Vietnamese, Chilean artists discuss role of contemporary art

Scene at the roundtable discussion 

Vietnamese and Chilean artists presented their views on contemporary art and art exchanges at a roundtable discussion held in Hanoi on July 19.

The event was jointly organised by the Chilean Embassy in Vietnam and the Vietnam-Chile Friendship and Cooperation Association under the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations. 

Speaking at the discussion, Chilean Vice Ambassador to Vietnam Gonzalo Guaiqui said the exchange of art is a process that connects Vietnam and Chile, despite their geographical distance.

He shared the examples of Chilean musician Victor Jara, who wrote a song about peace in support of Vietnam during the war; and Chilean graffiti artist Alejandro “Mono” González, who travelled to Vietnam to take part in the Hanoi ceramic mosaic mural project with a 10-metre long piece on Vietnamese-Chilean friendship.

Participating Vietnamese and Chilean artists together provoked discussions on the role of contemporary art and future opportunities for art exchanges between the two nations.

Young Vietnamese artists said many contemporary artists have to work in other fields due to underfunding in the local creative industries, yet they remain determined to pursue their passions.

Chilean visual artist Maria Luisa Puortuondo said she wishes to be closer to her audience, using non-traditional art venues such as public spaces. 

According to her, contemporary art consists of the artwork, audience, artist, and site specificity. She said audience not only observe but also interact with artists in a fluid exchange.

Cannabis garden destroyed in Tây Nguyên Province

Police destroying the illegal cannabis garden in Đắk Nông Province’s Krông Nô District. – Photo baomoi.com.vn

About 1,000 marijuana trees were recently destroyed in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Nông, Việt Nam News Agency reported.

According to the province’s Krông Nô District Police, the tree grove was discovered in Phú Vinh Village of Quảng Phú Commune.

The total weight of marijuana trees being picked up was about 30kg. During the garden destruction, the police found that a large amount of marijuana had been harvested before.

The marijuana garden was located in a forest, 25km from the commune’s centre. The area is difficult to approach due to poor roads, said the commune’s vice chairman Võ Hoàng Phú.

So far, the police had not yet found the owners of the marijuana garden.

The local police said that recently, people had illegally planted the trees in mountainous and remote areas.

Since 2004, the police of Krông Nô have discovered several marijuana gardens and destroyed thousands of the trees in the communes of Nam Đà, Nâm N’Đir and Quảng Phú.

Australian training course helps improve Vietnamese slaughtering techniques

A slaughterhouse of the Vissan Limited Company in HCM City’s Binh Thanh district. 

Vietnamese students at a short training course, sponsored by the Australian Government, on the management of food processing and slaughtering facilities were certified on July 18.

The course is part of the management, training, and exchange of skills (MATES) initiative built by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Vietnam-Australia Human Resource Development Partnership (Aus4Skills) to help managers and workers at food processing and slaughtering facilities implement Australian-standard procedures.

The initiative also looks to provide high-quality beef for Vietnamese consumers and support other activities in the bilateral cooperation programme between Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the MLA for the May 2017-July 2019 period, which hopes to increase the value of meat to stabilise Australia’s beef market in Vietnam.

Michael Sadlon, Director of Aus4Skills, said that the programme aims to help Vietnam gain access to and make use of skilled human resources, contributing to the country’s sustainable socio-economic development.

He added that through the establishment of connectivity networks and the transfer of technology in the beef processing industry in Vietnam, management units and enterprises are able to discover better slaughtering and processing procedures, ensuring food safety and increasing the value of meat products.

Throughout the course, students learned about the management of food processing and slaughtering facilities in Australia and Indonesia, as well as how the value chain of the meat industry operates in 

Australia.

They also had an opportunity to talk with managers and workers at supermarkets and equipment suppliers to apply new technologies in the meat value chain in Vietnam. 

Hoang Mo border guards join locals in cleaning up a border river.

Vietnamese authorities and people from Hoanh Mo and Dong Van communes of Binh Lieu district in the northern province of Quang Ninh coordinated with Chinese counterparts from Fangchenggang city’s Dong Zhong town to clean up the environment along the shared border river on July 18.

