First national press award on children launched

The first national press award on children is inviting entries from reporters, journalists, collaborators and press agencies across the country from now until March 5, 2018, according to the co-organisers - the Vietnam Association for Protection of Children’s Rights (VAPCR) and the Vietnam Journalist Association (VJA).

Speaking at the launching ceremony in Hanoi on June 16, VAPCR President Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa said the press plays an important role in bringing the State’s policies and the government’s laws to people, including the Law on Children. It helps translate the law into reality, contributing to child care and education and creating a safer environment for children, she added.

Hoa hoped that the press award on children will provide an opportunity for the media, child-related social organisations, VAPCR and VJA to enhance cooperation in child protection.

The biennial award is designed honour reporters, journalists and press agencies who dedicate themselves to child care, protection and education through their publications.

Entries must cover different aspects of pressing issues on children, their aspirations and the implementation of the Law on Children, and speak out against violations of children’s rights. They may also introduce outstanding individuals with good practices and experiences in child care, protection and education.

The entries might be a single article or broadcast or a series of related articles or broadcasts as a unit published or broadcast on TV or radio in Vietnam from October 12, 2016 to March 5, 2018.

Each contestant is allowed to submit no more than five entries.-

Australian police arrest Vietnamese nationals in cannabis farming investigation

Police in Perth in western Australia have arrested four Vietnamese nationals and frozen bank accounts containing more than US$760,000 as part of an investigation into a cannabis-growing syndicate.

The Australian Association Press reported that a 44-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman are awaiting trial after being charged with dealing in property linked to criminal activity.

Police froze their bank accounts and made the arrests after spotting suspicious financial transactions, it said.

Search warrants carried out at their residences found more than $7,600 in cash.

Two other Vietnamese nationals were also arrested for delivering money to one of the houses. They face deportation for staying in Australia without valid visas.

Australia is fairly relaxed about cannabis. Late last year the Federal Government passed laws to legalize medicinal cannabis to treat patients with painful and chronic conditions with products imported from overseas.

It has also given the green light for licensed companies to legally import, store and sell the drug until domestic production meets local needs.

Binh Phuoc reburies remains of 122 volunteer troops

The southern province of Binh Phuoc on June 9 held a ceremony to rebury remains of 122 volunteer soldiers, who laid down their lives in wartime in Cambodia, at the provincial martyrs' cemetery.

2,223 martyrs’ remains reburied in 2016

The search for the remains of martyrs in battlefields and the repatriation of remains of fallen Vietnamese volunteer troops and experts in Laos and Cambodia to the Motherland have been especially cared by the Vietnamese Party, State, Government and army.

The search for the remains of martyrs in battlefields and the repatriation of remains of fallen Vietnamese volunteer troops and experts in Laos and Cambodia to the Motherland have been especially cared by the Vietnamese Party, State, Government and army.

So far, search team K72 of the Binh Phuoc Military Command has collected and reburied 10,018 sets of remains of fallen troops in many cemeteries in Binh Phuoc province.

Among them, 1,600 sets of remains were found inside the country and 2,392 sets of remains were repatriated in Cambodian; 5,869 sets of remains have been identified while 4,149 sets of remains have yet been named. The province’s search team K72 has also handed over 979 remains to the martyrs’ relatives or their home villages.

Besides, generations of officers, soldiers and people of Binh Phuoc province have been carrying out "gratitude" activities to help ease the pain and improve the material and spiritual lives of the martyrs’ relatives, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers and wounded solders.

Photojournalists’ exhibition opens at capital

A photo exhibition titled “Impression” was co-organised by the Hà N?i Photo Journalist Club and the Hà N?i Journalist Association on the occasion of Vi?t Nam Press Day’s 92th anniversary (June 21, 1925-2017).

135 photos from 38 journalists from across the country captured major political, social and cultural events of the nation during the last 10 years.

