Urgent support provided for typhoon Kalmaegi victims

The Vietnam Red Cross has pledged support to eight families who lost their members as a result of typhoon Kalmaegi in the northern province of Lang Son.

Kalmaegi, the third typhoon to hit Vietnam this year, claimed at least 10 lives and injured even more, and caused huge economic losses since making landfall in the North on September 16.

Each bereaved family received VND3 million (US$140) from the national Red Cross. Lang Son’s provincial Red Cross visited the victims’ families and provided an additional VND2 million (US$100) for each bereaved family.

In the run up to the typhoon, the national Red Cross had asked its chapters in the northern coastal provinces to coordinate with local authorities to deal with potential floods and landslides.

Urgent support provided for typhoon Kalmaegi victims

The Vietnam Red Cross has pledged support to eight families who lost their members as a result of typhoon Kalmaegi in the northern province of Lang Son.

Kalmaegi, the third typhoon to hit Vietnam this year, claimed at least 10 lives and injured even more, and caused huge economic losses since making landfall in the North on September 16.

Each bereaved family received 3 million VND (140 USD) from the national Red Cross. Lang Son’s provincial Red Cross visited the victims’ families and provided an additional 2 million VND (100USD) for each bereaved family.

In the run up to the typhoon, the national Red Cross had asked its chapters in the northern coastal provinces to coordinate with local authorities to deal with potential floods and landslides.

Ebola suspect Nigerian discharged

An Ebola suspect Nigerian was discharged from hospital on September 17 but remain being tracked in the community within the next 21 days, according to the Health Department of southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

Nweka Fortune Chukwuyem got rid of fever and showed no other typical symptoms that could be tied to the deadly virus after being watched by medical workers.

He was isolated at Ba Ria hospital after showing a the symptom of fever on September 16.

Earlier, he left Nigeria where is being affected by Ebola virus for Vietnam on September 13.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau province has two isolated units in Ba Ria hospital and Le Loi hospital with capacity of 20 beds.

Local authorities have built action plans to contain the disease in case of its outbreak while keeping a close watch on tourists and Vietnamese guest workers who have returned home from the Ebola-hit areas.

No infection of the virus has been reported in Vietnam so far.

EVN works to restore power for Kalmaegi-affected customers

The Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) is working hard to fix the damage caused by typhoon Kalmaegi, striving to resume power supply to all of its customers by September 19.

According to the corporation, a total of 4,019 transformer stations were damaged, cutting off nearly 290,000 customers in 505 communes in the northern region.

At present, 75,972 customers still have no electricity, predominantly in the provinces of Lang Son, Bac Giang, Thai Nguyen and Hung Yen.

Kalmaegi, the third tropical storm so far this year, swept through a number of northern localities on the evening of September 16, claiming at least 10 lives and injuring even more.

Child labour prevention efforts intensified

Vietnamese and foreign experts discussed in Hanoi on September 17 a project to prevent child labour in Vietnam.

The event was co-organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) in collaboration with the United States Department of Labour (DOL), and International Labour Organization (ILO).

It was reported that over the years, the Vietnamese Government has paid much attention to protecting and taking care of children, especially to preventing and reducing child labour.

Vietnam has also made great efforts in completing legislation, promoting law enforcement, handling violations, and supporting victims in reintegrating into the community.

The government has endeavoured to harmonize international law, policies, and conformance on child labour.

Currently, there are around 1.75 million Vietnamese children aged 5-17, or 62% of the total, engaged in economic activities.  Most of them live in rural areas and work in agriculture.

Nearly 596,000 children work more than 42 hours a week and many do not go to school.

Child labour needs to be eliminated as it steals their childhood, talents and human dignity, and badly affects their physical and spiritual growth, delegates stressed.

The project will help increase the capacity building and raise the public’s awareness of ways to prevent and minimize child labour.

