Olympic Run Day for all people's health kicked off

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and People’s Committee in the central province of Thua Thien- Hue March 19 launched the Olympic Run Day for All People's Health and the province’s cross-country race in A Luoi Town with the participation of around 2,000 locals and professional athletes. 

The event is a practical activity to celebrate the 71st establishment anniversary of sport sector and the day when Uncle Ho wrote an article “Sports and Health” and 86th establishment anniversary of Ho Chi Minh City Youth Communist Union to encourage all people in the country to take exercise for good health.

Cross-country race includes movement race with the distance of 1.4km which 2,000 employees, residents, students and soldiers partook in. Additionally, 150 athletes from towns and communes in Thua Thien – Hue Province and staffs from sectors participated in the race with 5km for male and 3km for female.

The organizers said that the event popularizes nationwide and it is expected to attract 7.2 million participants. In the North, the event will be organized on March 26 in the flower garden in Ly Thai To Street. 

Moreover, all cities and provinces in the country will organize the race with different forms including combining with the local traditional race on the occasion.     

Over 500 students sit for third round of English Champion 2017

For the first time, the third round of English Champion 2017 themed “English can change your world”, March 19 officially opened with new format of direct single-elimination competition to have one representative for each grade for the North and the South. 

The annual competition for the 4th – 8th grade students is held by the Vietnam Central Study Encouragement Association, EQuest Academy, in collaboration with the Vietnamese American English Center (VATC), a part of the Institute of American Education (IAE).

More than 500 contestants entered the third round of the 2017 English Champion in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. In the third round, candidates must have knowledge of academic English, Science and Math.

One excellent winner of each grade will sit for a final contest in Ho Chi Minh City in April.     

Bình Dương south-east resistance base honoured with memorial

The HCM City Youth Union last Saturday inaugurated the first phase of a memorial to the south-eastern resistance base in Bến Cát Town, Bình Dương Province.

The 4,750sq.m site is within the Tam Giác Sắt (Iron Triangle) tunnel relic area.

It will cost around VNĐ2 billion (US$87,760) in all.

The first phase, which mainly focused on planting a forest and installing gravestones and memorial works, took five months.

The second phase will see camping sites and outdoor huts built and some scenes from the resistance war against the Americans recreated.

Also on the occasion of the inauguration, the union provided financial assistance to two local families under the Government’s preferential policies for building a ‘gratitude’ house and repairing another.

The Tam Giác Sắt Tunnel played a vital role in Việt Nam’s wars against the French and Americans. It was recognised as a national historical site in 1996.

Forest data management focus of Finnish-funded seminar

Forest data management and investment promotion were among the topics on the agenda of a seminar held in HCM City on Wednesday with Finnish assistance.

“Forestry Data Sharing and Promoting Investment” brought together forestry sector stakeholders to exchange information and ideas on information and communication technology solutions in forestry.

Speaking at the seminar organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Finnish embassy, Ilkka-Pekka Similä, Finland’s envoy to Việt Nam, said in his country the forestry sector plays a crucial role in industrialisation and trade.

It provides livelihoods for more Finns than any other industry and accounts for around 20 per cent of the country’s exports, he said.

Finland has been supporting the forestry sector in Việt Nam since 1996, giving over 33 million euros (US$35.15 million) mainly to the FORMIS (Development of Management Information System for the Forestry Sector in Việt Nam) project, he said.

The Việt Nam Administration of Forestry and the FOMIS technical assistance team have worked for years to develop the country’s forestry sector, he said.

They can boast of many accomplishments, including the development of a forest resource monitoring system that is being deployed throughout the country, he said.

“Uniform forest resource data is probably the most valuable sector from FOMIS II project. It benefits first of all the forest administration, also holds many opportunities for a larger group of stakeholders.”

Application of modern ICT offers huge benefits in terms of improved cost-effectiveness and transparency in forestry, he said.

“I cannot emphasise enough the importance of the availability of forest resource data to be accessed and used by the forest owners as well as the private and public sectors.

“Our experience shows that opening the data can stimulate socio-economic development in many ways and is likely to boost investments.

