The queen of dairy cow named

A contest for 126 dairy cows in the northern province of Son La wrapped up on Wednesday with the first prize of VND60 million given to a cow coded 1386 belonging to Bui Van Dinh in Moc Chau Plateau, VietnamPlus reports.

The cow won the Moc Chau Dairy Cow Beauty Contest thanks to its outstanding grace and ability to produce more milk than other 19 rivals.

Dinh said he has invested much in his cow and paid close attention to the breeding and training of the cow. “I feed, wash and groom it; let it listen to music and enjoy massage, and train it to stay calm in front of people,” Dinh shared his winning secrets.

Total prizes of the contest were worth VND1 billion and each cow of the final was given a cash prize of VND3 million. The company also announced prizes for the first and second runner-ups.

The contest is held annually on October 14-15 to encourage cow owners to breed healthy, beautiful and productive cows. It is also one of the attractive events for visitors in Moc Chau Plateau.

Each of households in Moc Chau owns from 30-100 cows. A cow can produce 25-40 liters of milk per day.

National Assembly to adopt new legislation

Deputies will adopt laws on vocational training, taxation and citizen identification, and pass two UN resolutions during the eighth session of the 13th National Assembly, which convenes Monday and ends November 28.

During the longest-ever session, deputies will discuss and adopt 18 laws, including the amended laws on the organisation of the National Assembly, People's Courts, People's Procuracy, social insurance, housing, real estate business, investment and enterprises. They will also discuss and adopt laws on vocational training, People's Police, Viet Nam People's Army Officers, civil aviation, citizen identification, civil status, special consumption tax and taxation.

Three resolutions will also be adopted, including approval of the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Deputies will also review a report on social and economic progress in 2014, and goals for 2015. They will also review reports on the implementation of 2014 State Budget; the Government report on the implementation of the NA's resolutions on voter's petition submitted to the 7th session of the NA; and the Government report on the East Sea situation, including construction of islands in the Spratly Islands by the Chinese.

They will also debate the NA's Standing Committee's oversight of economic public investment restructuring.

At the session, the NA will take a vote of confidence on 50 positions elected or approved by the NA or the People's Council, and give opinions on proposed construction plans for the Long Thanh International Airport.

The session will broadcast on Viet Nam Television's channel VTV1 and the Voice of Viet Nam for 14 days, an increase of 3 days over the previous session.

Foreigners caught in big brawl at Vietnam hotel, some injured

Two groups of people including foreigners engaged in a brawl at a four-star hotel in the northern city of Hai Phong last week, resulting in some of them suffering from multiple injuries.

The violent fight, that took place last Saturday, was caught by security cameras at the Pearl River Hotel located in Duong Kinh District.

According to initial information, at 11:30pm on October 11, Tran Hoai Nam, 30, director of a stationery company in Hai Phong, his Malaysian colleague Raymond Liew, and an unknown Vietnamese man arrived at Pearl River Hotel to check in.

Another group including several foreigners and Tran Thi Hoang Mai, deputy director of the Hai Phong’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, showed up at the hotel the same time.   

As they were checking in, an argument suddenly erupted between Raymond Liew and two foreigners from Mai’s group, leading to a brawl between some members from the two groups.   

As result of this scuffle, Nam was hospitalized after he suffered from brain and eye injuries along with other wounds.

It is not clear whether Malaysian national Raymond Liew was injured or not.

According to Nam, Raymond Liew has flown back home because the fight scared him. Meanwhile, Mai said two of her foreign friends suffered serious injuries.

According to Mai, people from the two groups had teased each other before they were involved in the fight. Mai added that they could not restrain themselves since they had had some alcoholic beverages previously.

Police in Duong Kinh District said on Wednesday that they are collecting evidence to probe into the incident. Police also encouraged Nam to call on Raymond Liew to come back to Vietnam soon for investigation.

Ministry of Health and Novartis form partnership for health

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health and Swiss healthcare company Novartis just signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that aims to enhance the Vietnamese people’s access to essential, affordable generic and innovative medicines, and strengthen the country's science, medical and technology capabilities.