Beneficiaries of the project are those under 18 years old who are involved in many forms of hard, toxic, hazardous and dangerous work in the garment industry, agriculture, fisheries, and traditional crafts.

They will take part in prevention activities and be protected from child labour through direct interventions, education, vocational training, and other support services.

Their families will receive assistance from the project to create incomes, improve their livelihood, and develop household economies.

ASEAN skills competition set for October

As many as 300 candidates from ten ASEAN countries are expected to participate in the 10th regional skills competition at the My Dinh National Convention Centre in Hanoi from October 19-29.

They will compete in 25 skills, two more than the 9th event in 2012. This year, two new events are Mobile robotics and CNC maintenance.

Vietnam organized a national skills competition from May 19-24 to prepare for the ASEAN skills competition. The organizing board selected the best 77 candidates in 25 skills and 51 of them are representing Vietnam at the regional event.

Candidates are being trained in the Republic of Korea, Japan and China.

Six Mekong Delta cities benefit from WB-funded project

A World Bank funded project to upgrade six urban areas in the Mekong River Delta has kicked off its second phase for the four-year period from 2014-2017, according to the Steering committee for Southwestern region.

The total investment for the second phase of the project isUS$399 million, of which US$293 million is sourced from WB ODA funding and the remaining comes from the Vietnamese Government’s counterpart capital.

The six cities in the Mekong River Delta include Can Tho, My Tho (Tien Giang province), Cao Lanh (Dong Thap province), Ca Mau (Ca Mau province), Tra Vinh (Tra Vinh province), Rach Gia (Kien GIang province).

The project aims to upgrade infrastructure in these cities, build resettlement areas and canals, enhance management capacity, repair roads and improve drainage system.

Nearly 3.5 million people in six urban areas will benefit directly or indirectly from the project when it is completed.

It is part of a programme to upgrade national urban areas which has been approved by the Prime Minister for the period 2009-2020. Accordingly, around 100 urban areas (fourth-tier cities) will be upgraded in the future.

Cruise ships bring 34,000 tourists to Thua Thien-Hue

This year, more than 34,000 international cruise holiday-makers landed in Chan May port to visit Hue’s imperial sites in the central province of Thua Thien–Hue.

Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Phan Tien Dung, said a large number of tourists arrived in the locality on the US’ Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ five-star ship Celebrity Millennium.

To optimise the port’s potential, local authorities are working with relevant units to bring the harbour in line with international standards.

In addition, investment has been made to improve the quality and range of services on offer, as well as promoting the port and locality at domestic and foreign tourism fairs in a bid to attract more tourists.

In a workshop on Vietnam’s development strategy for its cruise industry, held as part of the Festival Hue 2014 in April, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines pledged to implement infrastructure development projects in Chan May port. The firm aims to bring around 25,000 tourists to Hue each year.

Chan May port is one of 46 stopovers for cruise liners in Southeast Asia. It lies along the sea route that connects Singapore, the Philippines and Hong Kong. The port is also a key stopover for ships visiting destinations in Hue and the central City of Danang.

Due to its advantageous location, it has the potential to be developed into a port specialising in cruises.

At present, Chan May port can welcome vessels of up to 30,000 DWT and large international cruise ships with a capacity of 3,000 passengers.

The project to expand the north-south National Highway 1A will be finished around late next year, according to the latest report of the Ministry of Transport.

So far, the site clearance process has almost been finished while 35% of construction work to expand the highway has almost been completed, says the report, which was released at a conference held on September 15 to review the progress of the projects to expand parts of National Highway 1A and Ho Chi Minh Road in the Central Highlands.

Site clearance has been completed in 15 among 17 provinces that the highway runs through, and the resettlement of affected households has basically been finished as well.

Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang said with the site clearance being nearly finished, the expansion can be done late next year, one year ahead of original schedule.

