Ethnic Mong drug traffickers arrested in Laos

The two suspects at the police station

Border guards in Dien Bien province, working in collaboration with police forces across the Laotian provinces of Oudomxay and Phongsaly, have arrested 2 ethnic Mong people for illegally smuggling drugs.

The police launched a probe when they discovered initial information relating to a major drug ring operating across the border in neighbouring Laos in mid-September. 

On the morning of November 18 at 7:30 a.m., two men suspected of drug trafficking were caught red-handed in possession of 210,000 pills of synthetic drugs, two mobile phones, a motorbike and LAK2,570,000.

The suspects were identified as Thao Nu Va, 28, currently residing in Luang Prabang province, and Thao Seng, 24, currently residing in in Oudomxay province.

When questioned at the police station, the suspects both admitted that they had bought the drugs in Laos and had brought them to Vietnam with the intent to supply.

Vietnam, France share experience in oncology

The first France – Vietnam conference on oncology takes place in Ho Chi Minh City on November 18. (Photo: qdnd.vn)

The first France – Vietnam conference on oncology took place in Ho Chi Minh City on November 18, bringing together leading oncologists from both countries.

The event was co-held by the Xuyen A General Hospital and Grenoble Alpes  University, during which delegates delivered reports on current situation of cancers in Vietnam and advanced medical techniques and technology for treatment of cancers and related syndromes.

Experts from the Grenoble Alpes University introduced latest medical techniques and surgeries proved effective in treatment of breast cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer and others.

The Vietnamese and French doctors not only shared experience in cancer treatment and but also discussed ways to foster cooperation with and transfer of new cancer treatment techniques to Vietnam.

The management of Xuyen A General Hospital later discussed with leaders of the Grenoble Alpes University a project to build a centre for cancer treatment in Cu Chi district, HCM City. The university was expected to provide professional expertise for the Vietnamese hospital to develop the project.

Cancer is one of the most common diseases in Vietnam, with an increasing number of young patients, including children. Vietnam each year detects more than 126,000 cancer cases, and sees 94,000 deaths from the disease, according to the Ministry of Health.

Xuyen A General Hospital is a private medical facility which began operation in Cu Chi district on the outskirts of HCM City in 2014. 

US institute lauds Vietnam’s elimination of lymphatic filariasis

A girl in Lam Dong province contracting lymphatic filariasis  (Photo: baolamdong.vn)

Vietnam has got rid of lymphatic filariasis (LF) thanks to the Government’s drastic efforts and international support, stressed US RTI International - an independent and non-profit institute that provides research, development and technical services to government and commercial clients worldwide.

“Vietnam joins a small number of countries in achieving validation of LF elimination”, the RTI said. Vietnam’s success is significant to other developing countries, which are struggling with elephantiasis, an infection transmitted to humans through mosquitoes that damages the body’s lymphatic system.

The commitments of the Vietnamese Government, the World Health Organisations and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to ending this tropical disease, together with GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd’s donations of medications, have been paid off.

The institute also spoke highly of the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology (NIMPE)’s role, describing its coordination as a key factor in wiping out the disease.

A national programme to eliminate the LF was launched by the Ministry of Health’s NIMPE in 2001. Large-scale treatment campaign and survey were carried out in six LF-endemic provinces during 2003-2008 to block its transmission. USAID has supported Vietnam’s effort since 2011. 

Molly Brady, senior manager on RTI’s EVISON project funded by the USAID aiming at the control and elimination of seven neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), stressed that the Vietnamese Government deserves congratulations for achieving this ambitious medical goal. 

The country’s success is counted on collaboration of various sides, including the WHO, USAID and many other partners, she added.

Grassroots healthcare to be improved: Minister

Residents of Sơn Trà District in central Đà Nẵng City gather for check up at the local health centre. 

Việt Nam planned to improve its primary healthcare staff to provide comprehensive care for individuals and families over the next ten years, a senior health ministry official said.

“While some hospitals at central-level receive 5,000-6,000 patients a day, only 2-3 patients visit commune health stations,” said Minister of Health Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến.

This underlined the need to strengthen the healthcare network at grassroots levels to meet the ever growing needs of residents, save on medical costs and reduce overcrowding at larger hospitals, she said.

Data from other countries showed that between 80 and 90 per cent of people with non-fatal diseases could be treated at grassroots level.

