Committee urged to stand ready for search, rescue missions

The National Committee for Search and Rescue must always stand ready for timely and effective response to any incidents and natural disasters.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung made the request while attending a ceremony to mark the 20th founding anniversary of the committee in Hanoi on October 21.

He said natural calamities such as floods and landslides as well as climate change and rising sea level have become more complicated and unpredictable, alongside hidden risks of big accidents.

Since the beginning of this year, the damaging cold in the north, the prolonged drought in the south-central and Central Highland regions, the saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta, and the maritime environmental incident in the four central provinces have seriously affected the country’s socio-economic development as well as local life and production, he added.

In that context, there are many shortcomings that need to be fixed in search and rescue work, especially those related to capacity, forecast quality, equipment and the building of prevention measures, he noted.

Dung asked the committee to coordinate with relevant ministries and localities in building maps defining areas prone to natural disasters, especially flood and landslide, so as to have proper population planning and minimise consequences.

On the occasion, the Deputy PM granted the first-class Labour Order to the National Committee for Search and Rescue.

Between 2006 and 2015, the search and rescue forces handled 35,221 incidents, saving 34,136 people.

Vietnamese, Lao women enhance cooperation

The women’s unions of Ho Chi Minh City Women’s Union and the Lao capital city of Vientiane signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation for the 2016-21 period in HCM City on October 20.

Under MoU, the two sides will exchange delegations to share experience in their movement activities, facilitate the two countries’ businesswomen and intellectual women to meet and exchange experience in start-up, production and business as well as boost cooperation and cultural exchange.

They will coordinate to organise Vietnam-Laos culture exchange programmes in HCM City.

In the coming time, the HCM City women’s union will present 500 gift packs to member and women from difficult backgrounds in nine districts of Vientiane capital and donate VND200,000 (US$9,000) to the Vientiane women’s union to support scholarship and vocation training programmes for its needy members and students.

To Thi Bich Chau, Chairwoman of the HCM City women’s union, briefed her association’s operations in recent times while emphasising close cooperation with the Vientiane women’s union.

Khamphay Latsamy, Chairwoman of the Vientiane women’s union, said the signed cooperation programmes between the two sides will contribute to boosting and diversifying their operations and movements, thus tightening traditional friendship and special solidarity between women and people of the two countries and two cities in particular.

Quang Nam: Hoi An begins solar electricity-fueled lighting project

Hoi An town in the central province of Quang Nam kick-started the construction of a solar energy-based electricity supply system to operate its sound and lighting system.

The project has a total investment of 145,000 euros, 90% of which comes from the German government and the remaining is sourced from Hoi An town and Germany’s Wernigerode city. 

Under the project, solar panels will be installed in the Song Hoai square, capable of producing 55kWh for lighting and decorations for entertainment activities like street arts, folk games, decorative lanterns, and the Cau bridge relic. 

Nguyen Van Son, Vice Chairman of the Hoi An People’s Committee, stressed that Hoi An and Wernigerode are twin cities and have cooperated in many fields, particularly culture and environment. 

Wernigerode city has helped Hoi An call for assistance from the German Government’s Ministry for Cooperation and Development to implement the solar energy project. 

The project is hoped to help Hoi An develop sustainable tourism that is suitable with its strategy to become an eco-culture-tourism city.

2016 National Ophthalmology Conference in Can Tho

More than 1,400 Vietnamese and international ophthalmologists on October 29 gathered at the 2016 National Ophthalmology Conference in Can Tho City.

The annual meeting offered professors and doctors in the field the chance to exchange experiences, professional knowledge, and get updates on the latest developments.

Doctor Nguyen Xuan Hiep, Director of the Hanoi-based Central Eye Hospital said,“Vietnam aims to reduce the preventable blindness rate among people aged above 50 from 1.8% to 1.6% by 2020. Vietnam needs to improve public access to eye care services which will be integrated into the current national medical system.”

The number of blind people over 50 years old in Vietnam continues to decline sharply, from 443,700 in 2000 to 329,300 in 2015. If including those under 50, the total number of blind people is around 378,700, he said, noting that the main cause of blindness is cataract (74% of the cases).

Statistics of the Vietnam Ophthalmologists Association show there are nearly 2,000 eye doctors working in both public and private hospitals. While the number is sufficient to meet treatment demand, most of the doctors work in cities and delta areas, leaving remote regions lacking in eye experts. 

Participants also suggested more eye doctors should be trained for disadvantaged areas and efforts to improve access to eye care should be included in health care development plans.

Measures to deal with bomb/mine aftermath under discussion

On October 20, a meeting with Vietnam's development partners was held in Hanoi to look for ways to address the consequences of bombs and mines left over from war in the country.

