Health Ministry removes sub-quality cosmetics products from markets

Nguyen Tat Dat, deputy chief of the Drug Administration of Vietnam, under the Ministry of Health yesterday said that the Administration sent its document to departments of health across the country, ordering them to remove 56 cosmetic products from store shelves.

The Administration also sent its document to Tan Dai Duong Commercial Im-Export Company in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City which makes the cosmetics products, asking the company to withdraw all 56 products with the name Mu Trom Sac Ngoc Khang and Mu Trom Tan Dai Duong (Mu Trom is oil of Trom tree with the scientific name sterculia foetida tree) in the market.

The cosmetics products were asked to withdraw from market because they can’t meet the requirement of ASEAN Cosmetic Good Manufacturing Practice.

Worse, the company had been fined for making fake cosmetics products before.

Fishermen rescued after boat sinks off Spratly Islands

All 32 fishermen, whose boat sank near Viet Nam's Spratly Archipelago, were rescued by 8am today, Quang Ngai's provincial committee for natural disaster management, search and rescue said.

Fishing boat number QNg 95429, with 32 crew members onboard, sank after it was hit by violent winds and rain at about 3.30am today.

A fishing boat nearby, which received the distress signal, quickly came to their rescue and managed to save all 32 fishermen.

Rescue boats from the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre were dispatched to provide medical aid to the fishermen.

Earlier on the same day, fishing boat number Qng 95186-TS, captained by Nguyen Thanh Dau and 32 crew members, was reportedly damaged after it hit rocks near the Da Tay (London) Reef, also in the Spratly Archipelago.

The Viet Nam Border Patrol Force urged other fishing vessels in the area to assist Dau and his crew.

Five regional forensic medicine centres to be established

The Ministry of Health announces to establish five regional mental forensic medicine centres in the north, central, HCM City and Central Highland and southwest regions at a ceremony this morning.

The move aims to improve the efficiency of the country's existing forensic medicine system in aiding police investigation and procedural activities. The five centres will conduct forensic tests following requests from civil and criminal procedure organisations and individuals in their management sections.

Mental forensic medicine plays an important role in judicial assessment, especially in determining whether a suspect has a mental disease or not, the kind of disease and how serious it will be. Forensic medicine results are foundations to decide the civil or criminal liability of a person accused of violating the law.

The health ministry said the country currently had 22 mental forensic centres. However, most of them are located inside provincial general hospitals or mental hospitals due short of infrastructure facilities and human resources. In addition, the number of cases requesting forensic tests was very modest, between 10 to 20 cases per year.

784,000 labourers find jobs in first two quarters

As many as 784,000 labourers were employed in the first six months of this year, up 3.4% from the same period last year, said the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).

Of the number, about 53,000 guest workers were sent to work abroad, equivalent to 58.8% of the target set for the year.

Reports from the ministry also showed there was a shortage of labourers and that a number of labourers changed their occupations during the period, although the situation was not as severe as in previous years.

In the first two quarters, the MoLISA focused on developing the labour market through employment agencies while building databases related to the supply and demand of labourers.

Over 500 job fairs were arranged and 825,000 job seekers received advice and were introduced to employment opportunities during the reviewed period; about 347,000 found their jobs through employment service centres.

The MoLISA plans to find jobs for 1.6 million people in the remaining half of this year. It will also concentrate on building short and long-term reports on labour market forecasts to distribute information on labour and employment policies.

Luxury cruise liner brings 6000 visitors to Vietnam

The Royal Caribbean International Quantum of the Sea luxury cruise liner docked at Cai Mep international port at Ba Ria-Vung Tau on June 17 with more than 6,000 foreign travellers and crew members on board.

During their stay, the travellers will visit a number of destinations in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and HCM City.

In the first five months of 2015, Saigontourist welcomed more than 33 luxury international cruise ships to Vietnam with over 122,500 visitors and crew members from the US, Canada and Europe.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam donates blood

Ambassador Hugh Borrowman and a group of Australian Embassy Vietnam staff visited the National Institute of Haematology on June 17 to take part in a blood drive organized by the institute.

“I am very proud to join with my embassy colleagues in contributing to a cause that is an extremely important part of the lifeblood of Vietnam," said Ambassador Borrowman, before rolling up his sleeve.

In daily life we don’t always have the opportunity to save lives, but by donating blood, we can save the lives of those badly injured in a motorbike accident or a newborn baby at the hospital, the ambassador added.

Many officials and staff from other international organisations including the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations, European Union and International Labour Organization (ILO) also took part in the blood drive.

Vietnamese journalists meet in Russia

Vietnamese journalists working in Russia gathered in Moscow on June 16 in celebration of the 90th Vietnamese Press Day (June 21).