This came as an initiative from the people, armies and authorities of the three localities with a view to keeping the environment in the two countries’ border areas clean, as well as facilitating bilateral trade.

Lieutenant Col. Le Anh Tuan, head of the Hoanh Mo border guard station, said the monthly clean-up activity is part of regulations on coordination between the administrations of the two Vietnamese communes China’s Dong Zhong town, as well as between the Hoanh Mo border guard station and the Dong Zhong border inspection station.

It aims to tighten solidarity between the communities and strengthen the protection of border security, he added.

The Hoanh Mo border guard station manages over 43 km of border, stretching over six border communes.

Young Vietnamese expatriates visit and present gifts to children of an orphanage in ancient Hoi An city 

Young Vietnamese expatriates participating in the Vietnam Summer Camp 2018 joined many events to explore the central province of Quang Nam on July 18.

Some 120 young overseas Vietnamese from 29 nations and territories visited and presented gifts to children of an orphanage in ancient Hoi An city. 

On the evening of the same day, the youths joined an exchange programme with members of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Hoi An chapter.

Khuong Thi Thu Hien, an overseas Vietnamse born in Nam Dinh province and living in Slovakia since eight years old, said she has yet to explore many places in Vietnam. The summer camp offered her a chance to understand more about the beauty of the country and its people, especially Hoi An city, a UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Site. Hien added that she will return to Vietnam and spend more time touring the country.

Initiated in 2004, the annual Vietnam Summer Camp has attracted about 2,000 young people from various countries and territories.  Each camp had a theme and events designed to bring different experiences and lessons on Vietnamese culture and history to the participants.

This year’s camp, which runs from July 10-25, features activities across 11 localities from north to south.

The programme includes visits to historical and cultural relic sites in Hanoi and the provinces of Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien - Hue, Kon Tum and Dak Lak.

The closing event will be held in Buon Ma Thuot city, the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, on July 23.

Female entrepreneurs trained on management skills

Women who run small enterprises in the northern province of Vĩnh Phúc take part in a TYM training class to improve their management skills. — Photo phucyen.vinhphuc.gov.vn

A one-year management training course for some 200 female entrepreneurs has just been completed under a project run by Tình Thương One Member Limited Liability Microfinance Institution (TYM) and the New York-based Citi Foundation.

Most of the entrepreneurs who attended the course were involved in agriculture and handicrafts in the provinces of Nam Định, Vĩnh Phúc, Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An and Hưng Yên.

They were given the opportunity to learn about marketing, human resource management, group work, decision making, financial management and business planning.

During classes with experts from the International Labour Organisation and the Việt Nam Women’s Academy, the female entrepreneurs also looked at case studies and shared their real-life business experiences.

Speaking at a workshop on Wednesday, TYM General Director Dương Thị Ngọc Linh said that TYM originated from the Tình Thương fund launched by the Việt Nam Women’s Union in 1992 to help the Government’s hunger elimination and poverty reduction programme while improving women’s status within and outside the home.

TYM provides preferential loans or microfinance for low-income households, especially poor and vulnerable women. TYM also helps to collect its members’ savings which are sent daily, weekly or monthly and can be withdrawn at any time.

Up to last year, TYM had handed out more than 1.3 million loans worth VNĐ10.6 trillion (US$495 million) to more than 144,000 clients. Its outstanding loans last year reached VNĐ1 trillion ($44 million).

Linh said that TYM had helped over 100,000 women escape poverty, and about 7,000 of them had become entrepreneurs, which had driven TYM’s leaders to consider a project to improve the management skills of these emerging businesswomen.

“They have real-life experiences but lack formal business knowledge,” Linh said, adding that once they were equipped with the proper tools, they would be able to run their businesses more effectively.

Phạm Thị Hồng, a TYM member from Tĩnh Gia District in the central province of Thanh Hóa, said that before attending TYM’s training classes, she had never thought about creating a website or Facebook page to advertise her wooden furniture products.