The master project of expanding National Highway 1A from Hanoi to Can Tho City comprises of 37 smaller projects, of which 17 are carried out under the BOT (build-operate-transfer) format with a combined length of 562 kilometers and worth more than VND42.5 trillion.

In addition, 17 other projects costing over VND47.8 trillion in total and funded by Government bonds have a combined length of 678 km.

The three remaining projects include two with a combined length of 60 km funded with VND3.38 trillion from the State budget, and one project over a 25-km section worth VND4.2 trillion financed by loans from the Asian Development Bank.

According to the timeline set by the Transport Ministry initially, the national highway expansion project should be ready in late 2016 with four lanes.

Meanwhile, the Ho Chi Minh Road project stretching 663 kilometers through the Central Highlands region, or National Highway 14, connects Dak Gion District in Kon Tum Province and Chon Thanh District in Binh Phuoc Province.

The first stage of the project has been finished with a 110-km section from Dak Gion to Tan Canh District in Kon Tum.

Deputy PM avows help for migrants

The Government called upon authorities to provide support for migrants, especially those settled in poor areas, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc confirmed in a workshop in Hanoi on September 17.

The event was organized to address the challenges of increased migration within Vietnam, particularly from the north-western mountainous region to the Central Highlands, as a result of rapid urbanization.

Incentives include the provision of farmland, water and accommodation for the displaced, as well as infrastructure improvements and poverty reduction schemes, Phuc said, adding that coordination between local authorities and agencies would be necessary to help migrants stabilize their lives.

He acknowledged that the trend was cyclical and inevitable amidst the industrialization process, but that it had real socio-economic and security implications.

Bui Sy Loi, Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly Committee for Social Affairs, proposed more investments be made in infrastructure and training in rural areas as well as adjusting policies on labour and income.

Chairman of the National Assembly Council of Ethnic Affairs Ksor Phuoc proposed the rearrangement of the population to eliminate sparsely-inhabited and poor areas in the North by 2020.

Vuong Dinh Hue, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission pledged to devise a plan to reallocate the workforce at the national level, whilst ensuring the country is stay on track to sustainable development.

BabyMe represents Vietnam to join World Startup Competition

Defeating 11 rivals, BabyMe has won the final of the competition Demo Day 2014 to represent Vietnam to join the World Startup Competition in Seoul, South Korea from November 23 to 25.

The competition, part of the Startup Nations Summit 2014, will feature participation of startup companies from over 40 countries around the world. The winning team will be awarded a prize of US$100,000 in cash.

Nguyen Duc Hai, head of the organizing committee of the contest Demo Day 2014, said that contestants will be judged by an international panel and many investors from around the world.

Phan Duy, finance director of Yola Institute, said that the triumph of BabyMe was due to its high-quality, convenient and vanguard product that meets the strong demand of the market.

Malikat Rufai from the U.S. Consulate General in HCMC, who is representative of the judge panel of Demo Day, said that BabyMe needs to prove its potential of commercialization on the world market to compete with other rivals in other countries if they want to win the competition in Seoul.

BabyMe is a mobile phone application that provides information and clear up queries for mothers from the period of pregnancy until the babies get two years old. The application is developed from the application Ga Trong, which won the UNICEF Mobile Hackathon 2013.

Trinh Tuan, co-founder of BabyMe, said the application is in test run and is scheduled to go to the market next month. Most functions of the product are free for users.

The contest Demo Day attracted participation of eight teams from the competition ‘Thach Thuc Khoi Nghiep Vietnam 2014’ (Challenge Vietnam Startups 2014) organized by Startup Vietnam and four teams from the contest ‘Y Tuong Khoi Nghiep Vietnam 2014’ (Ideas of startups in Vietnam 2014) organized by Business Startup Support Center.

Previously, the Business Startup Support Center has hosted an idea exchange with the attendance of about 40 startup companies at the Ramana Hotel in HCMC’s District 3, featuring many products that maximize conveniences for users. For more information about the idea exchange, people can visit http://startupwheel.bssc.vn/danh-sach-y-tuong-tham-gia-san-giao-dich-y-tuong-2014.html.