Highlighting the rapid spread and increasing impact of the media, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Nguyen Thanh Son praised efforts made by reporters from representative offices in Russia of the Vietnam News Agency, the Voice of Vietnam radio station and the Vietnam Television Network.

As Russia’s politics and socio-economic affairs are of concern worldwide, their diligent work has significantly contributed to the international diplomacy of the Vietnamese Party and Government and to a healthier Vietnam-Russia friendship, Son stated.

He went on to congratulate amateur overseas Vietnamese press writers for their work in conveying informative news to the expatriate community.

At the get-together, attending journalists expressed their appreciation for assistance from the Vietnam Embassy in Russia. They also exchanged experiences in information processing and discussed professional ethics required when covering news in the current complicated global context.

Work on Phu Quy Island national flag pole begins

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee (HCYU) in co-ordination with the Central Committee of the Vietnam Students’ Association (VSA) held a ground-breaking ceremony on June 17 for a national flag pole on Phu Quy Island in the central coastal province of Binh Thuan.

The 22.6 metre tall pole that will fly a 6x4 metre flag faces the East Sea and was built at a total cost of more than VND1.2 billion (over US$55,000).

This is one of the seven national flag poles erected by the HCYU, the VSA, and the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV).

Other national flag poles are expected to be built on Tran Island (Quang Ninh province), Bach Long Vi Island (Hai Phong province), Hon La Island (Quang Binh province), Cu Lao Xanh (Binh Dinh province), Con Son Island (Ba Ria – Vung Tau) and Tho Chu Island (Kien Giang province).

The flag poles are of particular significance, reflecting the sentiments of Vietnamese youth and students towards national seas and islands and encouraging patriotism among younger generations.

European Climate Diplomacy Day takes place in Hanoi

A series of events highlighting the European Climate Diplomacy Day were jointly organised in Hanoi on June 17 by the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Vietnam and EU member countries’ embassies in Hanoi.

The events aimed to raise public awareness, particularly in Vietnam – one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change – about the impacts of climate change and consequences for future generations. They also aimed to promote the 2015 Paris Climate Conference and the collective actions of the EU and its member countries in the fight against climate change in Vietnam.

During a press conference held in Hanoi on June 17, the ambassadors of France, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, the EU Delegation, and the Charge d’Affaire a.i. of Germany and EU Delegation to Vietnam conveyed a joint message to the public calling for turning policies into reality and changing daily habits for environmental protection.

Charge d’Affaire a.i. of EU Delegation to Vietnam, Delphine Malard (right) and French Ambassador to Vietnam, Jean-Noel Poirier host the press conference.

According to French Ambassador to Vietnam, Jean-Noel Poirier, France will host and chair the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris in December, which will aim to secure a fair, ambitious and legally binding international agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to keep countries on track to limit global temperature rise to below two degree centigrade.

On the same day, the film “Age of Stupid” was screened at the French Institute in Vietnam, which was followed by a debate on climate change moderated by Director of Live & Learn non-governmental organisation, Do Van Nguyet, UK ambassador to Vietnam, Giles Lever, and Director of Centre for Environment Research, Education and Development, Nguyen Huu Ninh.

An online quiz on climate change and how to tackle it with actions in our daily lives will be hosted by the EU Delegation’s Facebook page between June 18 and 24.

 Individuals, groups honoured for support AO/Dioxin victims

The Agent Orange (AO)/ Dioxin Victims Association in the northern province of Thai Nguyen presented the title “Tam Long Vang” (golden heart) on June 17 to individuals and groups who have actively supported local AO victims.

Honoured ind ividuals and groups included Friedrichsgymnasium Kassel High School (Germany) and its teachers Rainer Sachschal and Amanda Pauline Weber as well as Hanoi University (HANU)’s German language department.

Recent years have seen teachers and students from Germany and HANU offer helpful and practical assistance to AO/dioxin victims in Vietnam, reflecting great sympathy for victims.

The association has actively mobilized support from the community and international friends to build a shelter where 300 homeless AO victims in the province are now living and receiving vocational training.

In response to AO/Dioxin Victims Day on August 10, the German and HANU delegation paid visits to impoverished AO victim households in the province.

About 80 million litres of toxic chemicals, mainly Agent Orange containing dioxin, were sprayed over the south of Vietnam during the war in Vietnam.

Nearly 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to dioxin and about three million suffer from resulting health problems today.

Vietnam News Agency starts construction of Television Centre

Construction on the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s Television Centre was started at No. 33 Le Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi on June 17.

The ellipse-shaped building has a total investment of nearly 250 billion VND (12 million USD) with nine floors and two basements. It will be the headquarters of the VNA’s television channel VNews.