Nguyễn Thị An, a peanut oil producer from Hưng Nguyên District in the central province of Nghệ An, said that she liked the TYM training classes because she had learned more about customers, market prices and negotiations.

“The classes gave me the chance to meet and learn from other businesswomen. They’re great!,” An said.

In 2011, Dương Thị Tuyết, a TYM member from the northern province of Nam Định, was one of six micro-entrepreneurs honoured internationally with the Global Micro-Entrepreneur Award for her copper moulding business.

The New York-based Citi Foundation, a member of global bank Citi, works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. 

Vĩnh Long to increase insurance coverage to 81 per cent of population by year-end

The Mekong Delta province of Vĩnh Long targets having 81 per cent of the province’s total population covered by health insurance by the end of this year. — Source http://vinhlong.bhxh.gov.vn

The Mekong Delta province of Vĩnh Long’s steering committee for social, health and unemployment insurance on Tuesday instructed local authorities to promote the benefits of health insurance and reach at least 81 per cent coverage by year-end.

The committee said that authorities should hold dialogues with employers and employees, as well as with residents, to solve problems related to buying health insurance.

Lữ Quang Ngời, vice chairman of the province’s People’s Committee, said the province would carry out measures to increase the rate of insurance coverage among enterprises and households in wards and communes.

To instill trust in the public, the province’s health sector continues improving quality of health examination and treatment for insured patients. Hospital staff have also been required to improve their service attitude.

Inspection will be enhanced to detect abuses of the fund, and solutions will be carried out promptly.

In the first six months of the year, the province had more than 828,200 people to buy health insurance, an increase of more than 66,300 compared to the same period last year.

The first six month’s health insurance coverage reached 78.8 per cent of the province’s total population.

The province has 129 health facilities including 125 public centres that provide healthcare services to insured patients.

The number of students with health insurance, however, has increased slowly. Many households in the province’s rural areas have financial difficulties and find it difficult to purchase insurance.

Moreover, slow procedures for insured patients at several health facilities cause long waits. 

Quang Tri: Poor ethnic minority people get free health checkups

A club of doctors from the Vietnam Military Medical University are providing free medical checkups and medicine for impoverished people from ethnic minority groups in the central province of Quang Tri on July 18 – 19.

The charitable event is also joined by the veterans association of the Vietnam News Agency and Quang Tri-born people living in Hanoi to celebrate the 71st anniversary of the Day of War Invalids and Martyrs (July 27).

The doctors examined health of and offered free medicine to more than 500 ethnic minority people from four communes in the mountainous district of Dakrong namely Ta Rut, A Ngo, A Bung and A Vao.

According to Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Medical Association Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Ngoc Sy, most of people coming to the event suffer from diseases related to dermatology, digestion, respiration and vision which are mainly caused by their old way of living and backward customs.

In addition, these people have very little access to scientific advances as they live far from the communal centre.

The 500 million VND (21,500 USD) programme is expected to benefit more than 1,000 ethnic minority people.

HCM City honours 778 outstanding students

Some of the outstanding students receive merit certificates from the HCM City People's Committee on July 18 

As many as 778 students with outstanding performance in the 2017 - 2018 academic school year in Ho Chi Minh City were honoured in a ceremony held on July 18.

Of the total, 14 students won international awards, 167 obtained high prizes at competitions of national level while 597 others were awardees at city-level contests.

Lauding the results of the city’s education and training sector in the previous school year, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Thu asked the sector to raise education quality in suburban areas, contributing to creating high-quality human resources for the city’s development.

The municipal education sector has paid attention to training outstanding students and qualified personnel for the industrialisation and modernisation of the country and the building of smart city in particular.

The municipal Department of Education and Training has sought approval from the People’s Committee for piloting a “smart schools” programme based extensively on IT use in management and communication between schools and students’ families. The programme is one of the steps in preparing for a smart city by 2020.

In the 2017-2018 school year, there were 5,612 students in the city earning high prizes in international-, national- and municipal-level competitions. More than 197,400 children won the title of excellent students at all levels.