Statistics from the Health Ministry showed that up to 30-40 per cent of patients who visited central-level hospitals could have been treated at provincial level hospitals.

Going down the chain, 30-40 per cent of patients who visited provincial hospitals could have been treated at district health facilities, and a further 30-40 per cent could have been treated at commune health stations instead of district facilities.

Since last year, the ministry has been piloting a commune family medicine plan at 26 medical stations in eight provinces and cities.

Positive results have been recorded at a number of commune health stations including those in Bạc Liêu, Đồng Tháp, Vĩnh Phúc and Bắc Giang provinces which have been treating up to 100 patients a day.

Tiến told a teleconference said the ministry was planning to expand the model nationwide. The conference last week drew the participation of about 12,000 health representatives from across the country.

Thanks to the implementation of the model, Bắc Giang managed to treat about 86,000 people with non-communicable diseases in the first nine months of this year. The rate of hypertensive patients treated by primary healthcare at grassroots level reached 97.3 per cent, and 86.2 per cent for people with diabetes.

Progress was also reported in Vĩnh Phúc. As many as 99.3 per cent of its communal medical stations had obtained national standards. Medical records had been set up for about 51 per cent of the province’s population. All stations had doctors and could conduct 80 per cent of technical services in accordance with Health Ministry regulations.

Sending doctors from district level to commune medical stations to provide check-ups for local residents and train medical staff had proved effective.

Tiến has requested health facilities central levels to lower the number of patients they treat to under 4,000 people a day from 5,000-6,000.  In addition, those facilities were asked to dispatch staff to health centres at district and commune levels as well as transfer patients and medicine.

Besides performing their regular duties, medical stations should manage and treat patients with non-communicable and chronic diseases, the minister said.

She urged local health departments to approve list of medicines and technical services they needed and co-ordinate with the health insurance agency for funding.

We needed to enhance people’s awareness of healthcare and the role of primary healthcare at grassroots level, Tiến said. 

HCM City Border Guards solve illegal mining, smuggling cases

Five barges were caught illegally mining sand on the Cần Giờ Sea by HCM City’s Long Hoà Town Border Guards on Saturday.

Five barges were caught illegally mining sand on the Cần Giờ Sea by HCM City’s Long Hoà Town Border Guards on Saturday.

The captains of the barges could not present permits to the guards when confronted.

According to Phạm Long Bào, head of the unit, Captain Bùi Văn Hợp, 38, even tried to pump sand out to get rid of the evidence.

The five barges were carrying a combined 700cu.m of sand and have been seized for further investigation.

On the same day, at the SP-ITC International Container Port in District 9, Nhà Rồng Border Guards found Nguyễn Quốc Anh, 40, a crew member on the Pacific Express, carrying 175 watches labelled Olym Precious.

Anh said that he had bought the watches from Singapore but could not provide a certificate of origin.

He is under arrest pending further inquiries. 

A hundred of food poisoned victim being treated

The majority of victims are being treated at Đông Anh Hospital. 

Hà Nội’s Đông Anh District authorities yesterday mobilised all resources to treat almost 200 children suffering food poisoning after a party at Xuân Nộn Kindergarten.

Đông Anh District People’s Committee asked hospitals to build up the most effective treatment regime to help these youngsters.

Lê Trung Kiên, the district head, ordered officials to stay at medical facilities at which children received treatment to provide support.

Xuân Nội Kindergarten was sprayed with sterilising chemicals, especially at its kitchen area after the party last Wednesday.

Until Sunday morning, 192 child patients were treated at hospitals in Đông Anh District and Hà Nội’s urban hospitals.

Most of them were making a full recovering.

From Thursday to Friday, a hundred of them suffered symptoms of headache, nausea and fever then were hospitalised at local and central medical facilities.

Expressway management units told to tighten supervision

A container truck tries to turn off to the Hà Nội - Hải Phòng Expressway last Saturday.

The National Committee for Traffic Safety has directed all expressway management units to tighten supervision in order to stop traffic safety violations.

The move comes after local media recently reported a series of traffic violations that had caused public concern.

The main violations included driving or reversing vehicles in the wrong lane, illegally stopping or parking, and driving motorbikes and walking on expressways.

For example, a container truck was spotted driving in the wrong lane and making u-turn in the middle of the Hà Nội – Hải Phòng Expressway last Saturday. The violation was picked up by cameras and reported to traffic police, who fined the driver VNĐ7 million (US$300) and revoked his driving licence for five months.