HCM City seeks EPC contractor for Nguyen Hue street upgrade project

The HCMC government is looking for Government approval to appoint an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for a project of upgrading Nguyen Hue Boulevard.

The city wants to select the contractor to ensure the project will be completed before April 30 next year in coincidence with the 40th anniversary of the Reunification Day of Vietnam. After upgrade, the boulevard will be turned into a pedestrian-only street with fountains and art lightings.

Nguyen Hue Boulevard is envisaged being 670 meters long and 64 meters wide in harmony with the greenery area around the new President Ho Chi Minh statue in front of City Hall. The current drainage, electricity and lighting systems and other public works along the street will be upgraded and re-arranged.

The upgrade project requires total investment capital of VND428 billion for new road surface, sidewalks and pavements, infrastructure, ountains, an underground control center for lighting and musical water shows, and public restrooms.    

With many such components, the city wants a special mechanism to select the EPC contractor to shorten time for preparations so that the project will get off the ground soon and can be completed as scheduled.

The roundabout area of Nguyen Hue Boulevard has been blocked for construction of the underground station of Metro Line No.1 and in preparation for the upgrade of this street. For this reason, the annual Flower Street 2015 during Lunar New Year, or Tet, will be organized on Ham Nghi Boulevard in District 1.

Japan seen becoming potential market for veggies exporters Japan looks set to become a new market for local fruit and vegetable exporters as Japanese supply can meet only 40% of demand.

Yasuzumi Hirotaka, managing director of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in HCMC, told a seminar in HCMC last week that half of Japanese needs for fruits and vegetables have been met due to strict food safety regulations. Vietnam now can ship shrimp, coffee and spinach, among others to Japan.

However, Hirotaka said Japan has a number of stringent regulations on food. Therefore, Vietnamese firms have to pay attention to the quality of their products. Local exporters should keep a close watch on risks associated with Japan’s legal system, he said.

Nguyen Duy Duc, deputy chief of the Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post-harvest Technology under the agriculture ministry, also emphasized the importance of solutions to improve the value of fruit and vegetables.

He added advanced technologies should be applied to fruit and vegetable harvest and post-harvest, such as plant growth regulators and irradiation technology. In addition, local firms need to invest in pre-processing systems for veggies to guarantee food hygiene and safety.

Duc said shipments of agricultural products in the first eight months of this year have generated US$20.22 billion, up 11.9% over the same period last year.

More university graduates opt for manual labour

An increasing amount of university graduates are being forced to take jobs that are not in the fields of their majors.

Nguyen Van Nien, from Nam Dinh Province, said that after graduation his school doors opened him to a very difficult job market. The main problem, according to him, was a lack of work experience. He was offered a job at a printing company, but because it had nothing to do with what he studied, he refused. He is currently seeking work elsewhere.

Another recent graduate decided to take a position at Cannon Vietnam. She said that the decision came after a number of other experiences working for private companies with low salaries.

According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, currently 9.75 million labourers in Vietnam with university degrees are working in industries outside their area of expertise. This number shows no signs of decline.

Manpower conducted a survey showing that there were over 1,000 employees at the Cannon Vietnam factory with university degrees. Some have said, however, that the figure may be higher because many do not want to admit they have studied and taken a relatively low-paying job.

Dinh Thi Hang, from Daiwa, said that most companies involving manual labour recruit high school graduates because they are concerned that university graduates may actively seek other employment.

A representative of one job recruitment centre in Hanoi said that only about one-third new graduates who attend their seminars are able to find a satisfactory job.

Cao Quang Dai, from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ General Department of Vocational Training, commented that the fact that these statistics reveal a problem in the Vietnamese education and training sector. He warned that the unemployment rate in the country could rise when Vietnam officially enters the ASEAN Economic Community if the quality of the domestic labour force is not improved.