“However, when opening the data to users, we also need to strike a balance between information security and economic benefits: access to data should be as open as possible without harming the interests of individuals and companies.”

Sharing experience between the two countries is useful because of the similarities in their forestry sector, he said.

Nguyễn Tôn Quyền, general secretary of the Việt Nam Timber and Forest Product Association, said wood processing companies are in need of information related to timber consisting of wood reserves, output, geographic location and wood suppliers.

The FOMIS project’s information and data system is very useful to wood processing companies, he said.

Nguyễn Bình Minh, office manager at the forestry administration, said it updates and integrates big data such as forest inventory data, environment payment services, forest seedlings and other data into its server.

Quang Ninh to shut lime kilns by 2018

Quảng Ninh Province plans to close down all traditional lime kilns by 2018, Vũ Văn Diện, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said.

Local authorities must draw up detailed plans to halt the operation of traditional lime kilns, he said, adding that such kilns will have to shift to producing something else.

He urged the local authorities to keep a check on the transportation and use of limestones and coal, and hand out strict punishments to violators. Authorities must regularly supervise land use and environment and traffic violations related to the transportation and consumption of limestones, Diện said.

A majority of the local traditional lime kilns are self-funded and don’t follow any design or planning standards nor have a construction licence, as a result of which it is very difficult to control material sources, according to online newspaper vietnamplus.

Lime kilns located near residential areas release dust and other pollutants, affecting local lives.

Currently, there are 64 traditional lime kilns in the province, 58 of which are in Hạ Long City, and Đông Triều, Uông Bí and Quảng Yên districts. On average, the capacity of each kiln is 3,000 tonnes/year. Of the 58 kilns, only two belong to enterprises; all others are run by households. In October 2015, one mechanised lime kiln began operations in Hoành Bồ District.

Representatives of the four districts where traditional lime kilns are located said organisations and individuals have been informed of the plan to shut down lime kilns and have been asked to shift to other productions. Officials are making suggestions to help workers find new jobs.

The Ministry of Construction wants to shut down all traditional lime kilns nationwide by 2020, to avoid incidents of kiln collapse and labour accidents.

Gasoline-stealing gang busted in HCM City

Four men, suspected to be part of a larger crime ring, were caught red-handed by the criminal police siphoning gasoline from a tanker in HCM City on Thursday.

The four suspects were caught with dozens of plastic containers that they were using to steal gasoline from the tanker, which was parked at an isolated spot on Nguyễn Thị Định Street in District 2. Two of them were identified as truck driver Võ Sương, 51, and his assistant Trần Thanh Quý, 49.

Officials with the public security ministry’s criminal police department (C45) believe that the four suspects belong to a crime ring that has been stealing gasoline and oil from tanker trucks in the city, and that the ring is led by Huỳnh Minh Dũng, 38, a resident of Nhà Bè District.

Every day, after filling up the tanker from a gasoline depot nearby, Sương and Quý would drive to an isolated spot where two accomplices, Huỳnh Minh Dũng and Bình, would be waiting. Sương and Quý would break open the tanker’s seal, fill gasoline in 30-litre plastic containers and sell them to their accomplices at VNĐ400,000 (US$17.5) per container for gasoline and at VNĐ320,000 ($14) for oil. The trucks would be resealed after impurities were mixed into the tank to make up for the stolen gasoline.

Later, Bình and Dũng would resell these containers for VNĐ400,000 to 500,000 ($17.5-22).

The accused were selling thousands of litres of gasoline every day, the police said.

The ring has been active for months and involved several tanker drivers and drivers’ assistants that run on the same route, the police said, adding that the gang is operating several such groups in different areas of the city.

Further investigations are underway.

Vietnamese painters encouraged to promote cultural diplomacy

The Foreign Ministry’s Culture and UNESCO Department has encouraged Vietnamese artists to present their works to Viet Nam’s embassies and consulate generals worldwide.

Addressing a meeting that had gathered many renowned Vietnamese artists, Ambassador Pham Sanh Chau, the head of the department, emphasised that these paintings and sculptures would be treated as representative images of the country, its people and its traditions.

