Government officials to enjoy nine-day Tet

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs yesterday officially announced that government officials and workers would have a nine-day holiday for the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year).

The holidays fall between February 6 and February 14, 2016. The ministry said government employees would not be required to work over the weekend before the holiday to compensate for the four additional days off because four days of the Tet holiday adjoin the weekend.

One tonne of food with unknown origins destroyed

The market management teams in northern Quang Ninh province yesterday destroyed more than 1 tonne of food that had unclear origins.

Earlier, the management team in Hoanh Bo District, working with other teams, seized three cars transporting many kinds of products with unknown origins, including pigeons, fish, grilled cuttlefish, peach and jelly.

All goods were destroyed as the owners did not have any papers to prove the origin of their goods.

Last week, the provincial Customs Department also arrested the drivers of two cars transporting 16,000 chickens and 76 tonnes of coal of unclear origin.

The goods were seized by customs officers because the drivers did not display legal documents for these goods. In conformance with existing regulations, all illegal goods were destroyed.

Japanese Volunteers Group donates wheelchairs to handicapped

Dozens of wheelchairs, donated by the Japanese Volunteers Group, were handed to disabled people in northern Thai Binh province this morning.

At the handover ceremony this morning, the first of the 30 out of over 150 wheelchairs were granted to disabled people in Dong Hung District by the group and Viet Nam Red Cross.

The envoy of the Japanese embassy in Viet Nam said he highly appreciated the activities of the group in the past, and hoped that difficulties in the life of the disabled people in Viet Nam would be improved, thanks to the help from the group.

The group has granted more than 600 wheelchairs to the handicapped in a few provinces across the country.

Volunteers Group is a non-government organisation of Japan which has sent wheelchairs to overseas children in over 20 countries.

Ha Noi stores up essential goods for Tet holiday

Ha Noi People's Committee has advanced 10 enterprises VNĐ236 billion (US$105,000) to stock essential commodities for the upcoming New Year and Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, a representative of the committee said.

The goods include rice, pork, chicken, eggs, seafood, cooking oil, and vegetables.

This aims at stabilising prices and ensuring the adequate supply of essential goods to meet increased demand during the Tet holiday, the People's Committee said.

The advance will be implemented from October this year to April next year with no interest rate.

Besides, the city's Department of Industry and Trade has launched a promotion campaign. Customers purchasing goods at promotional stores will receive discounts of between 10 and 50 per cent.

One person dies in crane collapse

One person was killed and another was injured when a 10m-tall crane suddenly collapsed this noon at a construction site in the northern Hai Phong City's Le Hong Phong Street.

The mangled body of the victim was found after the accident. A building of the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam is being constructed at the site.

The local police are investigating the case.

Hotlines to receive complaints on banned substance use

Hotline numbers have just been launched to receive complaints about hygiene and food safety violations, especially the use of banned substances in animal feed.

It is part of the efforts being taken by the agriculture and rural development ministry to combat the use of sabultamol, clenbuterol and vat yellow, which are believed to be harmful for animals and people.

The authorities will keep the names of the informers confidential.

Once the complaint is verified and confirmed, the informers will be offered rewards ranging from VNĐ1 million to VNĐ5 million ($44 to $220)

The hotline numbers are 08042526 or 0917808113.

Suspected food poisoning affects more than 100 workers

More than 100 employees of a footwear firm in Bien Hoa City's Long Binh Tan Ward in the southern Dong Nai Province were hospitalised last night for suspected food poisoning.

Pham Van Thanh, one of the workers of Chanh Ich Ltd Co, said some time after they ate rice, eggs and meat for dinner at their workplace, they started getting headache, stomach pain, vomiting and dizziness. Some of the workers fainted.

Thanh said he saw the rice was stale, but many workers still tried to eat it to resume their work.

The affected workers were taken to a health centre for first-aid, and then transferred to the medical centre of an industrial park. Some workers were transferred to Dong Nai General Hospital after they showed symptoms of serious food poisoning.

About 30 of them were given emergency aid for chest pain, convulsions, difficulty in breathing and vomiting by 8.30pm.

Dr Ngo Duc Tuan, deputy director of Dong Nai General Hospital, said the examination of the workers showed symptoms of food poisoning.

At 9pm, doctors of the hospital and the health centres near the company were still giving emergency aid to dozens of workers.

Some workers were discharged later in the evening, while the rest were being kept under observation.