Addressing the event, Deputy General Director of Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Nguyen Hoai Duong highlighted the project will be equipped with hi-tech engineering infrastructure and a centralized information processing system, meeting the demand for rapid information processing from many sources and advanced multi-media broadcasting technology.

Founded in 2010, VNews has asserted its position as a specialized television channel, broadcasting official information of the Party and State.

The channel updates news in a continuous, timely and accurate manner on domestic, regional and world events. It is listed by the Ministry of Information and Communication as one of the key TV channels performing political and communication tasks of Vietnam.

The project is scheduled to be completed in 2017.-

Post Office to launch pension payment service in HCM City

The HCM City Post Office in collaboration with the HCM City Social Insurance Agency will launch a pilot scheme to pay pensions and social insurance for pensioners in two districts, The Saigon Times Daily reported.

The post office said pensioners in District 1 and Binh Chanh district could come to the nearest post offices to get monthly pensions quickly and conveniently as staffers are arranged to work during office hours.

HCM City is the last among the country’s 63 provinces and cities where pensioners and social insurance beneficiaries can come to post offices to get payments. Currently there are more than 8,000 post offices in 62 provinces and cities where pensions are paid.

The HCM City Post Office and the Social Insurance Agency said in a statement that the city government has allowed them to pay monthly pensions and social insurance allowances in cash via the post networks in the two districts.

This scheme will be carried out from July 2015 to June 2016 in line with the list provided by social insurance entities.

The HCM City Post Office will arrange staff to offer home delivery service for medically unfit pensioners.

The payment period will be from the first to the tenth of each month and the HCM City Post Office will arrange sufficient money so that pensioners can get payments whenever they come to post offices. At the moment pensioners can hardly get their pensions right at the start of month as monthly cash disbursements for local social insurance agencies take a couple of days.

According to the HCM City Post Office and Social Insurance Agency, Vietnam has some 2.9 million people receiving pensions and social insurance allowances totaling 100 trillion VND (4.6 billion USD) a year.

In 2011, the Vietnam Social Insurance and the Vietnam Post Corporation (VNPost) test-ran a project to pay social insurance at the post offices in Lam Dong, Bac Can, Dak Nong and Phu Yen provinces. The project was expanded to Binh Thuan, Can Tho, Dak Lak, Long An, Nghe An, Quang Tri, Quang Nam, and Tuyen Quang provinces in April 2012.

Vietnamese bank supports welfare in Cambodia

The Bank for Investment and Development of Cambodia (BIDC), a subsidiary of the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) has spent millions of US dollars to help disadvantaged people in Cambodia, according to Nguyen Dinh Duong Director General of the Bank.

It has actively participated in local social welfare programmes to ease difficulties facing impoverished Cambodians and developed facilities to enhance their living conditions, Duong said.

Dozens of staff and units of the BIDC and the BIDV were recently honoured with the Royal Orders of Cambodia for their outstanding contributions to the socio-economic development of the country, as well as the consolidation of the two nations’ traditional friendship and cooperation.

In the last five months, the BIDC has recorded a 27 percent growth from the same period last year.

In the past six years since its establishment, the bank has seen an annual growth rate between 20-25 percent, making it among the top six most efficient and financially capable banks in Cambodia.

Binh Phuoc: malaria patients surge

Over 1,000 malaria patients have been recorded in the first five months of 2015 in the southern province of Binh Phuoc, an unwonted 100 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

According to the province’s centre for malaria prevention, the main reasons for the surge in number of malaria cases include workers migrating to the province to work in plantations and forestation yards and the sophisticated development of the fever.

Malaria has been seen at an especially high rate in communes of Dak O, Bu Gia Map and Dak Nhau in Bu Gia Map district with 597 cases, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the province’s total malarial fever patients.

The centre has prioritized resources and implemented drastic measures to prevent the epidemic including providing medicines, materials and mosquito-killing chemicals to localities.

Besides, the centre has strengthened epidemic quarantine and early detection and provided on time treatment for malaria patients.

Vietnam is committed to eliminating malaria by 2030.

Addressing environmental challenges for sustainable development

Environmental pollution and climate change are worrying Vietnam, requiring new feasible solutions and growth model transfers to turn challenges into opportunities for sustainable development.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Thai Lai said economic losses caused by environmental pollution account for 1.5 to 3 percent of Vietnam’s gross domestic product. Furthermore, the country spends up to 780 million USD annually on community healthcare due to the effects of pollution.

Lessons learned by developed countries reveal that nations that neglect environmental affairs during economic development will have low economic efficiency, and expenses for pollution treatment are always higher than funding required for pollution control.