In his address, Deputy Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh said dealing with the aftermath of bombs and mines is one of priorities of the policy of the Party, State and Government as the country has spent a huge amount of money on such activities and helped victims integrate into the community.

Despite war ending in Vietnam many decades ago, unexploded bombs, mines and explosives have killed over 50,000 people and injured more than 60,000 others.

Bombs and mines not only pose risks to local life but also hinder the country’s socio-economic development and cause environmental pollution, he said, noting that around 6.1 million hectares of land (equal to 18.82% of the country’s total area) are contaminated with unexploded ordnances.

Vietnam has also received active support and cooperation from the international community, especially development partners, he added.

Participants suggested calling for funds from both domestic and international organisations and individuals to carry out the national programme on settling post-war bomb and mine consequences (Programme 504) while completing an information management system and a database on bomb and mine victims nationwide.

The State Steering Committee for Programme 504 announced a map of areas suspected of bomb and mine contamination and set up a group of partners to address post-war bomb and mine consequences.

Headquarters of national mine action centre unveiled in Hanoi

The headquarters of the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC) was inaugurated in Thach That district of Hanoi on October 20.

Covering 52,400 square metres in Thach Hoa commune, the headquarters was built at a cost of more than VND415 billion (US$18.6 million). It includes many facilities such as a commanding office, an exhibition hall of post-war bomb and mine consequences, and accommodation for specialists. 

In March 2014, the Prime Minister decided to set up the VNMAC amid the urgent demand for addressing unexploded ordnance (UXO) impacts, according to Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich, who is also the standing deputy head of the State Steering Committee for the national action programme on settling post-war bomb and mine consequences (Programme 504). 

The centre has worked closely with relevant ministries and localities, domestic and international organisations, and foreign embassies to perform its tasks. It has also coordinated with other agencies in designing and proposing UXO impact settlement policies and plans, he said at the inaugural ceremony. 

He asked the VNMAC to boost international cooperation to call for foreign support, aside from domestic resources, for Programme 504. It should also build a training programme on UXO detection and clearance while stepping up education about UXOs, especially for children in contaminated areas, so as to help Vietnam be free of UXOs and related accidents in the near future. 

According to the State Steering Committee for Programme 504, about 800,000 tonnes of UXOs are scattered across 6.6 million hectares or 20.12 percent of Vietnam’s land, mainly in the central region. 

The US army used more than 15 million tonnes of bombs and mines during the war in Vietnam, four times the amount used in World War II. As a result, Vietnam has been listed among the countries most contaminated with UXOs.

Vietnam Embassies raise money for flood victims

The Vietnam Ambassadors in Malaysia and the Czech Republic have hosted awareness and fund raising events to help those affected by the recent tragic floods in the Central Region.

Ambassador to Malaysia Pham Cao Phong: When we in the Embassy heard the news about the terrible floods in Vietnam, we immediately began to think of what we could do as well as what we could say about the tragedy.

The idea of a fundraiser came up, said Ambassador Phong, noting that he thought it would be nice to involve the Overseas Vietnamese (OV) community in Kuala Lumpur. We are appreciative of the response received and offers of help.

So far we have collected US$652 (VND15 million) and we’ll continue to solicit funds through October 31, after which we’ll deliver the moneys collected directly to the people of the Central Region.

Ambassador Do Xuan Dong of the Czech Republic hosted a music gala and charitable auction in Prague that attracted roughly 200 members of the OV community from across the nation.

The approximately US$10,000 that was raised at the event will go to help the flood victims of the Central Region.

We are here to pay tribute to the victims of the flood, Ambassador Dong told the guests at the fundraiser. We are here to show, on a very personal level, how much the homeland means to us.

The Ambassador went on to thank those present for their emotional and financial support during the hard times following the tragic flooding which left so many dead and families without homes.

Those who lost their homes must be relocated and provided with accommodation, so they will still need a lot of assistance, he noted.

More aid for flood victims in central region

Various organisations are helping victims of recent flooding in the central region.

Vietnam News Agency (VNA) held a ceremony on October 19 to launch a fundraising drive for people affected by floods in the central region. 

VNA Deputy Director General Nguyen Hoai Duong called on all VNA staff to donate at least one-day’s salary to support the victims. 

The National Assembly Office and the Ministry of Education and Training also launched separate campaigns for the same purpose. 

The same day, the Ministry of National Defence raised a total of VND3 billion (US$135,000) to support the victims. 

Prolonged rains and floods in recent days have hit the northern central region hard. 