According to Dai, it is important to increase cooperation between enterprises and vocational training schools.

Sukti Dasgupta, a senior expert at the International Labour Organisation, also pointed out the importance of vocational training, saying that it is important that Vietnam encourages cooperation between the the public and private sectors in order to create a viable workforce that is in concurrence with market demands.

Nguyen Thi Kha, National Assembly deputy of Tra Vinh Province, suggested that the government close universities with high rates of unemployed graduates.

Forests of Central Highlands disappear due to inefficient management

Large swaths of forestland in the central highlands have been allocated to enterprises for management, but recently a number wrongdoings and violations have come to light, calling into question the wisdom of this policy.

Nearly one million hectares of forestland have been handed over to 56 forest management companies, many of which have been ineffective in the use and management of forests. Meanwhile, local residents lack land for cultivation. This paradox was pointed out a decade ago, but not much has been done to rectify the situation.

Recently, Truong Xuan Forest Management Company was found to have lost 4,500 out of the total 6,200 hectares of forestland it was allocated for management in Dak Nong Province. Provincial authorities said they have got sufficient evidence to bring the case to court, but this would not solve the larger problem, as it is not a unique case in the region.

It is estimated that in last decade, over 27,600 hectares of forest area in the province was chopped down or illegally appropriated. In the entire highlands region, about 90,000 hectares under the management of these companies has been destroyed. The government is also finding it difficult to reclaim this land.

In Dak Lak Province, over 26,400 hectares of forest has been destroyed since 2008 and less than 2,000 hectares of the land has been reclaimed. Of the destroyed forest area in the province, 7,000 hectares were under the management of Chu Ma Lanh Forest Management Company.

Outlining the heart of the problem, Y Krak, a man from Chu Ma Lanh Commune, said, “Almost all forestland in Ea Sup District is managed by companies, and we wouldn't be able to subsist if we did not appropriate it ourselves."

Many forest companies attribute the situation to a lack of human resources and funding, as well as lax management by local authorities. In fact, however, these management companies often lease out the land to other companies who did not relinquish use after the terms of contracts were over.

In Dak Nong province, for example, three private companies appropriated a combined 857 hectares of forestland used as rubber plantations managed by Quang Tinh Forest Company, along with 1,200 hectares of natural forests.

In order create a more equitable way of sharing the benefits of these forest areas between local residents and management companies, the government issued a decree on the issue, giving certain rights to parties who use the land for forest cultivation. However, forest management companies were not transparent in the process.

As a result, many households that received land from forest companies have used it for agriculture instead, clearing the forest instead of cultivating it.

In Dak Nong Province, 2,670 hectares of forestland was allocated to 367 households, 1,960 hectares of which was destroyed.

EU aid project delivers gains to Vietnam’s health sector

The EU has provided aid to Vietnam's health sector for more than 20 years and intends to continue the support for at least another three years in bilateral aid, Franz Jessen, Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam, said.

Speaking at a two-day workshop to review five years of the EU-funded Health Sector Capacity Support Project (HSCSP) that opened in Hanoi on September 16, he said, "we expect in October or November this year to sign a major operation of 114 million euros (148 million USD) in the hope of improving the quality of healthcare services in the poor provinces of Vietnam."

HSCSP is an additional contribution by the EU to help the Ministry of Health strengthen institutional capacity for good governance in the sector and improved health service delivery.

The programme is designed to assist government reforms in sector management, paving the way for a programme-based approach for co-operation between the MoH and the EU and interested development partners.

It focuses on designing, piloting, and testing reform tools at the ministry and the health departments in the provinces of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, and Ha Nam while sharing information with 15 partner provinces.

"The HSCSP funded by the EU is one of the last technical support projects … in the transitional period to sector budget support," Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said.