He added that the artistic works would be solemnly placed in the parlours and reception halls of Viet Nam’s embassies and consulate generals in 96 countries across five continents.

“We therefore look forward to receiving the artists’ support and contributions, with beautiful high-quality works, to promote the image of Việt Nam as a beautiful country with a rich cultural life in the eyes of our international friends,” Châu said.

The appeal has received great support from artists nationwide. They expressed delight in contributing their works to Viet Nam’s representative offices worldwide.

The Culture and UNESCO Department and the artists who attended the meeting also unanimously supported the creation of a Facebook page called My Thuat Viet Nam và Ngoai Giao Van Hoa (Vietnamese Arts and Cultural Diplomacy), which showcases works by artists who have supported the programme.

The works will then be classified by the Culture and UNESCO Department in order to choose the best ones for display in Viet Nam’s embassies and consulate generals. 

Pregnant woman saved from uterine rupture

A pregnant woman in HCM City was saved from uterine rupture while in labour by doctors from four hospitals thanks to an inter-hospital alert system.

The 36-year-old woman was admitted to Trưng Vương Hospital on Tuesday morning while going into labour with a 38-week-old fetus. It was her third pregnancy.

On the evening of the same day, the hospital’s doctors decided to perform a Caesarean section after detecting signs of heart failure from the fetus and uterine rupture from the mother.

When the mother presented symptoms of excessive vaginal bleeding, doctors safely removed the 3.1kg baby from her womb.

The hospital’s internal alert system was immediately activated, summoning its heads and the doctors on duty at the four departments of Obstetrics, Intensive Care, Laboratory and Anesthesiology to the operation room for emergency consultation.

The medical team decided to remove the patient’s uterus to stop the bleeding. Three bags of frozen O D+ red blood cells were required during the surgeries.

The patient’s internal iliac vein started bleeding uncontrollably following the surgeries, for which an inter-hospital alert was activated requesting support from Hùng Vương Hospital, Chợ Rẫy Hospital and HCM City Hospital of Hematology and Blood Transfusion.

Five doctors from the three hospitals rushed to the Trưng Vương Hospital and collaborated with its medical team to stop the bleeding.

The patient is no longer in critical condition.

Her condition and the baby’s health is currently being monitored at Trưng Vương Hospital. They will be released in the next few days.

Nam Phuong Foundation searches for young global ambassadors

HCMC-based Nam Phuong Foundation (NPF) is searching for its new goodwill ambassadors among Vietnamese students.

Currently, the foundation has had some goodwill ambassadors like pop star Son Tung MT-P, singers Van Mai Huong, Ho Trung Dung, Le Hieu, and Phuong Vy and model Truc Diem and magician Peytey Majik Nguyen.

The search is aimed to expand the network of Nam Phuong Foundation in the world in 2017. This is a good chance for local youth to experience and improve themselves via meaningful charitable activities and chances to work with other popular ambassadors of NPF who are outstanding people in different fields of business in Vietnam.

Nam Phuong Foundation was established in 2013 by two students Dinh Thi Nam Phuong and Dinh Ba Khang. Phuong, 23, is a graduate of Oxford University, majoring in philosophy, politics and economics while Khang, 19, is a second-year economics student at the University of California Los Angeles.

The foundation is targeted to ward off the danger of kids drowning in rivers and water-clogged areas and to improve the economic and social wellness of the community.

So far, the foundation has helped raise billions of dong to build 11 cement bridges to benefit 300,000 people in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, one of the regions that have the highest drowning deaths of children in the country.

The foundation has received consultancy from veteran experts, including acclaimed Hollywood director Phillip Noyce and Dinh Ba Thanh, chairman of DatVietVAC Group Holdings, and other celebrities.

Further information can be found at www.namphuongfoundation.org.

Two toll stations to be inspected

The Việt Nam Road Administration has decided to conduct inspections and apply closer supervision of toll collection and turnover at two more toll stations managed and operated by Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) investors.

The stations to be inspected are the Bắc Hải Vân toll booth operated by Phước Tượng Phú Gia Joint Stock Company and the Km1841+912 toll station, located on Highway No.1 in southern Đồng Nai Province, operated by Đồng Thuận Joint Stock Company, both are key tolls in the central and southern region.

