-sum social insurance payment one year after their employment ends, instead of their having the fund suspended until their retirement.

According to an internal opinion poll, 87.45 percent of lawmakers agreed that Article 60 of the 2014 Law on Social Insurance should be revised so that laborers can have the option.

The 2014 Law on Social Insurance was approved by the NA in November 2014 to revise the 2006 Law on Social Insurance and is slated to take effect on January 1, 2016.

Pursuant to the article, which amended Article 55 of the 2006 Law on Social Insurance, the scope of employees eligible to receive a lump-sum social insurance allowance when they resign from work is narrowed.

Accordingly, only a limited number of people are entitled to such lump-sum payments, while other resigned employees must wait until they reach their retirement age (60 for men and 55 for women) to get or receive such lump sums.

The above poll result was announced by Nguyen Hanh Phuc, chairman of the NA and head of the secretariat of the ongoing ninth session of the 13th term.

The poll was conducted after the NA failed to reach unanimity on two options raised for discussion at their meeting on May 27.

One of the options was that laborers take a lump-sum social insurance payment upon their resignation, and the other option was for laborers to continue paying insurance premiums – voluntarily or through their new employers – and receive their social insurance payment upon retiring.

At the end of the meeting, the NA’s deputy chairman, Uong Chu Luu, suggested a poll, and on June 4, 470 ballots were given to deputies.

All the ballots were returned, and 411 of them agreed to give workers the option of a lump-sum social insurance payment one year after their employment ends.

Based on this result, the NA Standing Committee has directed concerned agencies to draft a resolution on “implementing the policy to pay workers a lump-sum social insurance payment one year after their resignation,” as stated in Item c, Clause 1, Article 55 of the 2006 Law on Insurance.

This article has been amended by the above Article 60 (of the 2014 Law on Insurance) that has recently faced strong responses from people, especially workers in several plants in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring Binh Duong Province.

On March 26, tens of thousands of workers at Pou Yuen Vietnam Co. Ltd., a Taiwanese-invested maker of sport shoes and garments for export in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, went on strike to protest the article.

The strikers agreed to resume work on April 2 after competent agencies promised to consider their aspirations.

These workers argued that they likely could not continue to work until they retire, so if they quit their job in the near future they would have to wait for a long time to get such payment.

Some workers said they might quit their current job and start a business on their own in the future, so they wanted to get lump sums upon resignation as capital for their new career.

Most strikers requested that the law give them the right to decide on either taking a lump-sum social insurance allowance or accumulating their periods of payment of social insurance in order to receive a pension when they retire.

Foreigners can call trilingual helplines to get MERS-related information in Vietnam

The Hanoi health authorities have established a hotline in Vietnamese and English and another in Korean to provide advice on Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) caused by the coronavirus.

The Hanoi Department of Health has announced the Vietnamese-English hotline at 0969082115 and another at 0949396115 in Korean through which callers can ask any questions about MERS and receive replies from epidemic consultants.

The hotline in Korean was set up following a MERS outbreak that has raged in South Korea since May 20.

South Korea's health ministry on Tuesday reported that 154 people have been infected with MERS and 19 of them have died, according toReuters.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has sent a message to the people’s committees of provinces and cities nationwide, asking them to strengthen MERS-related communication activities toward foreigners in Vietnam, especially South Koreans who are working at industrial parks and export processing zones.

Accordingly, anyone coming to Vietnam from the epidemic-hit areas must fill out a health declaration form and take care of themselves for 14 days – the incubation period of the disease – and those who develop fever, coughing, or acute respiratory inflammation must visit a heath facility for examination or inform the hotlines of their case, Vietnam’s health ministry said.

Vietnam has yet to detect anyone infected with MERS, which first appeared in Saudi Arabia in 2012, but the virus may penetrate the Southeast Asian country via people who come from areas affected by the epidemic, including the Middle East and South Korea, Minister Tien said.

So far, Vietnam has had 10 suspected MERS cases, tests on which have all proven negative, according to the Vietnamese health ministry.

Globally, since September 2012, 1,289 cases of MERS infection have been confirmed, including at least 455 related deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a recent disease outbreak update.

According to the WHO, the following 25 countries have reported cases of MERS: Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen (Middle East); Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom (Europe); Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt (Africa); China, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, and the Philippines (Asia); and the United States of America (Americas).

The vast majority of these cases have so far occurred in Saudi Arabia, the WHO said.

Dr. Tran Dac Phu, head of the Vietnamese health ministry’s Health Preventive Department, noted that the disease transmits from ill people to others through close contact, such as caring for or living with an infected person, and the mortality rate is as high as 40 percent.

October designated as action month for Vietnamese elderly

October has been designated as Action Month for the Vietnamese Elderly, announced the Central Committee of the Vietnam Association of the Elderly (VAE) in Hanoi on June 16.

Ngo Trong Vinh, VAE Vice Chairman and permanent deputy head of the Steering Board for the month, said the month will promote the role of senior citizens while providing timely and proper care for elderly living in need.

This year’s action month will focus on raising public awareness and attracting social resources to care for elderly living in especially difficult circumstances.

The VAE chapters will raise public funding to improve the lives of disadvantaged older people in ethnic, border and island areas.

As a joint effort with the health sector and other agencies, free health check-ups and cultural and sporting events will also be made available.

CC1 suggests highway toll station in HCMC

Construction Corporation No .1 (CC1) has proposed the government of HCMC allow it to collect tolls on the National Highway 22 section from An Suong Intersection in District 12 to An Ha Bridge in Hoc Mon District.

The corporation made the proposal after the city called for investment in the project to upgrade the 15-kilometer highway section under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) format. The corporation wants to collect tolls for 25 years, starting from March 2018, to recover capital for the upgrade.

CC1 plans to spend around VND2.85 trillion (US$130.86 million) building a tunnel at An Suong Intersection, an overpass at Trung Chanh Intersection, and upgrading the water drainage system and the surface of the highway between An Suong Intersection and An Ha Bridge.

The company will also be responsible for site clearance in An Suong area and build an overpass in the direction from Cu Chi to Thu Duc districts.

All the components of the project are scheduled to take 36 months.

CC1 wants to collect tolls immediately after the project is completed in March 2018 and build the tollgate near An Ha Bridge. The tolls are planned to increase 18% three years after that.

The city now has seven toll stations and the number could rise to 20 by 2025 as planned by the city’s Department of Transport.

Experts said there are many toll stations planned, which could cause transport costs to surge.

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