First int’l medi-pharm exhibition in Da Nang opens

Visitors get consultation on medicine at the Medi-Pharm Da Nang expo 2018

The International Medical and Pharmaceutical Exhibition in Da Nang (Medi-Pharm Da Nang) opened at the Da Nang Fair and Exhibition Centre in the central city on July 18.

The 5,000sq.m exhibition features 200 booths run by 150 domestic and foreign producers, including those from China, Germany, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the US, Singapore, and the Netherlands. 

On display is a variety of pharmaceuticals and supplementary foods, medical equipment and software, hospital furniture, dental and ophthalmology instruments, chemicals and medical testing equipment, beauty products and equipment, and more.

In his remarks at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong said the fair is an opportunity to introduce new medical advances at home and overseas to the public. It paves the way for producers in the industry to promote themselves to one another, seeking partnerships, joint ventures, and technological transfers, he noted. By expanding their market, he added, this can help improve healthcare services and access for the public.

The event, the first edition of its kind, is held under the theme of promoting joint efforts to improve community health, particularly the health of ethnic minority people in central Vietnam and the Central Highlands.

A series of workshops are scheduled to take place as part of the fair’s framework, holding discussions on Vietnam’s market for medical equipment, trends and opportunities, the control and prevention of Hepatitis B and C, primary healthcare providers, and prevention of cancers, heart diseases, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

An event for blood donation will also be organised alongside educational workshops instructing people on how to respond in emergency situations and presenting medical devices and medicines to ethnic minority people in the region.

The Medi-Pharm Da Nang is co-hosted by the Vietnam Advertisement and Fair Exhibition JSC, Vietnam Medical Import-Export JSC, Vietnam Medical Equipment Association, Ho Chi Minh Medical Equipment Association, and Vietnam Association of Preventive Medicine. It will run until July 21.

Vinh Phuc hosts northeast ethnic groups’ cultural festival

Traditional ritual of Tay ethnic group in Bac Kan province 

The 10th Culture, Sports, and Tourism Festival for ethnic minority groups in the northeastern region will take place in Vinh Phuc province from July 19-21, heard a conference held in the locality on July 18.

Themed “Preserving and Promoting Northeast Ethnic Culture in the Reform Process: Integration and Sustainable Development”, the event saw the 10 provinces of Bac Kan, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang, Thai Nguyen, Lang Son, Bac Giang, Quang Ninh, Vinh Phuc, and Thanh Hoa in attendance.

An extravaganza of cultural activities such as traditional festivals, rituals, and folk games will be featured during the event, said Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Vu Viet Van, who is also head of the festival’s organising board.

An exhibition displaying 300 photographs of tourist attractions and other sites with tourism potential in the northeast localities will be organised, while a tourism and food expo will also introduce some of the standout cultural characteristics and traditional staples in Vinh Phuc province in particular, and the northeast region in general.

All of the activities aim to honour the tradition of ethnic groups in the northeast provinces, Van said, adding that the festival creates opportunities for artists and local people to exchange ideas on preserving traditional values. 

The opening ceremony of the festival is scheduled for the evening of July 19 with stellar performances staged by more than 700 artists. It will be broadcast live on national television and radio channels.

Bac Ninh approves amusement park project

The model of the amusement project in Bac Ninh

Authorities of the northern province of Bac Ninh have approved the planning of an amusement park project on a site of 1,400 hectares.    

The project will be adjacent to Ngu Huyen Khe River, Phong Khe Ward in Bac Ninh City and Hanoi-Lang Son railway.

The project will include a residential area to accommodate around 80,000 people along with works such as squares, shopping centres, amusement park and sports areas.

The project will be also home to schools, medical centres and a high-tech agriculture centre.

Aid offered to upgrade war martyrs’ cemeteries in Quang Tri

People take care of martyrs' graves at a cemetery in Quang Tri 

Many localities and organisations across the country have offered support to the central province of Quang Tri to upgrade war martyrs’ cemeteries on the occasion of the Day of War Invalids and Martyrs (July 27).