All workers have been reportedly discharged from hospital today afternoon.

The case is being investigated further.

Two arrested for drug trafficking

Lang Son border guards, in a joint operation with the Anti-Drug Crime Police, have detained two persons for allegedly smuggling 10kg of drugs from China to Viet Nam.

Be Thi Nem, 33, and Hoang Van Phong, 39, from the northern Cao Bang and Lang Son provinces, respectively, were arrested at Huu Nghi border gate in Cao Loc District, while carrying 10 nylon bags of ecstasy pills on Tuesday.

The two persons said they had purchased the drugs in China and were returning to Viet Nam to sell them.

The police are investigating the case further. 

Hanoi works to ensure enough water for agricultural production

The Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has instructed irrigation companies and the People’s Committees of districts and towns to implement measures to cope with prolonged drought caused by El Nino.

Irrigation companies were asked to implement drought-prevention plans for each area such as dredging canals; repairing and maintaining electric equipment; getting equipment ready to establish field bumping stations; and holding water in rivers, lakes, pools and lowland areas.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, El Nino is likely to continue into 2016 and become one of the longest the region has seen in the past 60 years, influencing water supplies as far in the future as the Winter-Spring crop in 2015-2016.

Under the influence of El Nino, since the beginning of this year, Hanoi has seen a considerably reduced amount of rain from January to October 31, at 1,377.9mm – 177.5mm lower than the average over many years and 212.9mm less than 2014.

Hanoi has 95 reservoirs with a combined volume of 200 million cu.m, but at the end of October, reservoirs were only at 60 percent of their designed capacity.

Japan helps Quang Ninh treat wastewater

Northern Quang Ninh province launched a wastewater treatment project supported by Japan on November 16.

The move was marked by a memorandum of understanding signed by local authorities and a representative from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Under the pact, between now and April 2018, 20 bio-toilets will be installed on tour boats and public areas in the locality. Meanwhile, 11 New Johka wastewater-processing tools will start operating in Van Don district.

Provided by Japanese firms, these facilities will be monitored for 14 months for technical adjustments in line with local conditions.

If successfully implemented, the project is anticipated to cut polluted materials in wastewater by half.

Previously, the project had been piloted in Quang Ninh from October 2013 to February 2014, with seven bio-toilets and seven New Johka devices installed, yielding positive outcomes.

Youths encouraged to work for sustainable development of seas

Within the framework of the ongoing 5th East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress, the 4th EAS Youth Forum (YF4) themed “Charting the future we want: Engaging young champions for the ocean beyond 2015” kicked off in the central city of Da Nang on November 17.

Bringing together 75 young leaders from nine countries in the EAS region, namely Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Timor Leste and Vietnam, YF4 will empower young generations to be champions for the oceans and coasts of the region.

The event features interactions between young leaders and innovators in youth-led environmental movements and organisations for peer-to-peer learning discussions, team-building and creative sessions, and activities to enhance the youth’s skills on project development and management, fund-raising, use of social media and science and cross-cultural communication.

In the led-off session, the talent pool of young champions was introduced to the role of the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) in promoting the sustainable development of the East Asian seas, along with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

These will serve as a framework for drafting a collective youth commitment to achieving the SDGs, which will be embodied in a Da Nang Youth Declaration. The week’s activities aim to provide the youth with the skills needed to generate implementable project proposals for the sustainable development of coasts and oceans in the region.

On the sidelines of the 5th EAS Congress, an exhibition themed “Building the blue economy and connecting partners” is being held with the aim of providing visitors an insight into the regional countries’ efforts and achievements in protecting the marine environment and developing the sea-based economy. The exhibition will run until November 21.

Held for the first time in Vietnam from November 16-21, the triennial congress is a forum for participants to exchange academic research results and management experience for the sustainable development of the coasts and oceans, especially the seas in East Asia.

The congress also provides a platform for organisations and stakeholders in the EAS region to determine crucial goals, commitment to establish the Agenda for sustainable development of the seas in East Asia, approve new targets of PEMSEA after 2015, and adopt the implementation of the plan for a self-sustained PEMSEA.

Antimicrobial Resistance Week opens in Vietnam

A communication week on preventing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is underway across Vietnam from November 16-22.

The event, the first of its kind in Vietnam, was organised by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam.