Therefore, to protect the environment and actively respond to climate change, the Prime Minister approved a National Action Plan on Green Growth with the hope to establish a green economy that intensifies renewable energy use, maintains low carbon emissions, and invests in restoring the eco-system and environment.

However, Vietnam is facing significant challenges in building its green economy.

More than 70 percent of the total population are living in rural areas and depend heavily on agricultural production. Green economic development, therefore, has to be implemented in tandem with poverty reduction and social welfare policies, which require substantial capital.

Moreover, most production technologies in the country are outdated and consume excessive energy levels, but the replacement of those technologies is almost out of reach without capital and technical assistance from hi-tech countries in the world.

Revising and supplementing policies in accordance with new growth models is also a major challenge facing the country.

At the same time, the country also has big opportunities during the green economy building process. As climate change draws the attention of the international community, Vietnam is receiving support and assistance from other nations and international organisations to respond to global climate change.

According to a research by Dr Patrica from Denmark’s Copenhagen University, in Vietnam’s natural resources, cultivated land accounts for 36 percent, minerals 38 percent and other elements 26 percent. Moreover, the country has a coastline of more than 3,200 kilometres and millions of hectares of water surface.

If Vietnam is able to take advantage of its natural resources and overcome shortcomings, it will achieve its sustainable development goal, narrow the development gap and ensure political stability.

Deputy Head of the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen The Chinh suggested the country facilitate growth model reform with a focus on sector restructuring and with priority given to hi-tech and environmentally-friendly industries.

He emphasised the importance of improving public awareness of green economies, investing in science and technology, spending about 2 percent of the total budget expenditure on restoring the eco-system and protecting the environment, and restructuring taxes related to natural resources and the environment.-

Managerial problems disrupt water facilities

Management-related problems are disrupting operations and maintenance of water facilities in the ‘Water and hygiene in small towns’ programme, as heard at the fifth meeting of the programme’s steering committee on June 17.

Participants at the conference agreed that the programme has been stalled by problems relating to responsibilities and duties as well as salary for operation and maintenance teams and the lack of equipment and experience in maintenance.

Deputy Minister of Construction Phan Thi My Linh, Head of the programme, asked beneficiary provinces to address relevant issues to facilitate project conclusion.

The programme, which began in 2004 and is sponsored by the Finnish Government, implemented phases I and II at 25 towns in eight provinces and cities: Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Thai Binh, Bac Kan, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang and Yen Bai.

Twenty-two water-supply systems have been built so far, 14 of which have been put into operation and the remaining eight are undergoing tests.

The programme’s water systems have supplied water to over 17,000 households with around 60,000 people and about 4,500 households have been connected to drainage systems.

Programme phase III, beginning in 2014 and lasting for three years, aims to complete projects and ensure the sustainability of results achieved in phases I and II.

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).

Ministry relaxes FC driver licensing conditions

The Ministry of Transport has agreed on a plan to allow container truck drivers having C, D, and E-class licenses and at least one year of work experience to register for tests for FC-class licenses instead of three years of experience.  

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang gave the nod to the plan at a meeting with relevant agencies on Wednesday at the request of the HCMC Goods Transport Association.

Earlier, the association petitioned the ministry to permit drivers at the age of 24 or older and holding C, D, and E licenses and having at least one year of experience to take tests to get FC licenses as transport enterprises in the city lack drivers meeting the FC license issuing requirements.

The Law on Road Traffic allows drivers to upgrade their licenses to FC if they have three years of experience and have 50,000 kilometers of safe driving.

Tran Bao Ngoc, head of the Transport Department under the ministry, said the distance of safe driving is stated in the law and it is hard to adjust it. However, the three-year-of-experience requirement could be revised.

Bao said the 2001 Law on Road Traffic did not distinguish C and FC licenses, so drivers with C licenses could drive vehicles that require FC licenses if they pass tests.

However, many container truck drivers caused traffic accidents, so driver’s licenses were divided into C and FC classes and the law regulated that drivers with at least three years of experience are eligible for FC license tests.

Thang agreed container truck drivers with C, D, and E licenses and having at least one year of experience and 50,000 kilometers of safe driving can be allowed to upgrade their licenses to FC.

Thang said the move was to support transport firms to abide by the requirements for the load of vehicles and ensure traffic safety.

The minister told competent agencies to check the processes of training and granting FC licenses to cope with the issuance of fake licenses and traffic accidents.

Earlier, the association said as transport enterprises in HCMC were in dire need of container truck drivers with FC licenses, many drivers bought counterfeit licenses to meet recruitment requirements at transport firms in the city. Many enterprises recruited them as they were unable to verify the authenticity of these licenses and this was one of the reasons why container trucks caused serious traffic accidents.

Therefore, the association requested the ministry to relax requirements for container drivers to take tests to get FC licenses.   

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