The truck driver told police he did not know the road well, and had missed the turning for National Highway 10. His action forced vehicles behind him to brake sharply to avoid an accident.

Another example was a truck that drove the wrong way down the Nội Bài - Lào Cai Expressway. 

The committee has asked expressway management units to send footage of traffic violations to the local media so the press can raise awareness of dangerous driving. 

Ninh Thuận choose 12 products to promote

Ninh Thuận Province has selected 12 products for further development in the 2018-20 period.

The Ninh Thuận Province People’s Committee has chosen 12 products that will be developed and promoted in the 2018-20 period. 

The products are grapes, jujube, asparagus, garlic, aloe vera, spinosum seaweed, shrimp seeds, sheep, goats, Cà Ná fish sauce, Mỹ Nghiệp brocade weaving and Bàu Trúc pottery.

The south-central province has also identified black pigs, yellow oxen, cows and Ninh Sơn fruit as special products.  

To be chosen, the products must meet eight criteria, including historical development and reputation, specific quality and market scale, output and development scale, and environmental friendliness and safety.

Speaking at a seminar in Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm City on Thursday (Nov 15), the deputy chairman of the province’s People’s Committee, Trần Quốc Nam, said the area has comparative advantages even though it has a harsh climate, with the least rainfall in the country.

To exploit these advantages, the province has chosen 12 products and three other products with potential to build brand names.

The province is the largest producer of grapes, jujube, garlic, shrimp seeds and animals.

It has more than 160,000 sheep, 137,000 goats, 112,000 oxen and cows, and 92,000 pigs, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

It also has more than 1,300ha of grapes, 1,000ha of jujube, 210ha of garlic and 333ha of aloe vera.

In recent years, the province has helped farmers make these special products and  has protected their intellectual property rights.

The province’s grapes and sheep have been granted geographical indication status.

The province has collective brand names for Ninh Thuận jujube, Phan Rang garlic, Văn Hải VietGAP grapes, Bác Ái black pigs, Mỹ Nghiệp brocade weaving and Bàu Trúc pottery.

It also has special certification marks for goats, aloe vera, green asparagus, shrimp seed, spinosum seaweed, Cà Ná fish sauce and Ninh Sơn fruits.  

However, zoning and high-tech concentrated farming areas for products and co-operation among farmers and companies in production and sales have not developed well.

Nam said that more trade promotions and sales of special products should be organised.

The provincial People’s Committee said it would help farmers and companies work together more closely in producing products and guaranteeing outlets.       

It will also conduct research to set up sites to sell these special products, and organise  tours for visitors to areas that make the products. 

18-month Australian gender project closes

The “Integrating gender and social inclusion into agricultural value-chain research in Việt Nam” gender project closes after 18 months. 

The Australian embassy organised a workshop in Hà Nội yesterday to close its 18-month “Integrating gender and social inclusion into agricultural value-chain research in Việt Nam” gender project.

“Australia strongly commits to gender equality promotion in Việt Nam,” Rebecca Bryant, deputy head of mission at the embassy in Hà Nội, said.

The project is funded by Australia through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

It works with 10 ACIAR projects with a total funding of US$12.7 million focusing on value chains in Việt Nam and Southeast Asia.

It is implemented by the International Potato Center and three partner organisations.

To end next month, the project aims to address gendered social constraints and create opportunities to increase adoption of modern technologies for more sustainable intensification and enhance inclusive value chains for ethnic minority women and men.

The project has done six field studies to understand how gender norms and relations influence farming practices and identify gender-based opportunities and challenges for ethnic minority women and men farmers.

It had organised three gender training programmes in Hà Nội and HCM City and a gender-awareness workshop in Myanmar.

It also created an evidence database for gender transformative research and development, enhanced capacity for researchers and established a network and knowledge hub for agricultural and gender scientists in the region.

Workshop participants included government officials and researchers from Việt Nam, Myanmar, the Philippines, Laos, and Cambodia, ethnic minority farmers from Mộc Châu and Điện Biên and ethnic minority university students. 

Charity auction raises funds for heart operations

Actor and director Ngô Thanh Vân, Heartbeat Vietnam Ambassador, speaks about Scar of Life 8, a charity gala and auction that will raise funds for disadvantaged children with congenital heart defects, to be held at the French Consul General’s Residence and Garden. — Photo courtesy of VinaCapital Foundation

Scar of Life 8, a charity auction and gala that raises funds for disadvantaged children with congenital heart defects, will be held at the French Consul General’s Residence and Garden in HCM City.