"The project focuses on supporting important reforms in the health sector towards the general objective of improving the health status of people in Vietnam, especially those who are poor and near poor, as a contribution to poverty reduction and attainment of health-related Millennium Development Goals.

In five years of implementation the programme has yielded encouraging results and the MoH now plans to replicate them nation-wide.

"[With] the health sector focusing on reforms to renovate health management for improvement of service quality, particularly the quality of care at local levels, the support from the European Community is a valuable contribution … in efforts to further strengthen the quality of services and expand equal access to quality health services for people in Vietnam."

At the workshop, People's Committee leaders of the three provinces where the programme was piloted signed MoUs with the ministry for commitments to maintain the sustainability of its results.

Sustainable financing for HIV/AIDS efforts examined

The issue of sustainable financing for the fight against HIV/AIDS in ASEAN countries will be discussed at the 12th regional health ministers’ meeting scheduled to commence in Vietnam for the first time on September 18.

This is a matter of particular concern for Vietnam since the country’s budget for HIV/AIDS efforts is declining.

The discussion will strengthen ASEAN commitments to guarantee funding for national and regional efforts to combat the disease.

Furthermore, participants will be able to share their experience in mobilising sustainable sources for funding the fight against HIV/AIDS in ASEAN countries beyond 2015, Nguyen Hoang Long, Director of the HIV/AIDS prevention and control department under the Ministry of Health, told the Vietnam News Agency.

Long emphasised the significance of international funds for Vietnam, given 80 percent of the total budget for HIV/AIDS efforts coming from sources outside of the country.

In addition, international organisations provided vital technical assistance and helped improve the capacity of staff in Vietnam’s HIV/AIDS control network.

However, funds are declining, which poses a serious challenge for the Government, Long said.

He spoke of the worst case scenario, which, in case of a serious lack of finance, would see hundreds of thousands of HIV carriers go without treatment, and a possible epidemic, reversing progress made in health, social order and socio-economic development.

In response, the Prime Minister issued a decision last October approving a project to ensure funding for HIV/AIDS efforts for the 2013-2020 period. It focuses on two main objectives, to mobilise all the available financial resources, and to effectively manage and use the funds.

According to Long, Vietnam needs to increase the share of the state budget allocated to the fight on HIV/AIDS. Localities should develop their own plans to secure funding for their efforts, while encouraging all members of society to become involved.

So far, 10 out of 63 provinces and cities throughout Vietnam have ratified their respective finance plans, with 39 still being prepared.

Due to the Government’s strong commitments and the comprehensive engagement of sectors, organisations and people, Vietnam has achieved significant results in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the last 20 years.

The country’s successful models were praised as a significant contribution to global efforts by the international community.

Vietnam reported 12,599 new HIV cases in 2013, down by 60 percent since 2007. The number of AIDS patients and fatalities was cut in half during the 2007-2013 period.

International workshop on sustainable energy in Vietnam

Sustainable energy development in Vietnam was the focus of a seminar held in Hanoi on September 16 with the participation of domestic and international experts.

According to Dr Ngo Duc Lam, Vietnam’s energy consumption has doubled in a decade, posing serious challenges to the nation’s energy sector.

Energy insecurity was reinforced by additional factors, including inefficient energy use and a lack of investments in the development of alternative and renewable energy sources.

Dr. Dao Trong Tu from Vietnam Energy Association (VEA) said Vietnam’s energy demand was expected to surge significantly in the next two decades, from 48 million tonnes of oil equipvalent (TOE) in 2010 to 164 million TOE in 2030.

With fossil fuels running low and a rapid increase in demand for coal, the country would need to import coal for power generation from 2015 onwards.

During the seminar, Jakob Jespersen, international coordinator of the Danish Ministry of Industry and Trade shared Denmark’s experience in energy development. The country is self-sufficient with regard to power generation thanks to its large-scale wind-power development programme and successful campaigns on energy saving and effective use.