A series of activities was launched in 63 provinces and cities on November 16 to respond to the AMR, including conferences and workshops on antimicrobial resistance prevention, and meetings in all localities and medical units.

A Facebook fan page named “AMR Week 2015 Vietnam” was established to increase public awareness about antimicrobial resistance and commitment to antibiotic usage responsibility.

Director of the Medical Examination and Treatment Management Department under the Ministry of Health Luong Ngoc Khue said the week aims to draw more attention from the Party, Government, social organisations and health agencies to programmes for antimicrobial resistance prevention.

It also raises public awareness about implementing antimicrobial resistance prevention solutions in the health, agriculture and breeding sectors, contributing to easing the burden on national health, the economy and society, he added.

Health Minister hails EU’s support

The European Union (EU) has always been an important partner of the Ministry of Health (MoH) over the past 20 years, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said on November 16 in Hanoi.

Addressing a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Vietnam-EU cooperation for improved health care, the minister said the two sides have worked towards a common goal: a health care system toward equity, efficiency and development, thus improving quality of care for meeting the growing and diverse needs of all Vietnamese people.

She hailed the support the EU has provided to Vietnam’s programmes and projects on enhancing the capability of delivering health care services and on developing, promulgating and implementing relevant policies at levels.

The minister cited some examples of effective EU-funded projects, such as the project on health care system development, the health care project for the poor in the Northern mountainous and Central Highlands provinces, and project on enhancing capabilities and performance of the health sector.

She announced that the EU has decided to provide 114 million EUR to fund the second phase of the Health Sector Policy Support Programme. The first phase of the Programme was implemented in the 2010-2014 period with a total budget of 39.5 million EUR.

For his part, Neven Mimica, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development praised the achievements Vietnam has made in implementing EU-funded projects on improving health care services’ quality.

The EU, including the EU delegation to Vietnam and EU Member States, was delighted to contribute to the attainment of the health care-related Millennium Development Goals in Vietnam, he affirmed, highlighting the enhancement of health care services for the poor and the plunge in the infant mortality ratio and malaria infections.

On the occasion, the book “20 years of Vietnam-EU Cooperation to Improve Health Care” by the EU Technical Assistance Fund made its debut. The book describes the activities implemented and results achieved in improving health care between 1995 and 2015 with support from the EU and its member states.

EAS workshops focus on climate change, coastal management

A series of workshops discussing issues related to managing risks in climate change, integrated coastal management and scaling up investments in the blue economy took place on November 17 as part of the 5th East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress being held in the central city of Da Nang.

Prior to joining the workshops, panelists attended a plenary session themed “A decade of partnerships in sustainable development of the seas of East Asia: Synergies and achievements” under the chair of Vietnamese Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Chu Pham Ngoc Hien.

The session explored the progress and achievements in coastal and ocean governance since the signing of the Putrajaya Declaration adopting the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) in 2003 and looked into new challenges and international commitments, and their impacts on important coastal and ocean sectors and economies in the region.

In his presentation, Vice Minister Hien stressed that, with rich natural resources, high biodiversity and important marine ecological systems, the East Asian seas have provided goods and services for the socio-economic development of the regional countries.

However, like other areas in the world, natural resources in the East Asian seas, especially fishery resources, are being depleted and environmental pollution is increasing, while the seas are also suffering from many natural hazards, he said, adding that the problems are getting worse due to the impacts of climate change.

According to the Vice Minister, solving all these problems requires an effective ocean governance mechanism. For this reason, the role of the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) should be promoted as it has strengthened the closer cooperation between the regional countries in settling issues regarding the use and exploitation of marine natural resources, coastal and ocean environment, especially cross-border or regional ocean environment problems.

He highlighted achievements since the implementation of the SDS-SEA, which have helped the regional countries enhance the integrated management of oceans and coasts in a large scale, reinforce cooperation among United Nations bodies, regional governance mechanisms, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and donors, while gradually developing the blue economy.

In regards to Vietnam, Vice Minister Hien said, by implementing the SDS-SEA and with the help from international friends and its internal efforts, the country established a system of organisations from the central government to provincial administrations with the mandate of undertaking the integrated and united management of seas and islands and a gradually completed system of policies, laws and regulations for this purposes.

At the later workshop entitled “Managing risks in climate change and disasters in the seas of East Asia”, participants reviewed the progress made, including the challenges, to advance climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk and reduction (DRR) in the seas of East Asia.