The gala of art, food, music, with the theme “The Lucky Clover”, expects to welcome more than 300 guests who will bid for 47 silent auction items.

Another 10 valuable items, made possible by donations of Longines, Mia Resort Nha Trang, Six Senses Resort Ninh Vân Bay, John Richards, Austin Home, Perfetto, Italian Point, Bến Thành Art & Fame and art collector Lan Lưu, will be live auctioned on stage.

The annual event will feature actor Jun Phạm’s directorial debut, the short movie “Four-Leaf Clover” (Cỏ Bốn Lá), produced exclusively to help spread the message of the programme.

“With Scars of Life 8, I am calling for more philanthropists to join hands to help heal little children’s hearts,” said actor and director Ngô Thanh Vân, ambassador for VinaCapital Foundation’s Heartbeat Vietnam.

Launched in 2010, Scar of Life, a joint effort between the Vietnam Artist Agency and the non-government organisation VinaCapital Foundation, has helped save the lives of 1,520 children with congenital heart defects. 

TRAFFIC workshop discusses sustainability

TRAFFIC’s Green Growth workshop opened in Hà Nội on Thursday. 

Representatives of NGOs, corporations, government agencies, and community plant harvester consortiums took part in TRAFFIC’s Green Growth workshop in Hà Nội on Thursday to discuss the economic and environmental benefits of sustainable sourcing.

“Sustainability is key: in order to offer Việt Nam the support it needs moving forward, we need to understand the real challenges that people and companies face on their journey to becoming more sustainable,” Sarah Ferguson, director of TRAFFIC in Việt Nam, said.

The event brought together contributors from various links in the plant-processing trade chain to determine how trade in legal wildlife products could be managed for sustainability, providing benefits to all parties.

It featured a review of TRAFFIC’s recently completed project working with wild medicinal and aromatic plant collectors in the northern province of Bắc Kạn, which saw them increase their income from the jiaogulan plant by 30 per cent.

Fourteen per cent of the province’s population lives below the poverty line.

Project participants were trained in sustainable harvesting techniques and taught how to negotiate better trade contracts.

Over 15 groups were formed during the project, which benefited nearly 1,000 collectors, including 415 women.

Representatives of TRAFFIC and Bắc Kạn’s Forest Protection Department reflected on the achievements of the initiative and said the model was suitable for replication across Việt Nam and for other plant species.

The FairWild Standard, an international best practices framework for wild plant trade, was put forth as a means by which companies could ensure they were meeting global standards in product quality, labour practices and sustainability.

Việt Nam is home to around 4,000 species of medicinal and aromatic plants, which provide key ingredients for food, medicines and cosmetics.

However, many of them are under threat due to destructive harvesting practices, uncontrolled trade and a lack of monitoring and enforcement.

Improving links along trade chains, building capacity for sustainable harvesting and promoting equitable trade are crucial for their conservation.

The workshop was funded by the Darwin Initiative, a UK government programme that works to protect bio-diversity and the natural environment through locally based projects world-wide. 

Việt Nam, Cambodia celebrate traditional friendship

The Việt Nam-Cambodia Friendship monument was inaugurated last year in Battambang.

Celebrations for the 65th anniversary of the Kingdom of Cambodia’s Independence Day on November 9 were successfully organised by the Royal Embassy of Cambodia to Việt Nam and the Việt Nam-Cambodia Friendship Association. It was attended by members of ASEAN diplomatic missions to Việt Nam and Cambodian students.

November 9, 1953 is a milestone in the past 65 years in the royal mission for the homeland and the Cambodian people. The Father of Independence, Preah Norodom Sihanouk Preah Borom Ratanak Kort, devoted his strength and spirit to the struggle to claim Cambodian independence from French colonialism.

It is thanks to this that Cambodian is enjoying the dividends of peace, stability and rapid development. Cambodia is a successful example of a war-torn country which has succeeded in making a complete and proud transformation. This is thanks to dramatic changes in Cambodia’s history over the past four decades that have come from the outstanding leadership of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Cambodia now enjoys peace and has become a popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia; a food exporter; an outstanding performer in poverty reduction and improvements in social indicators have been made. Cambodia is recognised as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, which recently has successfully graduated from its status as a low-income country to a lower-middle income country, owing to its high economic growth of around 7 per cent per annum over the past two decades. Cambodia looks forward to becoming an upper middle income country in 2030.