The Novartis portfolio in Vietnam includes innovative pharmaceuticals, high-quality generics from Sandoz, and cutting-edge eye care solutions from Alcon.

Tran Thi Giang Huong, director general of International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Health and Stefan Stroppel, global head of Novartis Pharma Services AG, signed the MoU on October 10 in Hanoi.

The MoU focuses on four areas: science-based innovation and clinical trials, scientific and academic cooperation, quality and local manufacturing, and patient access to high quality, innovative healthcare.

“Novartis is privileged to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to support a strong healthcare system that covers the lowest income segments of the population, and to provide the Vietnamese people with high-quality medicines,” said Joe Jimenez, CEO of Novartis AG.

“Novartis is committed to broadening our public-private partnership in Vietnam. The company fully supports the Ministry of Health’s objective to shape a strong, sustainable healthcare system and to achieve universal healthcare coverage,” said Philippe de Pougnadoresse, chief representative of the Novartis Pharma Services AG representative office in Vietnam.

“The Swiss Embassy in Vietnam is pleased with this groundbreaking partnership for health between the Ministry of Health and Novartis, as it further strengthens the longstanding and cordial relations between Vietnam and Switzerland,” said Andrej Motyl, Swiss ambassador to Vietnam.

The MoU between the MoH and Novartis Pharma Services AG is aligned with the pledge by the member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations during the recently concluded 12th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting in Hanoi.

In a joint statement, the member countries pledged greater healthcare cooperation with a vision of “a healthy, caring and sustainable ASEAN community”.

The joint statement commits to extend cooperation in various fields, including strengthening the health system and access to healthcare, among others.

Winners of 2014 Vietnam Women’s Awards honoured

Outstanding groups and individuals winning the 2014 Vietnam Women’s Awards were honoured at a ceremony held in Hanoi on October 17 to mark the 84th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) (October 20, 1930-2014).

The ceremonh saw the presence of Politburo members Nguyen Thien Nhan and Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

This year, the annual national awards were given to five groups and 10 individuals, who made significant contributions to national construction and defence.

On behalf of Party and State leaders, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan praised the women’s achievements. He expressed his belief that the winners would become successful and provide support to the community in poverty eradication.

Nhan asked relevant agencies to study, suggest and issue specific policies to promote Vietnamese women’s potential and creativeness.

He hoped that there would be further female leaders and officers participating in Party committees at all levels, fulfilling their roles and potential, as well as proving the support of the Party, the State, and authorities for progressing womens roles.

On the occasion, the VWU presented a VND4 billion canoe to the Navy and a VND12 billion patrol vessel, coming from contributions made by women across the country to support law enforcement forces protecting national sovereignty over sea and islands.

The VWU also granted certificates of merits and presents to 28 female students who achieved the highest marks in the entrance examination to universities and colleges in 2014.

First tunnel tube of Ca pass tunnel project completed

Drilling operations on the right tube of the bi-tube Co Ma pass tunnel were completed on October 16 as the last stretch of rock was smashed through to the excitement of engineers and miners inside the tunnel.

The tunnel through Co Ma pass, situated on the National Highway 1A section of Van Ninh district (Khanh Hoa province), consists of two parallel tubes measuring 500m in length and 11m in diameter.

Its drilling began in April at a total cost of VND570 billion (US$26.79 million). The left tube is scheduled to be completed next month before the whole tunnel is open to the public in September 2015.

The Co Ma pass tunnel is part of the Ca pass tunnel project, which stretches 13.4km from Phu Yen province's Hao Son commune to Khanh Hoa province's Co Ma commune with total investment of VND15.6 trillion (over US$733 million).

The project comprises two bi-tube tunnels – Ca pass tunnel (3.9km) and Co Ma pass tunnel (500m) – and 9km of roads and flyovers along the route. The maximum speed for vehicles travelling along the route will be 80km per hour.

As it is completed in late 2016 and early 2017, the tunnel route is expected to reduce traffic accidents on National Highway 1A and contribute to the development of large economic centres, industrial zones and tourism sites in the central region.