The two-day workshop will showcase on-the-ground good practices, working models and innovative solutions and highlighted how an integrated approach has been helping local governments to adapt, prepare and respond to climate change and disaster risks. It will also tackle the need for a strategic framework for CCA/DRR in the EAS region, and how its implementation can be facilitated and scaled up.

At the workshop on “Scaling up integrated coastal management (ICM): Innovations and impacts at local, national and regional levels,” panelists focused discussions on ICM applications at the local level, national and regional levels, and the contributions that ICM has made to improving governance and management of coastal and ocean areas and related resources, as well as sustainable economic growth and social benefits.

As scheduled, during the course of the two-day event, they also consider the transferability of innovations and lessons learned for managing marine and coastal areas and resources at the national and regional levels to other sustainable development priorities and programmes in the EAS region, as well as to other regions of the world.

Meanwhile, a workshop on “Application of knowledge management in scaling up public and private sector investments in a blue economy” reviewed the application and benefits derived from the products and services in various projects.

It then delved into the potential use of such innovations in other projects and by other sectors, and how a regional knowledge management platform can serve to improve access to, and scale up investments in, good practices.

Palliative care eases burden on healthcare system

After being diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer, a 50-year-old native of Binh Thuan Province went for regular chemotherapy sessions that left her without appetite and debilitated by nausea.

"It was terrible for my mother in the last years of her life. Now she has died," said the woman's daughter, who declined to be named.

Dr Than Ha Ngoc The, head of HCM City University Medical Centre's geriatric and palliative care ward, said that she had a number of relatives who also suffered greatly after late-stage cancer diagnoses.

She believes that patients like her family members would profit from palliative care, which she argues focuses on increasing their comfort and spares them from suffering unnecessarily painful treatments.

According to the World Health Organisation, the main goal of palliative care is to treat pain and other psychosocial and spiritual problems to improve the quality of life for patients with chronic diseases or late-stage cancers, and their families.

In Viet Nam, about 150,000 diagnoses of cancer occur annually with 70 per cent of them in the last stage, according to Viet Nam Cancer Society.

Of the 40 million people worldwide who could benefit from palliative care because of cancer and other chronic diseases, only 14 per cent receive such care.

The proportion is even lower in Viet Nam, a developing country with rapid urbanisation and increasingly unhealthy lifestyles.

The Ministry of Health tried to encourage the practice by issuing palliative care guidelines for cancer and AIDS patients in 2006, but so far only 13 hospitals have palliative care wards or have implemented programmes. HCM City Oncology Hospital, University Medical Centre and Ca Mau General Hospital are among the few who have.

Viet Nam ranks 58th on end-of-life care on the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2015 Quality of Death Index, which ranks palliative care across the world. The UK ranks first in the index; it integrates palliative care throughout its national health service. "There is even evidence to suggest that palliative care not only enhances quality of life in some cases, such as lung cancer and end-stage breathlessness, it can even extend life," the index report said.

The report also said that such an approach to care eases the burden on healthcare systems, recommending the practice be adopted worldwide.

Dr Ronald Sand of Harvard Medical School's Centre for Palliative Care said that modern medicine had helped cure and prolong life, however finding a cure was not always possible. Caring for suffering and not just finding cures was vital.

Patients in palliative care are told how long they have to live and what will happen before they die, helping them prepare for death and die in better spirits.

At HCM City University Medical Centre, The said doctors and nurses must be trained to communicate with these patients.

The palliative ward at the hospital has 30 beds available for patients in their last stage. However, The said that ideally palliative care should be provided in patients' homes. The ward plans to start a programme in the near future.

At the HCM City Oncology Hospital, an at-home care model was started in 2011. Similar models are also used at a few other hospitals in Viet Nam.

To Minh Nghi, head of the oncology ward at Ca Mau Hospital, put his palliative care training in England to good use. He has trained Ca Mau province health officials in palliative care at ward and commune health centres, who also go to patients' homes.

The service reduces the burden of travel costs on patients and lessens the workload and space needs on hospitals.

"Nearly 50 per cent of oncology ward patients [at Ca Mau Hospital] are from rural areas," he said.

Because of an insufficient number of beds, patients with incurable diseases were discharged from the hospital. With the option of palliative care at home, the patients could spend the remaining days of their life with family members, Nghi said.