Cambodia is now governed by the rule of law and firmly respects multi-party liberal democracy, with regular, free and fair elections, held to enable its people to choose the country’s leadership. In the general election of Cambodia’s sixth legislature of the National Assembly in July, nearly seven million Cambodians cast their votes and decided on their political choices freely and without any coercion, threat or violence. By their votes, Cambodians reaffirmed their desire for peace, stability and long-lasting sustainable development.

On Cambodia-Việt Nam relations, from the beginning of the struggle against the French colonialism, Cambodia and Việt Nam have always supported each other on the basis of a summit between the leaders of three Indo-China countries until the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Việt Nam on June 24, 1967 by our King Norodom Sihanouk and President Hồ Chí Minh. Their achievements are deeply and forever rooted in the hearts of the two peoples.

Cambodia and Việt Nam enjoy a close relationship as a solid foundation for strengthening our existing bilateral co-operation, which has no doubt shaped our future comprehensive relations under the mantra of “good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive and lasting co-operation”. 

The close relation has contributed to great achievements of both sides. In terms of trade and investment flows, both countries aim to reach the US$5 billion target set for 2020. Beyond bilateral relations, the two countries have enjoyed solid co-operation in various regional forums including ASEAN, Mekong sub-regional frameworks and other multilateral co-operation mechanisms.  

As members of the ASEAN family, both countries have worked closely towards peace, stability and happiness in the region and the world. 

Traffic safety race attracts more than 800 athletes

Team 2041 celebrate winning the Kizuna Ekiden relay marathon. 

Việt Nam’s Team 2041 from the Ministry of Public Security won the Kizuna Ekiden relay marathon yesterday in Ha Noi.

Team 1224 finished runners-up, followed by teams C10 and Youngster 5.

The race attracted 800 Vietnamese and Japanese policemen, along with non-professional runners from 202 units and organisations.

Athletes were divided into teams of four, and handed over a sash known as a Tasuki to each other as they competed on the 14km course. 

Entitled Run for Traffic Safety, the race was co-organised by Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, Việt Nam’s Ministry of Public Security and Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) newspaper to celebrate the 45th diplomatic anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations as the world commemorated people who have died in traffic accidents.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyễn Văn Thành and Japanese Ambassador to Việt Nam Umeda Kunio attended the race.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Governor of Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture Kuroiwa Yuji said he was excited to take part in the race and hoped it would be held annually. 

Bamboo Airways golf tournament to tee off

The Bamboo Airways golf tournament is scheduled to tee off on November 24 at FLC Samson Golf Links in the central province of Thanh Hóa.

The event will attract the participation of more than 1,000 domestic and foreign golfers. They will compete in four groups including three for men.

It will offer total prize money of more than VNĐ100 billion (US$4.3 million).

Any player that shoots a hole in one will also win a luxury car.

The tournament will run until November 27. 

Vietnamese designer to introduce ‘Ao dai’ in Russia

Ao dai with various style, materials, patterns, and colours of the designer Minh Hanh were modeled by the Russian students

Designer Minh Hanh gave a talk about Ao dai (traditional long dress) named "Vietnamese culture - traditional values of Ao dai and influences on modern life" at the Moscow State Linguistic University (MGLU) on November 16.   

This is the first time Vietnamese Ao dai have been introduced in Russia by the talented and well-known designer Minh Hanh, who is deeply attached to the Ao dai and the traditional materials of the nation.

The talk received the attention of Russian teachers and students studying Vietnamese at the MGLU and several other universities, as well as Vietnamese students and representatives of the Association of Vietnamese in Russia.

Designer Hanh talked about the development of Ao dai from the beginning of the 19th century until present times.

The typical versions of Ao dai throughout history, from the Le Pho Ao dai in 1930, Le Mur Ao dai in 1930, the Ao dai of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s to the Ao dai of the 21st century and the Ao dai of the future, were introduced at the talk.

Ao dai with various style, materials, patterns, and colours of the designer Minh Hanh were modeled by the Russian students. Among them are Ao dai designed with Russian images such as the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral.

According to Elena Zubtsova, an associate professor of the MGLU, the talk by designer Minh Hanh was a wonderful opportunity for Russian people to understand more about the Ao dai of Vietnam.