Work starts on Thai Ha Bridge across Red River

Ground was broken in Hung Ha district, Thai Binh province on October 17 for the construction of the Thai Ha Bridge over the Red River, located on the way connecting the two provinces of Thai Binh and Ha Nam with the Cau Gie – Ninh Binh highway.

The route measures 2.846 kilometres in length, including over 2.1 kilometres of bridge and nearly 690 metres of road, offering four lanes of traffic for vehicles to travel at a designed speed of 80 kilometres per hour.

The concrete-reinforced bridge will be built under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) plan at a total cost of over VND1.7 trillion (US$79.9 million).

The project is due for completion in 2016, with its investors allowed to collect toll fee on the bridge for 19 years and two months, starting from October 18, 2016.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai praised the investors’ non-State funding for transport projects, and expressed his belief that local people world support land clearance to keep the project on schedule.

The bridge is expected to shorten the travel time between Thai Binh and Ha Nam provinces in particular and between the two provinces and other localities in the region as a whole, thus contributing to socio-economic development in the project area.

Jetstar Pacific Airlines selling 20,000 ‘zero fare’ tickets

Budget airline Jetstar Pacific started selling 20,000 ‘zero fare’ tickets on October 17, as one of activities to celebrate the 84th anniversary of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) (October 20, 1930 – 2014).

The tickets (excluding tax and other additional fees) are available on the airline’s website at www.jetstar.com or www.mobile.jetstar.com, as well as through hotline 1900 1550 and the airline's ticket offices.

The airline has launched the promotion programme from 11a.m on October 17 to 12:59pm on October 20.

The special promotion is applying for passengers, who book return tickets on Jetstar’s domestic and international routes, including from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hue and Phu Quoc; from Hanoi to Da Nang and Vinh; and from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok and Singapore, with a normal ticket one way and a ‘zero fare’ return ticket.

S Korea, Malaysia offer education tips

South Korea was able to reform its higher-education system by tying tuition to family income, giving schools more autonomy and enhancing instructional quality, the country's former Minister of Education, Science and Technology told a workshop held in HCM City yesterday.

Dr Ju-Ho Lee said the country's steady climb in education spending during its "education bubble" had not resulted in an increase in human capital, producing too many graduates with low-wage jobs, among other problems.

During the country's "education bubble" from 1990-2009, there was a mushrooming of private tutoring to enter prestigious universities and a rapid increase in student enrolment at low-quality universities.

Sluggish institutional changes that did not keep up with demand and a lack of focus on quality and diversity contributed to the education bubble, Lee, who is working for the Korea Development Institute's School of Public Policy and Management, said.

Lee, who spoke at the Higher Education Reform-Learning from Successful Countries workshop, said South Korea had also created a support system to link universities and companies to improve the quality and usefulness of higher education.

Also speaking at the workshop, Professor Morshidi Sirat, Head of Malaysia's Higher Education Department, said his government had focused on effective governance and financing models for higher education institutions.

They had also put more emphasis on equipping university graduates with the tools necessary for a knowledge-based economy, and strengthened national innovation by creating stronger links between Malaysian firms and universities.

Sirat said that higher education could be used as a tool to develop new diplomatic relationships and education exchange between Malaysia and partner countries.

He said that Malaysia aimed to become an international hub of higher education by 2020.

The workshop was held by the Viet Nam-based Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation's Regional Training Centre in co-operation with the World Bank Group.

Participants included university and college rectors and HCM City department managers.

Helmets gifted to 5,000 primary students

Helmets were given away to more than 5,000 primary school students in the provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Dong Nai this week under a national traffic safety programme called Helmets for Kids.

The programme is organised by the National Traffic Safety Committee in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Training and Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, and US medical devices and pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson underwrote the cost of the helmets on this occasion.

Duong Van Ba, deputy director of the ministry's Student Affairs Department, said communities could donate helmets and media activities could be used to raise public awareness of helmet use by children, he said, adding that local governments are enforcing traffic safety regulations, especially those related to helmet use.