The hugs that keep on giving

Every weekend over the past 10 months, Nguyen Bao Ngoc has been walking around the Sword Lake in Hanoi, dressed up as Doraemon, a popular Japanese comic book character that is half cat half robot.

Stretching his arms out, he tries to hug as many strangers as possible. Some stop to hug him back before putting money into one of the boxes that his friends are holding. Some others walk faster and avoid eye contact with him.

Ngoc, 23, says he started the “Hug Me” (Om toi di) campaign in February, inspired by the Free Hugs social movement in Australia.

The difference is his hugs are not free, because he wants to raise money to help children in poor and remote areas around the country.

The senior college student who is studying to become a TV reporter has been doing charity work for three years. In one of his most successful attempts, he worked as axe om motorbike taxi driver in his free time and donated all the money he could earn to poor families in his hometown in Quang Binh Province.

But “Hug Me,” Ngoc says, is his favorite because with it, he can get the attention of his peers.

“Young people my age have been more into social media than real life. We may cry over a sad story on Facebook but when we witness the same story in real life, we can be indifferent.

“I want to live and love in the real world, not the virtual world.”

As hugging in public is not very common in Vietnam, Ngoc said he puts on costume so that strangers will not feel uncomfortable. Doraemon the cat is in fact famous for its friendliness and kindness. Sometimes, for a change, he also dresses as a bee or a puppy.

Many students who gave him a hug donated more than VND5,000, which is what he hopes to receive, allowing the campaign to earn between US$50 and US$200 each week. Some also brought old clothes and books.

Ngoc has organized two trips to bring gifts and food to children in Quang Binh and the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai this year. The third has been planned for December.

Ngoc has been diagnosed with first stage bone marrow cancer but he says his condition is "stable."

He says he does not want to be defined by his illness. Having cancer is not the motivation for him to help others.

“I’d do it anyway. I want people to see me as a student doing charity work, not a cancer patient doing charity work."

His next "Hug Me" session will be held between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on November 20 by the Sword Lake in downtown Hanoi.

Quang Ninh plans to reduce CO2 gas

Quang Ninh Province is looking to reduce 7.02 million tonnes of greenhouse gases by 2020 under its Green Growth Plan by 2020.

The provincial Planning and Investment Department and the Japan International Co-operation Agency made the announcement in Ha Long City yesterday.

The reduction is equal to 22.5 per cent of the total volume of greenhouse gas discharged in the province for 2010.

The province also planned to force all industrial parks to have standard wastewater treatment systems and half of the manufacturers to apply clean technologies by 2020.

Deputy Director of the department Hoang Danh Son said the general objective of the plan was to drive the province into reaching sustainable economic development.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Dang Huy Hau said the province recognised that developing heavy industries, including coal mining, posed huge threats to the environment.

Thus, the province integrated environment protection goals into socio-economic development in order to conduct them soon, he said.

Hau said that the province was also focussing on protecting the environment in the Ha Long Bay.

In a related movement, the provincial authority and JICA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday.

Following the MoU, 20 bio-toilets would be installed on tourism cruises in the Ha Long Bay along with 11 waste-water treatment plants in Van Don Island District by April 2018 to improve the quality of water in the bay.

English contest finds winner

The finale of Echoes 2015, an English-speaking contest organised by Ha Noi University's English Club, has been held.

The six top contestants competed in three sections: a talent show, a role-play challenge and a debate. In the final debate, four students were divided into two groups to debate on different topics.

Nguyen Phuong Thao, a student from Nguyen Hue High School, earned the highest score and became the winner of the seventh Echoes.

In its recruitment process, the organisation received more than 150 registration forms and 31 videos from students in Ha Noi.

Asian Superstar title goes to Hung

Singer Dam Vinh Hung held a press conference in HCM City on Monday to announce his new Asian Superstar title awarded by the Asian Star Awards.

Lee Sun Ki, representative of Asian Models Association (AMA), attended the press conference. He said that the award came after a vote held among the Vietnamese community living in South Korea.

The award, he said, recognises Hung's achievements in music and contribution to charitable and social activities for the past two decades.

Hung expressed regret that he would not be able to attend the awards ceremony due to previous commitments.

South Korea's AMA have organised the awards for 22 seasons, with this year marking the first time it has looked beyond to regional countries such as Japan, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Vietnam sees 44,000 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease

The Ministry of Health has reported 44,000 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease nationwide this year, including five fatalities, all in the south.