Heavy rains and floods in the central region, including the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue, have claimed 25 lives and injured 18 others. Four others have been reported missing, according to reports from the National Steering Committee for Storm and Flood Prevention and Control.

Vietnamese Consulate General receives Laos’ Friendship Medal

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Luang Prabang province, Laos was awarded with the Friendship Medal of the Lao Government for its contribution to fostering bilateral relations.

On behalf of the Lao Prime Minister, Khamkhan Chanthavisuk, Governor of Luang Prabang province, presented the honour to Vietnamese Consul General Tran Van Tuan at a ceremony in the locality on October 19.

Chanthavisuk highlighted the contributions made by the Consulate General, especially Consul General Tran Van Tuan, to promoting the friendship between Vietnamese localities and their Lao counterparts.

The Vietnamese diplomatic agency and authorities of Lao localities have coordinated in boosting trade and investment links, training, constructing infrastructure, and facilitated the travel of citizens Vietnam, Laos and other countries.

On the occasion, 11 staff members of the Consulate General were also presented with the Friendship Medal.

Int’l conference on social sciences in Laos

The fifth edition of an international seminar discussing the development of human resources in social sciences in the context of global integration in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia took place in the Lao capital Vientiane on October 19.

Attendees agreed that the sector should assess the impacts of global and regional integration on social development in each country, make forecasts for the next decade and devise methods to contribute to social development in each country, the region and world. 

In the future, the three countries should renew management of social science workforce development, actualise the strategy on education development with a focus on social sciences, pool all possible resources for the effort between now and 2020 and expand international cooperation in the field. 

On collaboration mechanisms, participants suggested the academies of social sciences of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia focus on issues impacting the lives of people living in areas bordering the three countries, hold more scientific seminars, offer post-tertiary training and short-term courses and conduct youth exchanges. 

Nguyen Quang Thuan, Chairman of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), said the seminar underscores the importance of scientific cooperation in strengthening mutual understanding among the three countries amid globalisation. 

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Chairman of the Lao National Academy of Social Sciences (NASS) Professor Soukkongseng Saingaleuth lauded the ideas and reports presented at the event, adding that a major topic for the next seminar slated for Cambodia in 2017 will be historical and cultural ties in the three countries’ border areas. 

The annual seminar is alternately held by the VASS, the NASS and the Royal Academy of Cambodia.

Binh Tien Bridge and Road project launched in HCM City

The Binh Tien Bridge and Road project will be built by four contractors with total investment of VND3.508 trillion (US$157 million) to relieve traffic congestion, the city’s Transport Department has said.

The transport project links District 6’s Pham Van Chi Street and East-West Avenue; District 8’s Tau Hu and Doi canals; and Binh Chanh District’s Nguyen Van Linh Street. 

Expected to be completed by 2020, the project will be divided into two sections. 

The first section from District 6’s Pham Van Chi Street to District 8’s Ta Quang Buu Street will be managed by DMK Company and 319 Corporation. 

A bridge will be built over Tau Hu and Doi canals, with total investment of VND2.605 trillion (US$117 million). 

Since the section will be implemented under a Build-Transfer (BT) model, the two contractors will receive plots of land equal to 40% of the investment capital, while the remaining 60% will come from the state budget. 

The two contractors will also be able to use several land plots in District 8’s ward 6, 14 and 15. 

The second section of the project, from District 8’s Ta Quang Buu Street to Binh Chanh District’s Nguyen Van Linh Street, will be handled by the Licogi 16 Joint-Stock Company and BCCI Company, with total investment of VND903.6 billion (US$40 million). 

The two contractors will be given land along Binh Tien Bridge and Road and other land plots in return. 

Though Binh Tien Bridge and Road project was approved by the government in 2010, it has yet to start because city authorities have faced challenges arranging the land for contractors. 

Binh Tien Bridge, including roads leading to the bridge, will be 3,200 metres long and 30-40 metres wide. It will have four main lanes. 

To reach southern metropolitan areas, drivers have had to rely on Nguyen Tri Phuong Street and National Highway 50; and Y, Cha Va, and Nhi Thien Duong bridges. 

However, due to rapid urbanisation and traffic congestion, more problems have occurred at these hotspots in recent years.

Runaway bigwig will be hunted down: Vietnamese general

The fugitive, Trinh Xuan Thanh, has fled the country amid a probe into nearly US$150 million of losses at a state firm he chaired.

Vietnamese police have been asking their counterparts in the US, Canada and some European countries to help them hunt down a fugitive linked to massive losses of US$150 million at a unit of state oil and gas PetroVietnam.