Int’l experience in climate change adaptation shared

International experience in implementing policies on climate change adaptation was shared at a conference held in Nha Trang city in the central province of Khanh Hoa on October 16.

Organised by the National Assembly’s Committee on Science, Technology and the Environment, the event attracted the participation of more than 60 delegates from ministries, economic sectors and localities along with a cohort of Vietnamese and foreign scientists.

In his opening speech, Chairman of the Committee Phan Xuan Dung stressed that climate change is posing a risk to Vietnam’s socio-economic development.

In their presentations, experts noted that Vietnam is increasingly experiencing negative impacts of climate change, such as longer dry seasons, salt-water intrusion, and more frequent and more devastating storms.

Dieter Seifried, Director of the German company Eco-Watt GmbH, presented his country’s policy on environmental protection and energy, which focuses on replacing traditional energy sources with renewable ones.

As a result, Germany reduced its CO2 emissions by 75% and still maintained a high growth rate from 1990-2012, he said, adding that renewable energy sources accounted for 30% of the energy sources used in the country.

Meanwhile, Dorothea Konstantinidis, a German expert on climate change said apart from government efforts to develop effective policies, it was essential to involve the private sector and the population at large in creating effective enforcement models.

Konstantinidis said as many as 66 countries are actively engaging in climate change adaptation, with over 470 policies being applied. However, so far common global targets have not been reached, requiring the joint efforts of governments and non-governmental organisations to develop more far-reaching policies on the issue.

Vietnamese experts analysed and discussed measures to protect and develop forests in coastal areas in order to reduce the impacts of climate change.

On the same day, a forum was held in the central city of Da Nang to explore measures to deal with climate change in the locality and call upon local enterprises to participate in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Participants focused their discussions on the impact of climate change on businesses’ operations in the city, and options for addressing the challenges.

Kenneth MacLue, Managing Director of the US Institute of Environmental and Social Change, pledged his agency’s support for Da Nang’s business community to help build climate change-adaptive models and projects to minimise the damages and losses caused by natural disasters.

Da Nang is one of cities most severely affected by the impacts of climate change, which in turn is limiting socio-economic development.

Party leader launches new school year at Security Academy

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong beat the drum to open the 2014-2015 academic year at Hanoi’s People’s Security Academy (PSA) on October 17.

In his speech at the launch ceremony, the Party leader praised the academy’s outstanding achievements over the past 68 years, saying that it has trained tens of thousands of officers, with many of them now holding important positions in the Party, State and public security sector.

In the face of a complex global and domestic context, as a major training and scientific research centre for the entire sector and the country at large, PSA should take the basic viewpoints of the Party and State on board to clarify and implement its vision, objectives and tasks, he said.

The academy needs to continue to renovate and improve the quality of education, training and scientific research, while focussing on creating a healthy educational environment, he added.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong reminded the academy to pay special attention to educating its students on political thought and morals, turning them into first-rate officers upon graduation.

He expressed his belief that with its 68-year tradition and responsibility for the nation and people, PSA will achieve even greater successes in the time to come, contributing to the creation of a modern public security force that acts as the right hand of the Party, State and people to safeguard national security and maintain social order and safety.-

Campaign supports women's health

The Ministry of Health will launch a campaign for women's health today, with an aim to mobilise community support for buying health insurance cards for poor and near-poor women.

Health insurance coverage reached 69 per cent of the country's population by the end of 2013, including 100 per cent of poor and ethnic minority households, according to health ministry statistics. But only 38.8 per cent of near-poor families have health insurance, despite the Government supporting up to 70 per cent of the service's fees.

Scholarships awarded to college students

A scholarship programme awarded more than 111 students from nine colleges and universities in HCM City, Quang Ngai, Quang Nam, Da Nang and Hue a total of VND600 million (US$28,500) between October 5 and 16.

The annual scholarship programme, funded by Doosan Heavy Industries Viet Nam, and Doosan and Yonkang Foundation, has helped 877 students from 12 colleges and universities with scholarships totaling US$224,000 since 2008.