“The number of cases is down 30% from last year,” Tran Dac Phu, director of the ministry’s Centre for Preventive Health, said.

“However, the fatality threat remains if patients are not hospitalized early.”

HMFD cases have been reported in almost every locality, with the highest number being in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Phu instructed health agencies in southern localities to remain wary of EV71, the deadliest strain of the HFMD virus.

Last year Vietnam recorded more than 76,300 cases.

Doctors have urged people to maintain hygiene at home and in public areas as the disease spreads through contact with human waste and body fluids.

The disease is considered highly dangerous as it can quickly give rise to fatal complications like respiratory decline, meningitis and heart muscle inflammation.

Treatment requires the use of respirators and blood dialysis.

TV mini-series competition kicks off

TV channel View TV and non-profit organisation VINDIE have kicked off EVO8, a competition aiming at finding new talent in the TV industry.

By joining the competition, film teams of at least two members each have the chance to contribute to a TV mini-series with the length of eight episodes of 45-60 minutes each, with a budget of VND2 billion (US$88,800).

Registrations of interest will close on November 23. Registrations can be made at .

The pitching competition will commence on November 24 and the closing date is on January 6, 2016.

Entries received after the closing date will not be considered for judging but may be considered for future funding if possible.

Pitch proposals must include five required items — synopsis for each episode; a pilot script for the first episode; a five-15 minute film clip created from part of the first episode script; character profiles; and a basic TV production budget.

The film teams are responsible for copyright of the ideas.

The prize of VND2 billion will include VND100 million in cash and costs of film production, broadcasting and marketing.

The winner's project will be filmed from February to October of next year, and air on View TV – VTC8 channel in November and December.

EVO8 is an abbreviation that stands for "Let's make an evolution with your own 8-episode mini series".

Vietnam court suspends trial of 2 foreigners over deadly scaffolding collapse

A court in the central province of Ha Tinh on November 16 delayed the trial of two Koreans and two Vietnamese accused of negligence that led to the deaths of 13 construction workers in a scaffolding collapse earlier this year.

The suspension was due to the absence of Nguyen Thai Duc, one of the defendants, and several witnesses. Duc, 30, reportedly cited health reasons.

The hearing will be resumed in "a suitable time," the Ha Tinh People's Court said.

Duc and the other three defendants, Nguyen Anh Tuan, 27, Kim Jong Wook, 43, and Lee Jae Myeong, 62, were charged with "violating labor safety rules" at the construction site of Taiwanese-invested steel mill complex Formosa on March 25.

They could be jailed for 12 years, if convicted.

According to the indictment, Kim was in charged of supervising the construction of a breakwater, and Lee was tasked with managing 43 workers on site.

Both were then employees of Samsung C&T, a construction subsidiary of the electronics giant and a contractor for the US$10-billion project of Formosa Plastics Group in Vung Ang Economic Zone.

Tuan and Duc were in charge of controlling the scaffold's lifting hydraulic system, which was used to adjust the height of a work platform.

Investigators have concluded that the system failed and caused the accident.

When the work platform was being lowered from a height of 20 meters down to the ground, it shook violently, sending many workers running, prosecutors said.

After the shaking happened twice, Kim and Lee climbed onto the scaffolding to check if there was any problem, but allegedly did not carry out a proper inspection. They then ordered the workers to come back to work, according to prosecutors.

Tuan and Duc, on the other hand, discovered some cylinders of the lifting system breaking down. But they allegedly failed to inform their managers of the issue and instead, attempted to fix the problem.

Soon later the scaffolding tumbled down.

With 13 workers killed and another 29 injured, the incident is the second deadliest in Vietnam’s construction history after the collapse of two spans of a bridge being built in the Mekong Delta in 2007, which killed 55 workers and injured 80 others.

The Can Tho Bridge between Can Tho city and Vinh Long Province was completed in 2010.

Goethe-Institut Hanoi hosts European Day of Languages

The Goethe-Institut has announced that on November 28 people from all over Hanoi and the surrounding region will celebrate the nation’s linguistic diversity with the European Day of Languages.

An initiative of the Council of Europe, the European Day of Languages has been celebrated every year since 2011 in Vietnam, and every year since 2001 in all of the 47 EU member states.

The majority of the world’s population speaks at least two languages says the Goethe-Institut and it is believed that bilingualism and plurilingualism improves intercultural understanding.