Trinh Xuan Thanh, former chairman of PetroVietnam Construction JSC (PVC), will be caught, Lieutenant General Phan Van Vinh, the general director of the central Police Directorate, said on the sidelines of a workshop on international fugitives on October 19.

“We have received strong support from many countries," Vinh said. "They promised to join hands with Vietnam to hunt down Trinh Xuan Thanh.”

He said Vietnamese police will find a way to bring the suspect to justice, even if the country does not have an extradition treaty with Germany, where the 50-year-old man is believed to be hiding.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security last month issued an international arrest warrant for Thanh.

Thanh is accused of mismanagement and causing losses of around VND3.2 trillion (US$147 million) at PVC, a unit of the state-owned oil giant PetroVietnam, under his watch between 2011 and 2013. Four other executives from the company have been arrested.

Thanh sought overseas sick leave in mid-August and has never returned since, the police said. He was expelled from the Communist Party on September 8, a move that would pave the way for him to face criminal charges.

The now-infamous official first caught media attention in June for driving a US$230,000 Lexus with a government license plate in a country where the annual average income was around US$2,100.

The scandal caused uproar over the use of public money, prompting the Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong to order a probe into his political career and how he had been promoted.

Government inspectors found that Thanh and his team, starting in 2009, had launched many offshoot units and partnered with a number of companies, but few of the ventures proved effective. Most of their business projects during the period ended up being delayed or even canceled.

After his stint at PVC, Thanh continued to be kicked upstairs with an apparently successful political track record, holding various government positions before taking his latest post as vice chairman of the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang.

He was not nominated for re-election for the 2016-2020 tenure in June. Then in July, he was also stripped of his legislator-elect status.

At the workshop on Wednesday, Vietnamese police said the number of suspects fleeing the country surged to more than 1,100 as of September. The police have issued international warrants for 300 fugitives.

Most of the runaway suspects have fled to Cambodia, Laos, China and the US on fake identities.

Vietlott dismisses rumour of being unable to pay out jackpot

Berjaya’s Vietnamese partner, Vietnam Lottery One-member Limited Liability Company (Vietlott), has denied rumours that it is unable to pay the VND92 billion (US$4 million) jackpot prize.

After the winner was announced on October 16, many people were wondering where the 100 per cent state-owned Vietlott would get the money to pay the prize as the company has not made profit in the past three months after it launched the Mega 6/45 lottery.

The rumour was dismissed by Vietlott deputy general director Nguyen Thanh Dam, who told newswire vietnamnet.vn that the company has the necessary funds to do good on its obligations, otherwise the prize would have been adjusted.

According to Dam, for the first draw, the company prepared VND12 billion ($540,000) to cover a possible jackpot. Afterwards, it put 55 per cent of the revenue from ticket sales into a fund to cover the ever-increasing prize. A part of this fund goes into recovering the initial VND12 billion, another part to covering smaller prizes, and the remainder accumulates into the jackpot prize. 

“By the time of the 17th draw on August 26, we had already recovered the initial VND12 billion. At that time, the jackpot was VND24.214 billion ($1.1 million). After the following 22 draws, the prize rose to VND92 billion ($4.1 million). The money comes from ticket sales revenue. It does not come from our pockets or the state budget.”

Professor Augustine Ha Ton Vinh, a Vietnamese American and expert in gaming, said that people are more likely to buy lottery tickets when the prize is high, so the bigger the prize, the more likely it is to find a winner.

Vietlott has to put into the state budget all the profit that it retains after paying tax and making contributions to multiple government funds.

In 2015, as announced by the Ministry of Finance, lottery companies in Vietnam had a total revenue of $3 billion and submitted $1 billion to the state budget. 

Vietnam’s GDP per capita was $2,111 in 2015, according to data by the World Bank. VIR earlier reported that a Tra Vinh farmer won the prize. The actual winner was recently revealed to be his daughter, who sells meat at the local market. She said she was going to give 25 kilogrammes of rice and VND200,000 ($9.3) to 400 people each.

HCM City police break up prostitute ring involving models, singers

Police in Ho Chi Minh City have discovered a prostitution ring involving several local models and singers.

The illegal operation led by Nguyen Thi Cam Giang, 25, from the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu, was broken up on October 13, the municipal Department of Police affirmed on October 18.

Giang and her accomplices, namely Mai Thien Trang, 25, Nguyen Hong Nhung, 22, and Luu Thi Truong Thanh, 24, have been arrested for brokering prostitution.

Officers also arrested 28 people and confiscated evidence after carrying out administrative checks on four hotels in District 3, 10, Tan Binh District, and Binh Chanh District.