Mosanto – VNUA scholarships encourage young talents in agricultural biotechnology

Vietnam University of Agriculture and Monsanto Group granted scholarships to 5 best students studying agricultural biotechnology at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture.

The scholarship worth VND42 million each aims to nurture and encourage young talents in studying and applying biotechnology in the area of agriculture.

The organizer will also finance about VND105 million for students’ scientific projects in this field.

Monsanto is a global group in supplying agricultural products and solutions, helping to bolster crop productivity as well as food quality.

Families forced to live in sewage

A dozen households in Hanoi have been living in unsanitary conditions as a result of sewage water rising to their doors.

A house on Quan Thanh Street serves as the residence for 12 families and has only one sewage pipe that runs under the common yard and three other homes before it merges with the city's sewage system.

In July of last year, a resident of the home, Nguyen Xuan Minh, decided to block the section of pipe which runs underneath his home. Sewage water quickly rose and submerged 300 square metres of living area. In some places, the water is over one metre deep.

Le Ba Hung, another resident, said, "I've been living here since I was 10. Even when it rained and submerged many parts of the city, this place stayed relatively dry. Since the pipe was blocked, we have had to live in unhygienic conditions. We reported the situation to many agencies but nothing has been done."

Another resident commented that the elderly and children are the ones who suffer most. "My family has to use nets to cover the windows and doors so that flies and mosquitoes don't come in," she said.

Bui Thanh Xuan, vice chairman of Quan Thanh Ward People's Committee, said that authorities have tried to work with Pham Xuan Minh but he refuses to cooperate. Xuan added that Ba Dinh District People's Committee issued two requests for inspection of the residences in October, 2013 and May, 2014. Each time an inspection team has arrived, however, Minh has caused problems.

They are still trying to find a solution to the problem.

Hanoi urged to step up anti-drug use communication efforts

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam had a working session with Hanoi ’s Steering Board for AIDS, Drugs and Prostitution Prevention and Control on October 16, asking the capital city to intensify its communication campaigns to increase the public’s awareness of the dangers of drug use.

He pointed to the challenge of curing drug addictions, with many patients relapsing, while asking Hanoi authorities to publicise the signs of drug use and conduct more in-depth studies on symptoms and treatment methods for addicts.

The official also told the city to provide more jobs for former drug addicts and sex workers to help them reintegrate into society.

In the session, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc said Hanoi has spent 118 billion VND (5.6 million USD) on HIV/AIDS, drug use and prostitution prevention and control.

It has also implemented projects to provide rehabilitation and treatment services for addicts, offer vocational training, and make methadone therapy available, she added.

Reports by the Hanoi People’s Committee said the city is now home to more than 16,000 drug addicts, with 536 out of the 584 communes and wards affected by HIV/AIDS and a rise in prostitution.-

ASEAN Skills Competition takes place in Hanoi

The10th ASEAN Skills Competition 2014 themed” Skills-Our intrinsic values” will be held at Hanoi’s My Dinh National Convention next week.

The biennial event aims to promote and improve vocational skills in the region so that they can meet international standards.

This year’s event draws about 300 young workers, under the age of 22, from 10 ASEAN member countries competing in 23 occupational skills and two performance skills.

The event will see nearly 700 foreign guests as technical experts, teachers, observers and thousands of students.

An opening ceremony will take place on October 23 evening, and a closing ceremony will be held on October 28.

Vietnam first hosted the ASEAN competition in 2004, topping the medal tally with 13 of the 18 gold medals. At the 9th event in Indonesia in 2012, the country came second, with 44 workers competing in 22 skills.

Vietnam shares traffic safety management with Cambodia

A delegation of Cambodian government officials acquired Vietnam’s experience in road safety management, helmet standards and helmet law enforce at a working session in Hanoi on October 17.

They included officials from the National Road Safety Committee (NRSC) and President of the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation Greig Craft.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Safety Traffic Committee Khuat Viet Hung shared the process of developing and enforcing the 2007 national helmet regulation and subsequent efforts to eliminate sub-standard helmet use.