The Economic Criminal Department under the Ministry of Public Security will work with the Việt Nam Road Administration and local taxation agencies to conduct the inspection in 10 days.

The Việt Nam Road Administration has assigned heads of road management departments II and IV to establish and lead inspection teams, which will include public servants from these departments.

BOT investors are responsible for ensuring order and safety at the stations during the inspection.

Nguyễn Xuân Cường, deputy head of the Việt Nam Road Administration, said the inspection and supervision initiatives aimed to assess the toll booths’ turnover and to review the efficiency of toll collection technological systems. Based on the practical situation, the administration will propose that relevant management agencies address any shortcomings and will impose penalties to promote toll collection transparency.

The Bắc Hải Vân toll station was put into operation on August 12, 2016. The toll collection is currently VNĐ35,000 (US$1.6) per ticket per entry at minimum and VNĐ180,000 ($3.6) per ticket per entry at maximum. This is the first payback BOT project in the central region to reduce fees by VNĐ20,000 ($0.9) per ticket per entry for large trucks.

The Km1841+912 toll station in Đồng Nai Province started its collection on July 6, 2014. The fare ranges from VNĐ20,000 to VNĐ160,000 ($7.1) per ticket per entry

Previously, the administration inspected 18 of the 60 BOT toll stations nationwide. The agency will inspect the remaining stations in the future.

Past inspections uncovered several violations in the toll collection processes of several investors.

During the 10-day inspection in December last year, the Việt Nam Road Administration found that the average toll earnings, depending on the number of times the money was collected at the Hà Nội-Bắc Giang station each day, was VNĐ84 million ($3,700) higher than the amount reported by the investor.

The toll collected was VNĐ1.099 billion ($48,800) per day, compared to reported earnings of only VNĐ1.015 ($45,100) billion.

The 10-day inspection at Pháp Vân-Cầu Giẽ toll station last year also revealed actual earnings of nearly VNĐ2 billion ($88,900) from the daily toll collection on average, instead of only VNĐ1.2 billion ($53,000) as reported by one of its shareholders, the Civil Engineering Construction Corportation 1.

Khmer spoken at shops in HCM City’s Cambodian quarter

Signs in both Vietnamese and Khmer can be seen at shops at the Tản Đà - Mạc Thiên Tích street corner behind HCM City Medical University Hospital in District 5.

Residents can communicate in Khmer with their customers, most of whom are Cambodians visiting the city for medical exams and treatments at the hospital.

Dozens of transport companies in the neighborhood operate daily bus trips between Cambodia and HCM City.  These bus trips are connecting HCM City with Phnom Penh, Siem Riep and Sihanouk Ville in Cambodia.

New passenger service to be launched to Thổ Châu Island

A 160-passenger ship which can travel at up to 40kms an hour will begin operating from Phú Quốc Island to Thổ Châu Island in Kiên Giang Province.

The province’s Department of Transport said the ship, Thổ Châu No 9, would start services on the April 30 Liberation holiday this year.

The VNĐ60-billion (US$2.6 million) vessel will provide transport to visitors as well as residents of Thổ Châu Island for travel to Phú Quốc Island and the mainland.

Talks aim to better manage social insurance fund

The Việt Nam Social Insurance Agency will prioritise the development of e-transaction systems to help control costs and prevent abuse of the social insurance fund this year, officials have said.

Speaking at an online discussion on the management of the social insurance fund on Saturday, the Agency’s Deputy Director General Phạm Lương Sơn said the body had created a database of insurance buyers and an information system to assess health insurance, contributing to better control over medical costs.

“Thus, the development of e-transaction systems is a priority solution to help the sector develop further in 2017,” said Sơn.

“The agency has strictly followed the National Assembly’s directive to apply information technology and improve administrative reform, facilitating people and enterprises to participate into the social, health, and unemployment insurance system.”

Sơn refuted reports by some newspapers that had cited the State Audit Office of Việt Nam in claiming that the agency’s 2015 management costs were 75.8 per cent higher than that of the previous year.

“The management cost was approved by the Government through strict and cautious processes,” he said.

In line with Decision No 153/QD-TTg, dated January 28, 2015, then Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng had allocated a management spending package of VNĐ6.56 trillion (US$288 million) to the Việt Nam Social Insurance Agency in 2015, an increase of 59 per cent compared with 2014. The increased funds were intended to help carry out certain essential urgent tasks, which were impossible to undertake in previous years due to a lack of finance. These tasks include managing communications to expand the number of buyers of social, medical and unemployment insurance; ensuring administrative reform; and adopting e-transactions.

The year 2015 witnessed a rise in the number of buyers of social, medical and unemployment insurance. Total management expenditure for 2015 rose by 6 per cent year-on-year, which was mainly due to the raised basic salary paid to nearly 22,000 employees across the whole system.

In response to rumours that the income and expenses of social, medical and unemployment insurance were imbalanced in recent years, Sơn said expenditure in 2015 was lower than income from these types of insurance.

“The Medical Insurance Fund had to make a huge investment in technological development to increase the number of insurance buyers in 2015, but the difference remained VNĐ5 trillion ($219 million),” said Sơn.

Expenditure from the unemployment insurance fund accounted for only 50.3 per cent of total income, allowing the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to propose the National Assembly should lower the unemployment insurance premiums paid by labourers, Sơn added.

“It is necessary to apply information technology and to properly connect social and health insurance buyers with medical facilities and the social insurance system nationwide to ensure sustainable and transparent development,” said Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly’s Social Affairs Committee Bùi Sỹ Lợi.

In 2016, the social insurance agency stayed focused on improving communications to increase the number of buyers and improve applications of information technology.

“Increased costs for better management is necessary,” said Lợi. 

“Further, the increased number of insurance buyers requires additional funds, provided they are not misused.”

Lợi said the social insurance agency’s management costs were restricted to 2.3 per cent of the total income, and expenses were covered by the growth investment fund, not the social insurance fund.

He added that a report by the State Audit Office of Việt Nam indicated that Việt Nam’s social insurance agency’s management costs had strictly aligned with the State’s principles.

Lợi said the NA Standing Committee had always strictly supervised issues related to the social insurance agency’s management costs, allowing no increases in the number of personnel but ensuring improvements in working conditions and quality to retain transparency and earn people’s trust.

“Management expenditure must be carefully calculated as it comes from labourers’ money. Any spending must be based on specific objectives for the development of social and medical insurance policies,” Lợi said.

During the discussion, Lợi said the adjustment of the retirement age was not an optimal solution to ensure the sustainability of the social insurance fund.

“But it is necessary to discuss it as the time has come to consider raising the retirement age to enable labourers to prepare for the future,” Lợi said.

“It is significant that processes and steps to gradually increase the pension age of certain groups are being considered and discussions opened to seek public opinions.”

Sơn from the social insurance agency said the move would ensure the interrelation between insurance premium payments and payouts and deal with the shortage of labour due to the decline in the working-age population.

“This is one of the solutions for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the pension schemes. Raising the retirement age has nothing to do with the management costs of the social insurance agency,” Sơn said.

Symposium shares nutrition solutions to combat stunted growth

International and Vietnamese paediatric nutrition experts shared the latest clinical study on the impact of nutrition intervention on healthy growth and dietary diversity in children at a symposium held last Saturday in Hà Nội.

The event, titled “Evidence-based Nutrition Solutions for Healthy Growth and Dietary Diversity in Children with Growth Issues,” was organised by the Việt Nam Pediatric Association.

Paediatric nutrition experts said long-term use of oral nutritional supplements would help children at risk of undernourishment catch up on growth after nine weeks. They also claimed it would assist nutritional adequacy, dietary diversity, health outcomes and longitudinal growth in children at risk of undernourishment.

Experts advised that children who consume a limited diet may face the risk of undernourishment and growth issues, noting that they need timely nutritional intervention.

“Parents should detect any nutritional issues or abnormal growth in their children and talk with doctors to start nutritional intervention if necessary. Timely nutritional intervention can address the immediate causes of under-nutrition, such as inadequate dietary intake, and some of the underlying causes, such as children’s access to food,” Prof Nguyễn Gia Khánh, president of the Việt Nam Pediatric Association, said.

“Children in their early years of life grow at very rapid rates. Eating a varied and well-balanced diet is critical during this period, as consuming a wide range of food groups provides essential vitamins, minerals and other critical nutritional elements that children need for healthy growth and development,” Prof Marion Margaret, Department of Pediatrics, National University of Singapore, said. 

Participants agreed that good nutrition has played an important role to ensure children’s development and healthy growth.

Increasing dietary diversity would help ensure children consume all of the essential nutrients that their growing bodies demand, promote good health and reduce the risk of disease.

Poor nutrition during a child’s formative years has a physical and psychological impact that can cause stunting, being underweight and micronutrient deficiencies, which may have a long-term impact.

Vietnamese authorities building US$3mn beachside park in Phu Yen

A 1,150-meter park running along the beach of a province in south-central Vietnam is expected to give the emerging touristy destination a facelift.

The park will span six hectares along Doc Lap Street in Tuy Hoa City, the capital of Phu Yen Province, with the main attraction being three pedestrian paths and a 4,500-square-meter playground paved with granite and basalt.

The VND68.5 billion (US$3.06 million) park will be embellished with sculptures and artistic lighting, accompanied by a parking lot, according to Ngo Thach Pho, head of a provincial body responsible for the park’s development.

“There have been misunderstandings stemming from the way the park is referred to only as a ‘walking path’ on the dotted line,” Pho said. “The budget would have been too big for a 1.1-kilometer footpath.”

Pho added the project had been proposed by the provincial People’s Council and approved by the local administration, and construction of the park had begun in January.

The main parts of the park are slated to be finished by April.

Phu Yen, the easternmost province of Vietnam’s mainland, has emerged as a new popular tourist destination for locals since the release of Vietnamese-language children’s movie ‘Toi Thay Hoa Vang Tren Co Xanh’ (Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass) in 2015.

The film, an adaptation of a novel of the same name written by best-selling children’s book author Nguyen Nhat Anh, features breathtaking aerial shots of rural Phu Yen, where vast swaths of green grass blend harmoniously with the azure sky and sea.

Man held for alleged child abuse

The police from HCM City’s District 1 arrested Nguyễn Thanh Tú, 21, on Monday for allegedly abusing children.

Tú was a staff of Đại Huy Hoàng Hotel in the district’s Phạm Ngũ Lão Ward. Tú was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl last Saturday night in the first floor of the hotel.

The police are investigating the case.

Recently, several cases of child sexual abuse have been reported, triggering public anger in the country.

In response to the situation, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam last Friday ordered relevant ministries to take prompt measures to prevent sexual abuse of and violence against children.

On March 17, Hà Nội police decided to arrest Cao Mạnh Hùng, 34, for the alleged sexual abuse of an eight-year-old girl in Hoàng Mai District’s Thịnh Liệt Ward.

2nd Can Tho Book Festival to open

The second Can Tho Book Festival will be held at Luu Huu Phuoc Park in Ninh Kieu District in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho from March 25-31. 

The event will attract 350 display booths of more than100 publishing houses throughout the country and abroad, including Oxford, Cengage, Cambridge, Macmillan, Efuture, Pearson.

The book festival will present to readers thousands of book titles in various genres such as literature, policy, history, science, society and more; and stationeries. 

The leading book distributor in the country, Ho Chi Minh City Book Distribution Joint Stock Company (FAHASA) will feature 20 booths displaying 10,000 book titles with more than 60,000 copies, and 20,000 stationeries.

The book show will also include seminars, exchanges between writers and readers, exhibitions on the Party, the late President Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam's sovereignty over sea and islands; and give readers a chance to enjoy items up 50 percent off original prices.

On the occasion, the event’s organization board will launch a promotional program to support libraries in schools and rural areas.

The first Can Tho Book Festival attracted over 300,000 people with 260 booths in 2015. It is one of the largest-scale book shows in the country, including Ho Chi Minh City Book Festival and Hanoi Book Festival.

Southern traffic connectivity project submitted to HCMC

Transport Engineering Design Inc (TEDI) has submitted to the HCMC People’s Committee a traffic connectivity project between HCMC and seven provinces in the southern key economic zone, announced the HCMC Department of Transport yesterday. 

The seven provinces include Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tien Giang, Long An, Tay Ninh, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

According to the project, the zone will have nine main urban roads and five above ground routes to facilitate traffic between HCMC and the provinces.

In addition, HCMC will supplement Cat Lai bridge to link District 2 up to Nhon Trach district in Dong Nai and build Can Gio bridge to connect Can Gio with Nha Be district to develop these two rural districts.

The company also suggested connecting main roads of HCMC with the provinces, for instance, outer belt road no.2 in Thu Duc with outer belt road no.3 in Go Cong, Tien Giang; HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay with National Highway 1A in Dong Nai.

HCMC-Moc Bai route will be lengthened to Xa Mat border gate in Tay Ninh province. Ho Chi Minh Highway will be adjusted by connecting Trang Bang, Tay Ninh with Thanh Hoa, Long An instead of traveling a Z shape route to Duc Hoa, Long An as present.

The company also proposed to link the east and the west, from Vam Co estuary to Cai Mep-Thi Vai seaport complex in Ba Ria-Vung Tau and from Dong Nai to Thi Vai river. Inland transit ports should be opened to collect and transport cargo to large ports.

A railway branch will need to be built to link Binh Trieu station up to Saigon-Can Tho railway route.

Making suggestions for the project, Dong Nai province’s Transport Department proposed building Highway 51. Binh Duong’s department wanted to soon invest in 24.5 kilometer outer belt road no.3 and 46.2 kilometer outer belt road no. 4 across the province.

The HCMC Transport Department said that it would closely coordinate with provincial transport departments to urgently implement above-mentioned projects.

SCG donates sports equipment to Hanoi schools

SCG, a leading Thai business conglomerate in the ASEAN region, worked with Hanoi FC to donate sports equipment to three secondary schools in neighboring communities at a recent V-League football match in the capital between Hanoi FC and Thanh Hoa FC.

SCG also supported the hundreds of students watching the match at Hanoi’s Hang Day Stadium. There were also new stadium decorations to create an atmosphere of excitement among fans.

“This is the first time we have invited students to attend a big game and supported them with the necessary sports equipment,” said Ms. Venus Asavasitthithavorn, SCG’s Enterprise Brand Manager. “We plan to create a football clinic called Kick and Share, to give children basic football skills. We hope they will enjoy it.”

After a comprehensive study with schools in the area, SCG donated sports facilities to three secondary schools in Hanoi (Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Tri Phuong and Thong Nhat), to support human development. It also invited students from high schools and universities in the capital to attend the match. Such initiatives are aimed at encouraging and inspiring Hanoi’s young to spend their free time at sporting activities.

Early this year, SCG announced it would sponsor Hanoi FC in the 2017/2018 season, which comes from a desire to support the development of professional football in Vietnam and which is also in line with its corporate sustainable development strategy for human development. The collaboration also marks a milestone for SGC in sports sponsorship in Vietnam, and it expects it to be a starting point for other sports development projects in the future.

SCG is a leader in many corporate social responsibility projects that focus on human development. Chief among them are the SCG Sharing the Dream Scholarship program, benefiting almost 4,000 Vietnamese students over ten years, the SCG Sharing the Dream Playground at Hoang Van Thu Park in Ho Chi Minh City, and the SCG International Internship Program for university graduates, among others.

SCG comprises three core businesses: SCG Cement-Building Materials, SCG Chemicals, and SCG Packaging. With more than 200 companies under its umbrella and approximately 52,500 employees, it creates and distributes innovative products and services that respond to the current and future needs of consumers.

SCG began its business operations in Vietnam in 1992 with trading, then gradually expanded its investment into diverse business lines in the cement-building materials, chemicals, and packaging industries.

Today, with total of 22 companies in Vietnam and over 6,900 employees, SCG offers a variety of premium products and services to markets.

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