Notably among them were Ði?n Biên Ph? Victory 60th anniversary military parade, legendary Gen. Võ Nguy?n Giáp funeral day, the historic flood of Hà N?i in 2008 as well as everyday life moments through the lens of the journalists.

Nguy?n Xuân Chính, a representative from the journalist club, said while some of the photos were not taken by professional photographers all of them were taken by journalists who are working day and night to bring the news to the public.

The exhibition will last until next Monday at 29 Hàng Bài, Hà N?i.

Hai Duong spends over 3.1 trillion VND on building new rural areas

The Red River Delta province of Hai Duong has sped up a national programme on building new-style rural areas with estimated funds of 3.17 trillion VND (140 million USD).

Of the sum, 121 billion VND (5.3 million USD) was sourced from the State budget and the remainder mobilised from social resources.

Hai Duong province aims to have all communes meeting 17 criteria of the programme by the end of 2017. It also aims to have at least 30 new communes satisfying the criteria, raising the total number to 132 communes, or 58.4 percent.

This year, 38 communes in Hai Duong have registered to meet new-style rural area criteria, including six in Thanh Ha district, five in Ninh Giang district and four in Chi Linh district.

To meet the target, apart from stepping up communication campaigns, the province has frequently monitored the programme in all localities to promptly address difficulties.

Hai Duong has also focused on agricultural development projects, boosting local products and providing vocational training on technology for rural labourers.

In addition, the province has been working to link farmer households and businesses to bolster family-based and farming economies.

All localities were also asked to complete essential infrastructure such as irrigation construction and clean water supply and raise public awareness about garbage and wastewater treatment.

By April 30, 102 communes in Hai Duong had been recognised as new-style rural areas, accounting for 45.1 percent of the total number.

WB-funded agriculture project emphasizes on real-life effectiveness

The World Bank-funded project “Vietnam Sustainable Agriculture Transformation” (VnSAT) has quality over quantity in farming since it started two years ago.

The project aims to improve farming practices and value chains in rice and coffee farming in the Mekong Delta and the Central Highlands, the two major good commercial production areas in Vietnam and promote institutional strengthening of public agencies to help implement the country’s agricultural restructuring plan.

After two years of implementation, the project has established a complete organisational structure from central to grassroots levels and carried out a range of tasks.

By May 2017, the VnSAT had assessed 75 farmer organisations with a total of 2,785 households growing rice and 776 others planting coffee that were provided with training on new cultivation techniques – “three reductions, three gains (3R3G)” and “one must, five reductions (1M5R)” a year ago.

3R3G refers to reductions in seed, chemicals, and water and gains in productivity, quality, and economic efficiency while 1M5R means using registered seeds and reductions in seed, chemical fertiliser, pesticide, water use and post-harvest losses.

The results show that some 36 organisations, or 48 percent, have more than 50 percent of their households or growing areas using the practices. 

The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, and the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak and Lam Dong led the way with all of their farmer organisations achieving positive results.

The majority of organisations in Mekong Delta provinces have seen lower prevalence of the new techniques due to local tradition of sowing by hand that did not allow peasants to effectively control the number of seedlings planted on each hectare. As a result, the number was usually above the project’s requirements.

In the Central Highlands, most organisations have not met criteria in terms of shade tree, organic fertiliser and production recording.

The VnSAT also evaluated the capability of the organisations to measure their needs of investment in warehouses, drying yards, pumping stations and roads.

The workshop to review the implementation of the project during the first half of 2017 proposed the organisations buy sowing machines and teach farmers how to use them effectively.

Sergiy Zorgya, a senior agricultural economist from the World Bank, said to effectively carry out the project, it is necessary to learn from the real demand of farmers to design effective support for them.

HCMC petitioned to get tough on overloaded trucks

The HCMC Goods Transport Association has proposed the HCMC Traffic Safety Committee ask the city government to take tough measures against overloaded trucks.