The northern port city of Hai Phong has presented 17 billion VND (735,000 USD) for the reparation of war martyrs’ cemeteries and 15 billion VND to upgrade Hien Luong - Ben Hai relic.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs also sent 10 billion VND (432,000 USD) to the province to upgrade gravestones at the cemeteries.

Quang Tri is home to 72 war martyrs’ cemeteries, with nearly 70,000 graves.  There are more than 10,000 graves each at the Truong Son and the Road 9 National Martyrs’ Cemeteries.

Also on the occasion of the Day of War Invalids and Martyrs, the Party Committee of Vinh Phuc northern province donated 3.5 billion VND (151,200 USD) to build new houses for poor people in Quang Tri. The State Bank of Vietnam granted 300 million VND (12,960 USD) and many central agencies sent 500 gift sets to families of people who rendered service to the nation in the central province.

The province has made preparations to accommodate family members of war martyrs nationwide from across the country who are visiting the cemeteries on the occasion. It is also ready to assist with the transfer of martyr’s remains to other localities and the verification of martyrs’ identities.

Besides, local authorities have asked relevant agencies to arrange lighting and services at the Ancient Citadel of Quang Tri and cemeteries in the evening.

A series of activities will be organised in the province to mark the Day of War Invalids and Martyrs, including a lantern floating festival on Thach Han river and a requiem.

Bac Lieu needs investment to protect erosion-affected areas

The Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu has an urgent need for over 900 billion VND (nearly 40 million USD) build new dykes in five areas facing high risks of erosion. 

According to Luong Ngoc Lan, Director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, the projects of high priority include a 1.3km river dyke in Ganh Hao coastal town of Dong Hai district with an investment of 151 billion VND, a 1.5km embankment at Nha Mat estuary in Bac Lieu city with an investment of 131 billion VND, and a 2.5km dyke at Chien Tup 1 bridge in Vinh Trach Dong commune of Bac Lieu city with an investment of 81 billion USD.

A 3km embankment from Mui Tau T-junction to Ba canal in Dong Hai district with an investment of 300 billion USD and a 7km embankment at Chien Tup 2 bridge in Bac Lieu city with an investment of 250 billion VND also need to be reinforced.

However, the provincial People’s Committee said that with its limited budget, the province will give the priority to the embankments along Ganh Hao coastal town and along Nha Mat estuary which have a combined investment of over 280 billion VND.

Duong Thanh Trung, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said that the committee had sent a document to the Prime Minister asking for additional capital to carry out the five projects.

The locality also proposed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Directorate of Water Resources, institutes and universities make recommendations to help the province carry out measures to address coastal erosion and plant protection forests in newly-recovered mudflats.

It also suggested implementing a research project on coastal erosion in Bac Lieu province, including erosion along Ganh Hao river to the river mouth, which is a special phenomenon in the Mekong Delta region.

Bac Lieu has 56km of coastline, but 15km of which are eroded seriously, especially in the rainy, stormy season, posing a threat to the life of thousands of local households.

Huế holds festival for 2,000 children nationwide

Two children sing in a performance at the opening ceremony of the event.

Huế is holding an event to showcase the performances of 49 children’s art troupes from around the country from July 18 to 21.

The Búp Sen Hồng (The Pink Lotus Blossom) Festival is taking place in the former imperial capital city following an opening ceremony on Wednesday evening.

At the festival, 2,000 children representing the children’s house of localities in the country will perform songs and dances, play folklore games, do charity work and take a chance to visit monuments and landscapes in the city.

The event in Huế is the 24th Búp Sen Hồng festival and it is themed “Children sing together with the rivers”. Nguyễn Đăng Thạnh, deputy chairman of the city committee, said this is the second time the city has held this type of festival.

He said this festival would reduce the stage shows and create more outdoor activities for the children to explore local culture.

The festival is being held annually at cities around the country to create a healthy playground for children nationwide. It was held in HCM City the first time, for the children’s houses of the city districts, and later grew to be a national event. The event is expected to create a chance for exchange between the children’s houses as well as to foster the discovery of different cultural features among children.