Preliminary information showed that Giang was previously a contestant of a singing competition, held in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long this year, and currently worked at a restaurant in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

According to the suspect’s statement, she started the prostitution ring in 2015, which mainly offered the services of female servers of karaoke bars in the city centre with prices ranging from US$200 to US$500 per session.

Giang would receive between VND500,000 (US$22.1) and VND2 million (US$88.7) whenever she made a deal with a client.

The woman claimed that she had also introduced several models and singers to her customers, earning between VND500,000 to VND5 million (US$221) per deal.

The offender was caught red handed receiving her commission after arranging two sex workers for two of her clients at a hotel in District 3.

Trang, Giang’s accomplice, was previously a winner of a local beauty pageant in 2012, stating that she had been one of the prostitutes in the illegal ring before becoming a sex broker over a month ago.

Similarly to Giang, she received about VND3 million (US$133) from each of her sex workers after they were paid VND7 million (US$310) per session.

Meanwhile, Nhung and Thanh claimed that they had been selling sex and arranging deals between other prostitutes and their customers.

An initial investigation also revealed that Giang’s illicit organization also provided ‘sex tours,’ which included a weekend vacation with the prostitutes for between VND20 million (US$887) and VND30 million (US$1,330) per trip.

Two of the sex workers detained at the police station had tested positive to drugs, officers added.

Vietnam, RoK cooperate to develop tourism

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) will cooperate to launch campaigns to attract visitors between the two countries, heard a programme in Hanoi on October 20.

The KTO signed a tourism development cooperation agreement with the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines to host the Republic of Korea’s tourism year in 2017 to build new tourism services in the RoK by using Vietnam Airlines’ routes.

Meanwhile, the Korean organization will work with the Vietnam Travel and Marketing Transport JSC (Vietravel) to host the RoK’s tourism year in 2017 to boost cooperation in popularising new tourism products and brands.

Head of the KTO Jung Chang Soo said he believes that with active collaboration from such important strategic partners as Vietnam Airlines and Vietravel, the number of Vietnamese tourists to the RoK – which now makes up only 1.4 percent of total international visitors to the RoK – will sharply increase.

In 2015, the RoK welcomed more than 160,000 Vietnamese visitors. The same year, Vietnam greeted over 1.1 million Korean tourists.

In the first nine months of 2016, the volume of Vietnamese vacationers to the RoK rose by 50 percent over the same period last year, which is expected to hit 240,000 by year’s end.

The number of Korean holidaymakers to Vietnam saw a year-on-year increase of 36 percent and is set to reach 1.5 million by year’s end.

Workshop promotes modern tourism

A workshop was held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 20 to promote modern tourism to fully tap Vietnam’s tourism potential.

Director of the Saigon Culture Art and Tourism College Vu Khac Chuong said tourism development is yet to match potential due to lack of investment, poor infrastructure and service quality.

Participants shared the view that Vietnam has great tourism potential with a 3,000 km-long coastline, 125 beaches, 40,000 relic sites and landscapes, including world-class ones.

Therefore, the country can promote numerous types of modern tourism, such gastronomy tour, field trips to countryside, sea and island tourism, and spiritual tourism.

They also underlined the need to develop high-quality human resources to meet requirements of these new modern tourism models.

Nguyen Van Luu, member of the Tourism Advisory Board, said it’s necessary to make an overall survey of tourism workers in all provinces in the country, thus taking specific plans to improve their capability.

Tran Thi Mai from the Ho Chi Minh City Open University also said that human resources development is vital for the sustainable and responsible modern tourism development.-

Veteran author dies at 77

Veteran author Lê Văn Thảo, winner of the Hồ Chí Minh Award for Literature and Arts in 2012, died on October 21 in HCM City. He was 77.

Thảo, whose real name was Dương Ngọc Huy, was born in 1939 in Long An Province’s Thủ Thừa District. 

Between 2000 and 2010, he was the deputy editor-in-chief of HCM City Literature and Arts Magazine and deputy chairman of the HCM City Writers’ Association.

His literary contributions focused on southern people and soldiers, and their traditional culture and lifestyle.

Popular works included his novels Con Đường Xuyên Rừng (Path Through the Forest), Cơn Giông (Thunderstorm), Sóng Nước Vàm Nao (Waves on Rivers of Vàm Nao) and Những Năm Tháng Nhọc Nhằn (Hard Years).

His short stories, such as Đêm Tháp Mười ( Night in Đồng Tháp Mười), Người Sài Gòn (Saigonese) and Đứa Con Trở Về (Returning Child), left a strong impression on audiences at home and abroad.

His works have been reprinted several times by leading publishing houses.

In 2006, Thảo won the Southeast Asian Writers Award for Cơn Giông, a novel considered his most successful work.