In Cambodia, 69 percent of road crash fatalities last year involved motorcyclists, 62 percent of whom died from head injuries, NRSC Deputy Chairwoman and Secretary of State of Public Works and Transport Min Meanvy informed.

Currently, at least five people die and 39 are injured everyday on Cambodian roads, according to the AIP Foundation.

Motorcycle is the most common form of transportation in the country, making drivers one of the most vulnerable groups, it added.-

Vice President welcomes delegation of Lao students

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan has received a delegation of 40 Lao students who representing about 8,000 studying in Vietnam.

The Vice President highlighted cooperation in education and training between the two countries in recent times, saying that a personnel training project for Laos to 2020 is being carried out by the two education sectors.

Speaking at the October 17 reception, Laos Ambassador to Vietnam Somphone Sichalern expressed his thanks to the Vietnamese Party, State and people for their help to Lao students, especially those studying in Vietnam.

Month for the Poor launched

A “Month for the Poor” was launched in Hanoi on October 17, with organisations and enterprises pledging to donate over 3.4 billion VND (162,000 USD) to the fund for the poor just after the launching ceremony.

Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Central Committee (VFFCC) Nguyen Thien Nhan emphasized that poverty reduction is not only an economic issue but also a condition to ensure political and social stability and to achieve the United Nation’s millennium goals.

While highlighting the positive outcomes of the 14-year charity campaign “Day for the Poor”, the VFF leader cited the statistics of the National Steering Committee for Poverty Reduction, which showed that 7.6 percent of all household nationwide still lived in poverty at the end of 2013. Therefore, stronger and more efficient assistance is needed to further reduce the poverty rate in a sustainable manner.

In the first nine months of this year, individuals and organisations at home and abroad donated nearly 2 trillion VND (95.2 million USD) to the fund for the poor run by VFF and its member organisations.

The donations were used to pay for the construction and repair of over 11,000 houses for the poor, provide financial assistance to 55,000 poor households and medical check-ups for 178,000 needy patients.

After 14 years of implementation, the Fund for the Poor has received almost 34 trillion VND (1.6 billion USD) in donations.

Ho Chi Minh City students excited about wildlife protection

The travelling exhibition on wildlife consumption opened at Tan Binh and Hoang Hoa Tham secondary schools in Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City on October 17.

With the message “Say no to illegal wildlife products” the exhibition comprises a 60m2 tent showcasing photographs, objects, films and games.

Students who visit the exhibition can watch films on wildlife consumption, touch and interact with the exhibits, and participate in exciting games.

The exhibition is run by Wildlife at Risk (WAR), an organisation that works to protect wildlife from extinction, including the Javan rhino which was declared extinct in Vietnam in October 2011.

Throughout the 2014-2015 school year, WAR plans to take around 500 students to visit Cu Chi wildlife rescue station in Ho Chi Minh City. As part of WAR’s campaign, nearly 300 biology teachers will hold lessons on the importance of wildlife protection for seventh-grade students in Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc island district in the central province of Kien Giang.

The exhibition will be held at approximately 20 secondary schools throughout the city, spreading its message to nearly 20,000 students.

WAR is dedicated to protecting the biodiversity of Vietnam by combating the illegal wildlife trade and promoting the conservation of endangered species and their habitats.

US$ 1,3 million spent for educational charity activities in last school year

Over VND28.6 billion (US$ 1,348,204) has been spent for charity activities in educational facilities.

This was released at a meeting held on October 17 by the Department of Education and Training, the city's Red Cross and the Young Communist Union in Ho Chi Minh City  to review charity mission in academic year 2013-2014.

Various activities were organized in colleges, continuing education centers and vocational schools to take care of poor teachers and students such as giving over 4,400 scholarships, studying items, bicycles, textbooks, and white shirts and charity houses to teachers. Total spending is over VND5 billion (US$ 235,700).

Young doctors have provided free-of-charge examinatiion to students in the city. Students have participated in blood donation campaigns and they donated over 9,000 units of blood to save people.

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