Jakob said Vietnam could make good use of its solid waste to generate power while protecting the environment, adding that Vietnam possesses enormous potentials for the development of green energy, including wind and solar power.

Experts suggested the State come up with incentives and price policies to encourage international investment to develop these renewable energy sources.

They also mentioned the need for consumers to get involved and use energy effectively.

Hoa Binh hosts community consultation on forest protection

A seminar was held in the northern province of Hoa Binh on September 16 to announce the results of a community consultation on the 2004 Law on Forest Protection and Development.

The event was jointly organised by the Centre for People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature), the Central Rural Development Centre under the Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, and ForLand organisation.

The outcomes of the consultation, which was conducted in four villages in Da Bac and Tan Lac districts, showed that over the past decade, Hoa Binh has allocated nearly 236,000 ha, or 73 percent of forest land for local people.

The province has planted 79,000 ha of forests and set up 1,440 forest protection teams involving 7,000 people. About 1,600 out of 1,700 villages have built their own regulations on forest protection and forest fire prevention.

However, participants pointed out shortcomings in forest land allocation in the province, including slow granting of land use right certificates, lack of public engagement in forest protection, and the forest farms’ ineffective management.

The seminar acknowledged proposals made by the local authorities and people on amendments to some contents of the Law relating to households and local communities, which will enable ethnic minority people to benefit from forests and forest land.

In the coming time, ForLand will work with the province’s forestry sector and authorities at all levels to create the best conditions for residents to manage and use forest land effectively.

Asian media members discuss regional coverage

About 20 newsroom chiefs, editors and journalists from media organisations in the Asia News Network (ANN) opens a two-day meeting in Ha Noi today.

The meeting is hosted by the network, Viet Nam News and the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

The meeting aims to enhance co-operation among the 22 members of the network to improve news coverage of events in the region.

Discussions will include updates on developments in newsrooms, archive services for ANN members and the organisation's strategy for the next year. It will also explore the recent development of new media platforms using digital content, video sharing and e-paper.

Delegates will meet Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Pana Janviroj from Thailand, executive editor of ANN and President of The Nation, said technology now allowed the media to do many things, so co-operation among ANN members did not need to be location-based like in the past.

He said ANN wanted to revise and establish new media platforms to better take advantage of technology.

Janviroj said issues affecting Viet Nam are of significant interest to readers in the region.

ANN is a consortium of 22 newspapers spanning 19 countries and territories. —

Experts discuss health insurance

Health experts from the ASEAN region, China, South Korea and Japan shared experience in expanding health insurance coverage at a side meeting of the ASEAN Health Minister Meeting in Ha Noi yesterday.

Like many nations in the ASEAN community, Viet Nam faces challenges in expanding coverage to workers in the informal sector who are not already covered by government subsidies, a group that constitutes 30 per cent of the population.

"Expanding universal health insurance coverage to include the informal sector is a challenge for many countries, particularly ASEAN countries, where the informal sector represents a large proportion of the population," said Viet Nam health minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien.

Universal health coverage was at the core of WHO's work in the Western Pacific and was the focus of the Health Financing Strategy for the Asia Pacific Region (2010–2015) endorsed by the Regional Committee in 2009, according to Tien.

"We plan to disseminate information and offer incentives for enrolment in health insurance in order to invite more participation," the health minister said.

The government's subsidy has covered all poor and ethnic minority people since 2006. However, 31 per cent of the population remains uninsured.

Gia Lai food poisoning victims recover

Victims hit by a fierce bout of food poisoning in Gia Lai province have fully recovered and been discharged from hospital yesterday.

Director of the Chu Se medical centre, Ho Thanh Hung said that the six remaining victims, including one in intensive care, would remain at the hospital.

A total of 114 people were admitted to hospital after contracting food poisoning from meals served at a funeral on Monday in Ho Lang village.

Victims showed signs of stomach ache, nausea and diarrhea. The cause is being investigated.

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