The book features the lives of farmers in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta Province of Cà Mau during and after the American War in Vietnam.

It was written in the 1980s and was first published in 2002. The work won the Việt Nam Writers Association’s A prize for the country’s best novel in 2013.  

Thảo won several national prizes, including the National Award for Literature and Arts in 2007.  

Thảo, who died of cancer, will be buried at the HCM City Cemetery in Thủ Đức District.

Customs slaps smuggling charges on illegal exporter

The anti-smuggling investigation department, under the General Department of Vietnam Customs, yesterday gave the go-ahead to prosecute a criminal case against Thành Hải Trading & Services Limited on charges of smuggling. 

On July 23, customs officials at Đà Nẵng port, in collaboration with the anti-smuggling investigation department’s Unit 2 (central region), intercepted a huge shipment of aluminium and copper ingots intended to be illegally exported via the port. 

The two shipments in six containers were registered by the Bình Định Province-based company and declared to customs as rags meant to be filled in bags and exported to Thailand and India. 

The first declaration was a shipment of 86 tonnes of rags, worth over US$48,000; the second shipment was 43 tonnes, worth some $24,000. These type of goods, i.e. unprohibited items or items within permitted customs limits, get automatic customs clearance through the green channel. 

However, customs officials at Đà Nẵng port had some suspicion and decided to inspect the shipment manually. The inspection revealed copper scrap and aluminum ingots weighing 41.1 tonnes and 98.6 tonnes respectively – all without customs declaration. 

As per Vinacontrol’s valuation report (dated on August 4, 2016), the total estimated value of the shipment was 5.6 billion. 

The offence is serious enough to constitute as a crime under Article 153 of the Penal Code. 

Expanding investigations, customs authorities discovered that Thành Hải Trading & Services had registered the export of 12 batches of goods – all declared to be rags – via Đà Nẵng port since January. Checks revealed that the rags registered on 10 waybills had in fact been 171 tonnes of aluminium ingots and 193 tonnes of copper scrap. 

Nguyễn Trọng Hải, the company’s director, confessed to the falsification of 12 purchase contracts with foreign partners to legitimise the exported consignments and bypass customs inspection.

Vietnam attends 18th World Congress of Russian Press

Vietnam participated in the 18th World Congress of Russian Press held in Paris, France, on October 19-21.

The event drew representatives from more than 500 press agencies having Russian products from 63 countries to expand the global influence of the Russian language.

Participants also aimed to increase cooperation between Russian media outlets and Russian speaking communities abroad.

Vietnam is home to three press agencies with Russian language output, namely Vietnam News Agency, Voice of Vietnam, and Vietnam Television.

Founded in 1999, the World Association of Russian Press is an open international non-governmental organisation for printed and electronic media, agencies, publishers, editors, TV and radio programmes and other manufacturers and distributors of media in Russian.-VNA

Woman honoured for work with marginalised people

The Hà Nội International Women’s Club (HIWC) has awarded the Vision Award for Inspiring Women to Doctor Khuất Thị Hải Oanh, a woman who has worked to address the plight of some of Việt Nam’s most marginalised people.

Doctor Oanh is the founder and director of the Centre for Supporting Community Development Initiatives (SCDI). She has dedicated her professional life to improving access to reproductive healthcare and to raising HIV/AIDS awareness among Việt Nam’s at-risk groups. She also advises government policymakers regularly on tackling drug use, according to the HIWC.

“A talented, intelligent and ambitious woman like Oanh could have chosen any career path. She could have taken the path to wealth or self-advancement. Instead she took a difficult and challenging route by making it her mission to improve the lives of people living at the very edges of society,” Gill Lever, the president of the HIWC, said.

“For this, Oanh deserves enormous respect and admiration and we are delighted to be able to honour her with the award.”

Doctor Oanh said the HIWC’s Vision Award was a “wonderful surprise” for her.

Oanh said that it was a huge honour for her to be granted this award by the HIWC, the first organisation to fund the Bright Future Group – a community organisation for people living with HIV in Hà Nội.

With HIWC funding, Bright Future was able to set up Cafe PP, a safe place for people living with HIV to meet and interact, in 2002.

“At that time people living with HIV were severely stigmatised and discriminated against. Being infected with HIV was equal to a painful and shameful death,” said Oanh.

“I have visited Cafe PP many times and witnessed the movement grow. This movement has contributed to shape my professional path and my life as a person. This award, therefore, is very special for me. It comes from my fellow women. The award is even more precious to me because of the connection I just shared. I’m so proud and so moved,” said Oanh.