However, here in Vietnam we are still somewhat behind many of our European cousins in terms of language acquisition.

From 8.30 am - 12.45 pm a conference open to scientists, linguists and teachers of foreign languages will be held at the Goethe-Institut facilities and in the afternoon a language festival for all to attend.

The day promises to be an interesting fun day filled with lively discussion, workshops and much much more for all those interested in the world of languages says the Goethe-Institut.

For more information please contact Mrs Do Thi Thuy at Tel: +84 4 37342251 or email ThiThuy.Do@Hanoi.goethe.org.

TDC61 Travelling Exhibition: Hanoi

The New York Type Directors Club traveling exhibition, TDC61, featuring the best graphic designs of 2015, will go on show this week in Hanoi at the Goethe Institut located at 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street.

The exhibition will hold its opening at 6:00 pm November 19 with the exhibit running 9:00 am - 7:00 pm on November 20-22.

More information can be obtained by calling the Goethe Institut at +84 4 37342251 or by email at info@hanoi.goethe.org.

Passengers cheated, robbed on illegal buses in Vietnam by vehicle owners, drivers

Passengers getting on buses running from Ho Chi Minh City to Mekong Delta provinces have been cheated and robbed by bus owners and drivers in broad daylight.

A woman has even been sexually harassed on a bus by a gangster.

Their trick is to park their vehicle near the Mien Tay (Western) Bus Station in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, pick up passengers and tell them that they have just left the station and are about to depart soon after filling up with petrol.

On boarding the bus, passengers are then required to pay for their tickets while money collectors are just gangsters who act as assistant drivers.

After payment, the bus simply waits for hours and only departs after they have cheated around ten ‘passengers’ for a trip.

The passengers themselves are mostly farmers who rarely travel the route. Those who ask about the long wait time are threatened and so agree to wait until they are robbed out of money.

To avoid illegal buses, passengers can simply enter the bus station to buy tickets instead of obeying the false promises of drivers outside.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper journalists went on multiple buses and witnessed first-hand their tricks to cheat and later rob passengers.

At 8:30 am on November 10, Tuoi Tre journalists got on a bus numbered 53M-2817 at the Comeco fuel station, which is opposite the gate of the Mien Tay Bus Station in An Lac A Ward.

Less than a minute later, a woman in her fifties named Hoang “Den” (Black), leader of a gangster ring, hopped on and pledged, “Just take this temporary seat. You all will be taken to a sleeper bus.”

At this point on board the bus was driver Liem, assistant driver Dac, and some 10 passengers.

Hoang “Den” collected VND200,000 (US$9) from one of the journalists to go to Rach Gia City of Kien Giang Province in the Mekong Delta.

A female passenger sitting behind said, “I got on this bus over an hour ago. It didn’t run but just went around to pick up passengers.

“When I asked them to leave, they verbally insulted me and locked the door. Another passenger had her bag snatched and robbed out of money.”

The bus departed at 9:00 am but traveled just 15 kilometers and stopped. The passengers were moved to another bus, numbered 51B-05049 “served” by Tam “Heo” (Pig).

Running for around 100 meters at a time, Tam “Heo” confronted each passenger to demand ticket payment.

The Tuoi Tre journalist explained that he paid VND200,000 to a woman, but Tam “Heo” blatantly denied, saying, “I didn’t collect anything from you.”

After threatening the disguised journalist, Tam “Heo” asked him to stand up so that he could search his pockets and bag and seized the last banknote of VND100,000 ($4.5).

Tam “Heo” threatened the passengers one by one, making gestures that he was willing to beat them at any time.

The passengers sat in silence out of fear.

Using the same trick, drivers Liem and Dac colluded with gangsters of the ring to continue duping and robbing passengers on another bus the following day, November 11.

A passenger gave Hoang “Den” a banknote of VND500,000. She kept it and got off the bus and another gangster came to assure the passenger that she would return to give her back VND300,000 ($13), but they did not.

On another bus on November 13, after conning and robbing a passenger on the bus numbered 51S-6445, one of the four gangsters unbuttoned the trousers of a 20-year woman and sexually harassed her after stealing her money.

She resisted and was threatened, “Do you believe that I strip you naked here?”

The assault had to stop because of her fierce resistance and his accessories’ reminder.

The journalists were also robbed of their mobile phones and given slaps on the face many times after the gangsters found that they did not have much to steal.

The four gangsters quickly halted their robbery after that.

Police hold suspect for snatching Russian tourist’s bag in Vietnam’s Da Nang

Police in the central city of Da Nang on Monday said they had arrested a 21-year-old local man suspected of snatching a handbag containing valuables including a diamond ring from a Russian traveler earlier this month.

Tran Hong Hieu, 21, was detained on Friday last week, eight days after he allegedly grasped the bag from Reviakina Ekarerina, a 30-year-old woman of Russian nationality, on a Da Nang street on November 5.

Hieu is under investigation on charges of “property robbery by snatching,” police said.

According to the case file, at about 5:00 pm on November 5, Hieu traveled on a motorbike around streets in the city to look for ‘prey.’

When Hieu reached Hoang Ke Viem Street in My An Ward, he saw Ekarerina sitting in front of a house taking a drink, with a handbag placed on a chair besides her.

The man then got close to the foreigner, snatched the bag and sped up to escape.

He returned to his rented room on Le Duan Street to hide the bag there, while the woman reported the street robbery to police.

The snatched handbag contained an iPhone 6 Plus, US$6,900, 20,000 Russian rubles ($306), a pair of earrings, a diamond ring worth about $50,000, and other personal papers, the victim told police.

During their investigation, police officers discovered that the victim’s iPhone 6 Plus was being used by a Vietnamese woman, N.T.T., of Hai Chau District.

Based on T.’s testimony related to how she had bought the iPhone Plus from a man, police tracked down Hieu and arrested him at a discotheque in the south-central city of Nha Trang on November 13.

After being captured, Hieu initially admitted to snatching the bag from the foreign woman.

Vietnam recognizes foreign NGOs’ contribution

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Associations hosted a ceremony to recognize the contribution of foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to the sustainable development of Vietnam this year in Hanoi yesterday evening.

Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan warmly welcomed representatives from 45 NGOs attending the event and emphasized its significance.

Despite having become a middle income nation, Vietnam has still faced with many difficulties and challenges such as war consequences, natural disasters and climate change, hunger elimination and poverty reduction, he said.

Foreign NGOs’ contributions including experiences and human resources have considerably supported Vietnam to build and implement socioeconomic development strategies.

For the last five years, they have assisted Vietnam with US$300 million a year, a great source to the country.

The 45 organizations honored at the ceremony are outstanding ones in the community of 493 foreign NGOs regularly operating in Vietnam. Of these, 14 have been in the country for more than 30 years.

Mr. Nhan appreciated the sentiment, and sincere and effective cooperation and help of international friends, organizations and especially NGOs to Vietnam.

He believed that the friendship, cooperation and partnership between Vietnam and NGOs will continue to be strengthened; contributing to peace, stability and mutual understanding between Vietnam and other nations in the world as well as boost the country’s socioeconomic development and global integration.

Ministry adds Vat Yellow to import ban list

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Monday provided a supplement to the circular on chemicals and antibiotics banned from import, production and use for feed production in Vietnam.

The revised circular taking effect on the same day adds cancer-causing substances Vat Yellow 1, 2, 3 and 4 to the banned list in breeding.

In addition, Auramine used in textile and dyeing technology has also been listed as forbidden.

Previously on November 12, an inspectorate from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Public Security raided Truong Phu Company in Hai Duong city and found it use Vat Yellow for making cattle and poultry feed.

On the spot, the inspectorate seized 14 kilograms of the substance and took eight samples of the company’s products, which all have been tested positive to lean-meat agent Salbutamol far higher than permissible level.

They have decided to seal off over one ton of feed at the company and fine it for using Vat Yellow in breeding.

Yan cooks vegetarian buffet to raise funds

Celebrity chef Martin Yan, who shot to fame for his Yan Can Cook TV program, came to Vietnam last weekend to show his cooking talent in a fundraising vegetarian buffet program at Minh Dang Quang Pagoda in HCMC.

The buffet, which took place every night from November 13 to 15, is the major part of a series of activities to raise funds for the pagoda to do charity work.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the program on November 13, Yan urged people to have a healthy diet to keep their body and mind in good condition. Participating in the buffet cooking program with Yan were 225 local chefs who served 40 vegetarian dishes a day.

The charity program also featured a painting auction on Saturday and a conference on the link between health and vegetarian diet on Sunday.

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