Overloaded trucks are not an uncommon sight in the city, said Nguyen Van Chanh, general secretary of the association, and this is unfair for trucking companies that strictly observe load limit regulations. Therefore, the association’s proposal for strict measures is aimed at creating a healthy business environment.

Chanh said overloaded trucks could be found in some areas in District 2, such as Minh Viet weigh station and the area in front of Storehouse C of Cat Lai Port; Nguyen Van Linh Parkway in District 7; and Phu Huu Port in District 9.

The city’s traffic inspectors have handled over 1,700 cases involving overloaded trucks and imposed fines of more than VND17.7 billion in the first half of the year, according to data of the HCMC Department of Transport.

The Ministry of Transport is coming up with a master plan to set up weigh stations by 2020 with a vision towards 2030. There will be 28 stations in the next four years.

Order restored on 116 downtown streets

Law enforcement officers of District 1 in HCMC have restored sidewalk order on 116 out of 134 streets in the city center, said Tran The Thuan, chairman of the district.

The district conducted 46 inspections from mid-January to mid-April and fined owners of 203 cars, towed away six vehicles and 245 motorbikes, and removed 812 sidewalk obstacles. Fines amounted to VND3.2 billion.

Households did away with 3,500 sidewalk obstacles on their own at the request of local authorities.

Thuan added the district plans to allow poor households to sell goods in designated areas on Nguyen Van Chiem Street, multiple streets in Da Kao, Ben Thanh, Nguyen Thai Binh, Nguyen Cu Trinh and Cau Ong Lanh wards, and Bach Tung Diep Park.

However, chaos has relapsed on many sidewalks after the recent urban order restoration campaign, such as Hoang Sa and Ba Le Chan streets, a Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street section between Hoang Sa and Nguyen Binh Khiem streets, Ton Duc Thang Street, Nguyen Hue Boulevard, Children’s Hospital 2, Tu Du Hospital, Ben Thanh Market and Saigon Square, Le Thi Hong Gam Street, Nguyen Thai Binh Street and Pho Duc Chinh Street.

In the coming time, District 1 will establish two teams to check and restore urban order on 116 streets that have been cleared.     

Book Street in HCMC attracts huge crowd

The number of book lovers visiting Nguyen Van Binh Book Street in District 1, HCMC soared in the first half of 2017.

According to the Southern Representative Office of the Vietnam Publishers Association, there were 5,000-6,000 visitors coming to the Book Street on any weekday. At weekends or on special occasions, the number of visitors rose to 10,000 a day.

In the first six months of 2017, the Book Street attracted more than 1.2 million visitors, a sharp increase compared to 2016 with an average number of 4,000-4,500 visitors a day and 1.5 million visitors in the whole year.

Le Hoang, director of the Southern Representative Office of the Vietnam Publishers Association, said book sales have increased significantly. In the first quarter of 2017 alone, the Book Street gained revenue of about VND11 billion (about US$485,000), equal to the revenue of the whole second half of 2016.

Along with Vietnamese readers, the Book Street has lured a large number of foreign visitors. However, according to the HCMC Book Street Company Limited, there are just a few booths selling foreign language books. Therefore, book publishers should select appropriate Vietnamese books and translate them into foreign languages to serve foreign readers.

Besides, the company has made the Book Street more attractive and spacious by adding more green spaces and rearranging the booths.

To meet the high demand of readers, the HCMC Department of Information and Communications has plans to open more book streets in the city, with each able to cater to the citizenry of two or three districts.

IFEZ to support HCM City to become smart city

Chairman of  the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Thanh Phong hosted a reception for Director General of Incheon U-city Corporation Park Byeong Cheul on June 14.

The local government has completed the project on building the city into a smart one in the 2017-2025 period and with a vision towards 2030, said the chairman.

He hoped to receive advices, technical plans and financial solutions from Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ)’s experts on the basis of the conditions of the city.

His counterpart, Park Byeong Cheul said that IFEZ would coordinate with Ho Chi Minh City to establish a group of experts to plan this project, choose operating units as well as giving human resource training support.

Incheon U-city Corporation is a private- public partnership in order to secure funding for system operation through effective business model. The company develops and manages U-City projects for public and private sectors in South Korea and internationally. It offers general system construction, maintenance business, and international consulting business for countries to create smart cities. Incheon U-city Corporation develops and manages Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ). 

Bilingual street signs in HCM City

In an effort to become more friendly to international visitors, HCM City has added English to its safety signs.

The Sài Gòn River Tunnel is one of the first places to go bilingual, with an overhead electronic board having information also in English.

The route is popular with people living in District 2, the main expat area.

But typos and grammatical mistakes have sparked criticism.

Last year the city received 5.2 million foreign tourists and expects 6 million this year.

At the end of 2015 the city had 110,000 foreigners registered as temporary residents.

Last year Vi?t Nam was ranked one of the best places for expats, according to a HSBC survey.

In Asia, it came after only Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, with very high satisfaction about integration, making friends and social life.

Water project benefits 160,000

Nearly 160,000 residents of eight H?ng (Red) River Delta provinces benefited from a programme for rural water supply and sanitation during the past four years.

The information was reported by Nguy?n Xuân Tùng, deputy director of the National Centre for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, at a conference held this week in Hà N?i by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the World Bank.

A total of 48 water supply projects were set up to provide clean water for more than 132,700 households. The projects were managed well, providing sufficient clean water reaching regulated norms for residents’ daily lives, said Tùng.

By the 2019 end of the programme, as many as 60 water supply projects will have been be completed, bringing clean water for more than 224,700 households.

In the 2013-16 period the fund disbursed more than VNÐ2.5 trillion (US$110.2 million), making up more than 60 per cent of the programme’s total. This year more than VNÐ540 billion ($23.8 million) will be used, making up more than 13 per cent of the programme’s total fund.

However, several provinces implemented the programme slowly and might not complete the scheduled plan, and need stronger instruction from provincial authorities, he said.

Ð? Van Thành, head of the Rural Water Supply Programme’s Management Board under the MARD, said most provinces followed the regulations and plans.

Several provinces and cities including Vinh Phúc, Thanh Hóa and Hung Yên met difficulties in clearing the ground so the projects could be completed late, he said.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoàng Van Th?ng said the programme for rural water supply and sanitation needed co-operation among different sectors and much remains to be done. He warned provincial authorities to pay more attention to proper use of the capital provided. 

Sustainable forests project launched

A project on sustainable forests, jointly implemented by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), has officially launched.

The project, entitled ’Promotion of Sustainable Management of Production Forests by Forest Companies in Vi?t Nam’, will be carried out in the period between 2017 and 2019, with a total funding of 692,185 euros (US$772,000) and a counterpart fund of 55,000 euros ($61,000).

The project was assigned to the Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences (VAFS), as the project owner, and DFS and HessenForest (Germany), as consultants to provide technical support.

The three main objectives of the project are strengthening sustainable forest management in the selected State forest companies; establishing a training centre for sustainable forest management and forest certification, and replication of capacity building for forest companies and related agencies through training courses.

Currently, sustainable forest management and forest certification is one of the top priorities in the forestry sector in Vi?t Nam, according to forestry experts on Wednesday.

The Forestry Development Strategy 2006-20 has set a target of having at least 3 per cent of production forest areas certified as managed in a sustainable fashion by 2020, the experts said.

However, the implementation of sustainable forest management and forest certification in Vi?t Nam was far behind the expected targets.

To promote sustainable forest management and forest certification in Vi?t Nam, one of the current priorities was to build the capacity of forest owners and stakeholders for sustainable forest management.

With the support of the project, the training centre for sustainable forest management and forest certification will be established to deliver the training courses to forest owners across the country from 2018.

This is a first model of training centre in Vi?t Nam on sustainable forest management and certification that will be built on a joint co-operation between forestry research institute and forest companies (for demonstration activities).

It is expected to make significant contribution to capacity building for the stakeholders in the field of sustainable forest management in Vi?t Nam, contributing to the implementation of forest sector restructuring project.

As of 2016, about 205,000ha of forest are certified for sustainable forest management.

Yesterday, the project launch workshop was held in Ðông Hà City of Qu?ng Tr? Province with the participation of representatives from Vietnam Administration of Forestry, International Cooperation Department, and Agriculture and Rural Development departments of Qu?ng Bình, Qu?ng Tr? and Th?a Thiên-Hu? provinces and project partners.

U15 national contest to open in August

Hosts Tây Ninh will play Hoàng Anh Gia Lai in a Group A opener of the National U15 Football Championship.

The draw for the tournament to be held in Tây Ninh Province was held in Hà N?i yesterday.

The tournament, known as the Thái Son B?c Cup, will field eight teams who qualified in April.

The teams, divided into two groups, will compete in a round robin format from August 2. Two top teams from each group will advance to the semi-final round. The winners will walk away with VNÐ50 million (US$2,200) after the final on August 12.

It is the second year in a row that the Thái Son B?c Electric Equipment Trading Company is sponsoring the tournament.

Bùi Ðình T?, Thái Son B?c director, said the sponsorship was part of the company’s support for youth football in the country. He said he believed it would help strengthen and develop the game in the country, especially after the recent success of the U20 team. 

Firms reject clean production initiative

Many businesses have refused to join a clean production and energy efficiency project because they don’t find attractive enough incentives, experts said at a conference on June 15.

The conference was held to review implementation of the five-year Vietnam Clean Production and Energy Efficiency Project (CPEE) that closed this month.

“To encourage firms and to reach a more ambitious goal, more attractive incentives are needed,” Nguyen Dinh Hiep, vice chairman of the Vietnam Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency Association, said at the conference.

The World Bank-funded CPEE project aimed to strengthen capacity for effective delivery of the national energy efficiency programme in key industrial sectors. This would improve energy efficiency and reduce associated greenhouse gas emissions.

The project had set goal of improving energy efficiency to more than 360,000 TOEs (tonnes oil equivalent) and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1.25 million TCO2 (tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent) by 2017.

“However, only 70 per cent of the goals have been met,” said a representative from the Department of Science, Technology and Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The department estimated that the project would help save 249,000 TOEs of energy and reduce emissions by 933,000 TCO2 this year.

To date, about 89 per cent of the project’s investment has been disbursed, and disbursement of the remaining funds would continue, officials said, without elaborating.

The World Bank estimates that Vietnam can effect energy savings of 11 per cent with proper investment in energy consumption.

Experts also said that Vietnam needs more policies that encourage firms to save energy and promote energy efficiency in the long term.

Programme gives free genital reconstruction surgery to 230 children

Doctors from the US and Italy have provided free genital regeneration operations for 230 Vietnamese children, and given free consultation and check-ups to 800 other patients since August 2011 under a programme entitled “Thien Nhan and Friends”

The information was released at an event in Hanoi on June 15 held by Kim Dong Publishing House and the programme, which was launched six years ago by the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation.

On the occasion, the publishing house introduced the book “Journey of love, diary of Thien Nhan”, which notes difficulties in the journey to reconstruct genitals for Phung Thien Nhan, a young boy with genital problems whose story of overcoming a difficult past after being abandoned by his natural mother and attacked by wild animals inspired the whole nation. 

The publishing house’s editor-in chief Vu Thi Quynh Lien said all money collected from selling the book will be provided for the programme, supporting genital regeneration surgery for kids with genital defects. 

Since 2011, the “Thien Nhan and Friends” programme has coordinated with many hospitals in Vietnam in conducting genital examinations and reconstruction operations for poor Vietnamese children suffering from severe genital birth defects or loss of genitals from accidents twice a year.

In the framework of the programme, Vietnamese pediatric urologists will attend a workshop in Italy in October this year to learn experience from their Italian colleagues in the field.

The programme was inspired by Thien Nhan, an infant discarded at birth and left to die in a jungle. He suffered total loss of genitals and loss of one leg from a brutal mauling by wild animals. He has since been adopted by journalist Tran Mai Anh and lives happily with his new family in Hanoi. He is the official Goodwill Ambassador.

BarCamp Mekong 2017 to be held in Can Tho

The BarCamp Mekong 2017, the first event of its kind in the Mekong Delta region, will be held in Can Tho city on June 18, expected to draw at least 30 speakers and 500 listeners.

BarCamp is an open workshop where all people can register and present any topics they like and feel useful. Therefore, the BarCamp Mekong 2017 is described as a “party of ideas” serving the community. 

According to Lam Sieu Hai, a representative from the organiser ETM Vietnam, the new feature of this event is that topics which are voted most will be presented first. 

The organising board has prepared three well-equipped presentation rooms and listeners can move freely among the rooms to get topics of their concern, he added.

The BarCamp Mekong 2017 aims to connect and share ideas, especially those on start-ups, as well as create a venue for young people to show off themselves, said Nguyen My Thuan, Vice Chairwoman and General Secretary of the Can Tho Business Association.

The organising board has to date received 43 topics in various fields such as online business, students’ start-ups, English and effective learning methods, body language, health, technology, and soft skills, she revealed.

Vietnam sends heartfelt condolences to British fire victims’ families

Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang on June 15 extended the deepest condolences to the UK government, people and families of the victims of the recent fatal fire.

During the ministry’s regular press conference in Hanoi on June 15, Hang said the fire is a regrettable and heart-rending incident. 

She said there has been no information about Vietnamese people falling victim to the fire.

The fire occurred in a high-rise apartment building in west London at 12:54am on June 14, killing at least 17 people and injuring dozens others, but the death toll is expected to rise.

Hanoi pilots free swimming class for children

Given increasing incidences of drowning, the Hanoi Red Cross Society has opened a free swimming class for children in suburban districts to equip them with skills to prevent drowning.

At the class, teachers provide basic knowledge about prevention of drowning as well as first-aid skills. After theory work, children practice swimming. After the class which is scheduled to last 15 days, learners are expected to know how to swim and first-aid skills.

This programme was piloted in Dan Phuong district, and then expanded to all other suburban districts.

Statistics from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs show that 6,400 people die of drowning every year, with more than 50 percent being children and juveniles. This implies that such free swimming classes are critical to reduce drownings.

HCM City customs officials bust marijuana smuggling cases

Customs officials at Tan Son Nhat international airport in Ho Chi Minh City seized nearly 12kg of marijuana smuggled from the US to Vietnam in May and June.

The traffickers used new and sophisticated methods by hiding marijuana in dried fruits bags and boxes of clothes, canned food and confectionery.

Since 2014, customs officials in the airport have uncovered 26 cases of drug trafficking, with a combined total of more than 100 kg of cocaine, heroin and methphetamine and more than a tonne of Khat leaves.

Nhon-Hanoi Station metro project from vanguard to turtle

After seven years of construction, Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro rail project has been delayed many times and so far completed only 35 percent of work volume with investment capital increasing by half.

According to the latest adjustment, the project will be completed in 2021, meaning six years behind plan.

For the last many years, residents living along the route have to suffer dust, traffic jam and unsafety conditions. Xuan Thuy street, home to many universities, is nearly congested every day because of the project’s road works.

85 year old Hoang Anh Tuan says that local people want the project to soon complete so that their life can return back to normal but they have seen only few workers on the construction site or even no workers in some stretches.

After a worker carelessly dropped a five kilogram steel pipe on the nearby pavement, worrying locals, Hanoi Urban Railway Management Board and French Systra consultant company asked contractors to stop construction and review labor safety operations.

Previously, the project was halted after two consecutive labor unsafety cases, threatening passers in 2015. Of these, a crane suddenly fell onto two houses in Cau Giay street, hurting two people. A 10 meter iron beam fell in front of the house at number 265 Ho Tung Mau street, Tu Liem district, Hanoi. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line was initially expected to be the first urban railway project coming into operation to contribute in reducing traffic jam in Hanoi. Still it has become one of the most sluggish disreputable works in the capital city.

Starting in 2006 with the total capital of EUR783 million from official development and reciprocal funds, the project was scheduled to be built in 2010.

However, the work was put off and restarted in September 2010. Afterwards, it continued deferring until 2015. Price escalation has rocketed investment capital by EUR393 million to EUR1,176 billion.

Another credit agreement with French Development Agency was signed in 2016 to supplement an extra of EUR69 million for the project, raising the total amount to EUR1,245 billion. The deadline to complete the project was lengthened to 2018 and recently to till 2021.

Site clearance and slow construction of main bid packages have been believed to be the top reason for the sluggish progress and capital skyrocket.

The investor of the bid package no.1 has many times changed construction firms for poor capacity. The contractor of the third package has demanded US$40 million in contract cost raise due to slow site clearance. Sytra consultant required an extra of $23 million to extending contract time.

Deputy chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen The Hung admitted that the project’s capital skyrocket has been because the project’s unexperienced and unqualified investor has much depended on foreign consultants who have not had profound understanding of Vietnam’s regulations.

According to head of the Hanoi Urban Railway Management Board Nguyen Cao Minh, the Hanoi People’s Committee has made drastic instructions in site clearance after deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung required to speed up the project to solve traffic jam inner the city.

Some bid packages have showed positive changes but some have still been slow because of problems in bidding process and assessment, technical design approval and estimates.

So far, only 40 percent of work on stations on the ground has completed while underground stations have not started construction. Ngoc Khanh station alone faces residents’ objections because of substandard designs.

The Government’s inspectorate has decided to launch an overall inspection over the project from May 16 to June 26. With current problems, experts worried that the project will continue delaying after 2021.

Film studio combined with ecotourism to be built in Bu Dang

People’s Committee in the southern province of Binh Phuoc has just approved the project of Trang Co Bu Lach tourism complex development covering an area of 348ha in Bu Dang Distict.

As per the project, a film studio combined with ecotourism in Trang Co Bu Lach Complex will include space of cultural village where exhibits cultural artifacts of ethnic minority in the province. 

A 40 hectare wildlife reserve area; resort; entertainment area and exhibition area of agricultural produces are designed in the project.

Binh Phuoc Province People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Van Tram said that the project will combine with other nearby complexes such as Ba Ra Mountain Complex, cultural conservation area S’Tieng Sok Bom Bo, historical monuments of the wartime’ region headquarter Ta Thiet to make the province’s specific complexes.

Apple snails attack rice crop in Quang Tri

Farmers in central Qu?ng Tr? Province is struggling to cultivate rice in the summer-autumn crop season due to the outbreak of apple snails, an invasive species that attacks rice plants.

A report by authorities in the province’s Cam L? District said apple snails have eaten newly-sowed rice in 50 hectares of the district.

Farmers in Cam L?, a week ago, discovered their rice plants had been eaten. They later found many apple snails in the paddies, with hundreds of snails per one square metre.

Some farmers did their re-sowing, but the plants continued to be eaten. The farmers are waiting for support from the local authorities to stop the outbreak of the snail attacks. They made several efforts, including chemical spraying, but failed to kill the snails.

Experts said the high frequency of rains this summer reduced the time for the soil to dry, before cultivation, and this created favourable condition for the growth of apple snails.

The snail, which has the scientific name of Pomacea canaliculata, is an invasive species to Vi?t Nam. The country’s agricultural authorities, four decades ago, mistook the snail’s economic effect and imported the snail for breeding around the country.