In 2007 Oanh founded the Vietnam Civil Society Partnership Platform on AIDS. The Partnership brings together hundreds of non-governmental organisations and institutions in coordinated efforts to combat HIV and AIDS.

Oanh was recognised as a “Young Global Leader” in 2009 by the World Economic Forum.

The HIWC is an international group with over 450 members of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life hailing from nearly 70 countries. 

Celebrities mobilize for flood victims

Vietnamese celebrities have launched fund raising campaigns to help flood victims in the center of the country. Some have traveled to the affected areas to deliver necessities to people in need.

Renowned MC Phan Anh, known to many Vietnamese through numerous talk shows, himself donated VNĐ500 million (US$22,000) and urged the public to follow suit.

A day later, Phan Anh’s bank account received nearly VNĐ8 billion ($380,000) in donations and the amount has kept rising. By noon of October 19,  three days after he issued his call for donations, the sum reached nearly VNĐ16 billion ($710,000).

Many of the donors are showbiz stars, like singer Đàm Vĩnh Hưng, actor Trường Giang, MC Trấn Thành, singer Trúc Nhân and model Ngọc Trinh.

“Let’s take action. Stop talking. Do not keep silent… Please join hands for the centre of Việt Nam,” was the message by model Ngọc Trinh who donated donated VNĐ150 million ($6,800) to Anh’s charity account.

Traffic to the flooded areas has been seriously damaged and there is a shortage of food and medical necessities. Despite all theses difficulties, many celebrities have traveled to these areas to give presents to families.

By October 19, MC Phan Anh has given 2,600 presents to flood-affected victims in Mai Hóa Commune in the central province of Thanh Hóa and Tuyên Hóa District in the central province of Quảng Bình. He is planning to travel to Phương Điền Commune in the central province of Hà Tĩnh, which has been submerged for days.

“The two communes I have travelled to have been able to control the aftermath of the flood,” wrote the celebrity on his Facebook page. “Sanitary conditions are pretty good. All the cattle and belongings have been preserved. That is due to the updated announcements by the local authority. However, life is still difficult and ppeople are desperately in need of timely assistance.”

Singer Hồ Ngọc Hà cancelled a planned performance this week in order to travel to Văn Hóa Commune in Quảng Bình Province, one of the most damaged areas with over 1,000 households submerged in water. The singer handed flood victims nearly 700 packages, each consisting of 10kg of rice, one box of instant noodles, cooking oil and money.

Recent heavy rains and flooding in the central region have claimed 15 lives and injured 18 others. Nine people are reported missing, according to the latest report from the National Steering Committee for Storm and Flood Prevention and Control. 

Nearly 100,400 houses, 1,600ha of rice and over 3,000ha of aquatic farms have been inundated. As many as 36 national road sections have been flooded or damaged, leading to traffic congestion.

Foreign motor driver blocks stray auto on busy HCM City street

What do you do when an automobile starts travelling the wrong way in your direction? You jump off your motorbike, block the car, yell for police, and then leave.

At 5pm on Tuesday on Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street in front of the HCM City Television Station, a driver of a four-seat car cut into the opposite lane where a young foreign man was travelling on his motorbike.  

The foreign man, who was never identified by name or nationality, used his motorbike to block the car and shouted for help from traffic policemen on duty at a nearby intersection.

Witnesses said the car left the site after a discussion with traffic police, after which the foreigner drove away.

The police, who had arrived a bit late, said they were focusing on easing traffic jams and did not have enough time to punish traffic violators then. But the car driver had obviously been given a lesson.

Việt Nam welcomes over 7.2 mil foreign visitors in first nine months

The country welcomed 7,265,000 international visitors in the first nine months of 2016, up by 25 per cent year-on-year, while domestic tourist arrivals stood at 48.8 million in the period. Total tourism revenue was estimated at VNĐ291.161 trillion ($13.05 billion), a 20.2 per cent increase year-on-year,  according to figures from Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Tourists from northeast Asia saw the strongest growth, such as Hong Kong, up 79 per cent year-on-year, China 57.7 per cent, South Korea 39.9 per cent, and Taiwan 15.7 per cent. Russia is among the Top 10 countries with the fastest growing number of tourist coming to Việt Nam, totaling almost 300,000 in the first nine months.   

Total international tourist arrivals in September were estimated at 813,007, down 9.6 per cent down against August but up 28 per cent year-on-year.

VNAT has set a new target of welcoming 9.6 million international tourist arrivals (from the previous 8.5 million) while maintaining its target of 60 million domestic tourists for the year 2016.

Facebook gambles US$40,000 on crossing the streets in Vietnam

Vietnamese Road, a mobile game that trains people how to survive the crazy traffic in Vietnam, has just received a US$40,000 grant from the Facebook start-ups fund.

The grant will be offered through tools and services provided by the social network and its partners.

The Hanoi-based app company HanelSoft co-developed the game with Japanese company Hiropro and has had more than 7,000 downloads since its was launched in June. More than 75% of players are foreigners.

Vietnamese Road is mostly about crossing the streets in Vietnam, which can prove to be quite a challenge even for locals, especially in crowded cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

Many tourists in Ho Chi Minh City lament that there are basically no rules for crossing the streets and they have to watch out for drivers who jump red lights.

Players try to cross the street while avoiding various vehicles common on Vietnamese roads, including vehicles that take up a lot of space like vending carts, bikes that transport pigs or balloons, and those that drive too fast or too slow.

Enomoto Kaori, a 30-year-old Japanese woman and a game designer for Hanelsoft, came up with the idea after living in Vietnam for more than a year.

Kaori, who arrived in Vietnam in July last year, said she has not seen many games about Vietnamese life and culture, so she decided to do something.

The game is based on Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, the central city of Hue and the southern resort island of Phu Quoc, all places that she has been to.

She plans to design a game about Vietnamese food which could hit the market next year.

Association rejects ‘sponsored survey’ allegations from fish sauce makers

The association behind a food safety survey that found an excessive amount of arsenic in dozens of Vietnamese fish sauces has dismissed allegations that it was sponsored by a condiment maker to carry out the study.

The Vietnam Standards and Consumers Association (Vinastas) collected 150 samples produced by 88 different fish sauce manufacturers available on the market, and found that only 16.67% of the products met Vietnamese standards, it told reporters in Hanoi on October 17.

According to the test, 67.33% of the samples contained more than the maximum allowable arsenic content of 1mg per liter. Amounts found in the surveyed products ranged from 1 to 5mg/l.

The survey’s results have left members of the public in shock, with fish sauce, the amber-colored liquid extracted from the fermentation of fish with sea salt, a must-have condiment for Vietnamese families.

Skepticism quickly emerged around the survey, with suggestions that a fish sauce maker was behind the study, and will soon introduce a new product addressing the arsenic issue.

Vinastas has also been criticized for misleading consumers by using the term arsenic.

Arsenic exists in both organic and inorganic forms, but only the latter is toxic, according to the World Health Organization.

“Organic arsenic, found in fish, seawater and seaweed, is safe for human consumption, evidenced by the fact that Vietnamese people have been using fish sauce for thousands of years without a problem,” Associate Professor and Doctor Nguyen Duy Thinh said.

The expert said inorganic arsenic compounds can be found in coke emission, fuel and chemical wastes.

"Vinastas did not make clear that the excessive amount of arsenic found in fish sauce was in its organic form, spreading fear amongst the public,” Thinh said.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper put these allegations to Vuong Ngoc Tuan, Vinastas deputy general secretary, on Tuesday, and the association representative denied them all.

Tuan said that Vinastas is an independent association and all of its surveys are carried out as such.

“We rely on no organization or business,” he said.

“We conducted a survey on coffee safety last year and this time we chose fish sauce as it is a popular and widely used product.”

Tuan admitted, however, that Vinastas, as a non-profit association, does need sponsorship from entities in and outside the country.

“For this fish sauce survey we received sponsorship from a domestic organization,” he said, refusing to name the sponsor.

He rejected allegations that the sponsorship affects the objectivity of the study. “The sponsor is not a fish sauce-related business,” he underlined.

The Vinastas official added that the association has yet to publicize the names of the fish sauce manufacturers involved in the study.

“If there are other reports circulating on the Internet related to fish sauce at the same time as our study results were announced, it is merely coincidence,” he said.

Tourist couple joins locals in dike fortification efforts near Hoi An

Two foreign tourists have touched the hearts of local residents in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam after the pair joined in to fortify a local dike near the famed tourist city of Hoi An.

The dike along Cua Dai Beach, near the city’s Hoi An Ancient Town, was on the verge of collapse at dawn on October 18 when heavy rains and rough seas hit the area.

Local authorities immediately sent work forces to fortify the dike with sandbags.

Work on the dike continued until the afternoon of the following day when David, a Canadian, and his girlfriend Petra, a Slovakian, saw the workers and decided to lend a helping hand.

According to a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper correspondent at the scene, Petra held the bags open while David filled them with sand and carried them to the dike.

During a short break, Petra explained that the couple had been visiting Hoi An for two days and were enjoying their last moments in the tourist town when they saw the dike protection efforts.

The Slovakian said they both wanted to help the locals and were happy to be doing something meaningful. “This is certainly an unforgettable memory,” she said.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE