HCM City gets high-level People's Procuracy

A high-level People's Procuracy in HCM City has been established under a resolution of the Standing Committee of the 13th National Assembly.

The NA on May 28 passed Resolution 953, based on the 2014 People's Procuracy Organisation Law.

Under the resolution, the Supreme People's Procuracy appointed Nguyen Van Quang as the director of the high-level People's Procuracy.

The Procuracy exists on four levels: district, province, high-level (for three centrally governed cities – HCM City, Ha Noi and Da Nang) and supreme.

Also appointed were four deputy directors of the high-level People's Procuracy: Vo Van Them, Nguyen Thanh Son, Nguyen The Thanh and Le Xuan Hai.

Nguyen Van Quang, director of the high-level People's Procuracy in HCM City, said the high-level People's Procuracy in HCM City had been established on the basis of Appeal Procuracy 3.

In addition to exercising the right of prosecution and supervisor of judicial activities for cases under the jurisdiction of high-level courts in HCM City, the high-level People's Procuracy would also perform hear and review cases in the region, including 23 provinces and cities, from the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak southwards.

Quang said that with the new functions, the high-level People's Procuracy in HCM City proposed establishing four professional agencies for better performance.

In addition to the establishment of the high-level People's Procuracy in HCM City, the resolution also established two other high-level People's Procuracies: one in Ha Noi (based on the Appeal Procuracy 1) and the other in Da Nang (based on Appeal Procuracy 2).

Vietnam interrogates 8 foreigners over Malaysian oil tanker hijack

Police and coastguards in the Vietnamese island of Tho Chu said they are interrogating eight foreigners suspected of hijacking the MT Orkim Harmony oil tanker.

A lifeboat carrying the suspects, whose nationalities have not been disclosed, arrived at the island at around 9 a.m. on June 18, authorities said.

The group of eight said that they were in distress.

Police say they are investigating into the case.

Earlier on June 17 night, authorities detected the missing 7,300 deadweight ton (DWT) oil tanker in Vietnamese waters, around 20 nautical miles from Tho Chu.

They asked an armed group of eight, who had allegedly hijacked and taken control of the Harmony since June 11, to surrender.

A life boat, which has carried eight foreigners suspected of pirating an oil tank, arrives at Tho Chu Island on Friday morning. Photo provided by the police

The group later used a lifeboat, fleeing from the tanker in the dark night.

The Orkim Harmony is operated by Malaysia’s Orkim Ship Management. On board is a crew of 22 consisting of 16 Malaysians, five Indonesians and one Myanmar national.

Twelve of the crew were injured, and one was shot, after being attacked by the group, who were armed with guns and knives.

Reuters quoted Malaysian state oil firm Petronas as saying that the Harmony was carrying 6,000 metric tons of products from its Malacca refinery to Kuantan for distribution.

It said “all necessary measures are being taken to ensure undisrupted fuel supply to consumers in the East Coast region.”

The Orkim Harmony was hijacked on June 11 about 30 nautical miles from the Johor port of Tanjung Sedili, carrying around 50,000 barrels of RON95 gasoline, in the second such incident in the same area this month.

12,000 cigarette packs seized from truck

The southern Tay Ninh's market watch force confiscated nearly 12,000 packs of cigarettes and a tonne of sugar from a truck travelling from Moc Bai Border Gate to HCM City.

The driver, who failed to show proper documents of his cargo, reportedly abandoned his truck, with the licence plate 54M-0586, and disappeared.

The market watch force is working with the HCM City Police to find the owner of the cargo.

Highway 1's 120km upgraded stretch opens on Sunday

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) on Sunday officially opened 120km of upgraded section on Highway 1 at southern Binh Thuan Province, a transport authority official has said.

Hoang Dinh Phuc, General Manager of the MoT's Project Management Unit 1, noted that the upgrading project has been completed seven months earlier than its schedule that was assigned by the ministry.

The project was divided into two parts under two different contractors.

Binh Thuan Highway 1A BOT Joint Stock Company has been in charge of upgrading 44.7km at a cost of VND2,587billion (about US$119 million) on the BOT (Built-Operation-Transfer) basis.

The other contractor, Project Management Unit 1, has been in charge of upgrading the remaining 73.2km in Binh Thuan Province on an investment cost of VND5,118 billion (about US$235 million) through loans from the government bonds.

After two years of construction, the upgraded section will be opened on Sunday and the collection of circulation toll will begin on the first day of July and will continue for 21 years.

Nguyen Van Phuong, general director of the Binh Thuan Highway 1A Join Stock Company, said vehicles can run at a speed of 60km/hour on the 20.5m-wide section that pass through residential areas and 80km/hour through non-residential areas.

Repair work on Ha Noi-Hai Phong Highway

The Ha Noi-Hai Phong Highway section in Hai Phong City will be temporarily closed from tomorrow morning for repairs, project investor has said.

During the temporary closure, warning signs on the highway, which was opened to traffic for one month, will be mended.

The Ha Noi-Hai Phong Highway project's investor, Viet Nam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment Joint Stock Company said the 22.7km-long highway sees an average daily traffic of 500 vehicles.

To guarantee safety on the highway, the section that passes through Hai Phong City will be closed to traffic from 5am to 12am tomorrow.

During the temporary closure, vehicles can use two national roads No.10 and No.5, in addition to interprovincial roads.

Tomorrow, the highway section linking national road No.10 with Pham Van Dong Road will be officially opened for traffic to serve visitors to Do Son Beach during the summer holidays.

On May 27, the Ministry of Transport had approved the temporary operation of the Ha Noi-Hai Phong Highway section in Hai Phong City.

Ha Long's damaged school structure remains unused

Cao Xanh Secondary School, centrally located at the coastal northern Ha Long City in Quang Ninh Province, has remained shut for more than two years due to degrading conditions.

Local authorities said the construction of the school had cost about VND10 billion (nearly US$470,000). It had become operational in 2008 and was closed down five years later in 2013, after its structure was damaged.

Located on a hill near an illegal coal mine, the three-storey structure developed serious damages, with cracks up to 5-7cm wide in its walls, foundation, and play yard.

Following this, the school's 500 students, teachers, and officials moved to a place 4km away, along with study equipment and furniture such as desks and chairs.

While local people and authorities blamed the illegal coal mine for the school's degradation, the mine was closed down immediately after it was brought to the authority's notice.

The cause of the school's degradation is under examination and the structure will be repaired and used for others purposes after its result is known, Tran Trong Trung, vice chairman of the Ha Long People's Committee, was quoted as saying by vnexpress.net.

Ben Tre sluice gate to rehydrate local farms

An irrigation sluice gate officially began operating in Ben Tre Province's Giong Trom District yesterday, aimed at preventing salination and supplying fresh water for local farmers.

The Son Doc 2 sluice, located in Hung Le Commune, is part of the Northern Ben Tre Irrigation Project.

Project director Do Van Nhan said work began on the Son Doc 2 sluice in March 2013 with a capital investment of VND150 billion (roughly US$6.8 million).

He said it was a very important component of the bigger project, helping supply fresh water for 11,000ha of agricultural land in the districts of Giong Trom and Ba Tri.

Overall, the project is expected to prevent saline water intrusion while irrigating 140,000ha of crops and providing 20,000ha of water surface for aquaculture in the districts of Binh Dai, Ba Tri, Giong Trom and Chau Thanh, and Ben Tre City.

It will also help develop road and waterway transportation in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province.

Officials said the supply of fresh water would provide residents with the "big opportunity" to sustainably cultivate crops and breed livestock in the province.

Cao Van Trong, Chairman of the provincial People's Committee, said yesterday that in recent years, the province has built several irrigation works benefiting hundreds of thousands of local households and facilitating socio-eco nomic development.

Hoang Manh Thang, deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said at the inauguration that the Delta in general and Ben Tre Province in particular faced many water resource management challenges as a result of large-scale hydropower dams as well as irrigation works built upstream on the Mekong River.

Climate change and resultant rise in seawater levels compounded the problems, he said.

The ministry had been working with local authorities to find suitable solutions, Thang added.

It was also co-coordinating with relevant offices to arrange funding for the completion of key irrigation works in Mekong Delta provinces, including the Northern Ben Tre Irrigation Project, he said.

Illegal cigarettes seized from truck

Tay Ninh's market watch force confiscated nearly 12,000 packs of cigarettes and a tonne of sugar from a truck travelling from Moc Bai Border Gate to HCM City.

The driver, who failed to show proper documents of his cargo, reportedly abandoned his truck, with the licence plate 54M-0586, and disappeared.

The market watch force is working with the HCM City Police to find the owner of the cargo.

Lai Chau punishes road safety violators

The transport police in Lai Chau northern mountainous province yesterday kicked off a campaign to focus on punishing drivers who were found speeding.

Provincial transport policemen in co-ordination with the local police were deployed across the province to check drivers who were speeding and also measure alcohol levels among drivers, especially bus drivers.

The campaign will last until the end of this year.

Head of Lai Chau Province's transport police office Nguyen Van Luy said the main reasons for recent road accidents were mainly speeding, and driving while drunk. The increasing number of accidents occurred in rural and inter-township roads, he added.

Hospitals told to train for MERS

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien visited HCM City yesterday to ensure that measures taken to prevent the spread of MERS were being conducted thoroughly at local hospitals.

Following her visit to the Hospital of Tropical Diseases and Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Tien met with the city's People's Committee. She said that all staff at healthcare centres and hospitals must be better trained in quarantine and prevention procedures.

Southeast Asia's first MERS case was reported yesterday in Thailand, Tien told the committee. A 75-year-old man from Oman was diagnosed with MERS after having travelled from Oman to Bangkok.

She said the Ministry of Health had asked international medical quarantine centres in HCM City to pay close attention to foreign visitors, especially those from epidemic-stricken areas, to detect signs of the virus.

Healthcare facilities have been asked to improve the examination of patients with respiratory complaints and those who have previously been to infected areas.

She said that passengers coming from the Middle East and the Republic of Korea should be checked carefully at international border gates.

All passengers from South Korea, Bahrain and the Middle East must fill out a form at the airport about any symptoms that could be associated with MERS.

Tien said the forms would now be written in Korean as well as English and Vietnamese.

Also speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said HCM City must urgently develop a detailed plan to prevent MERS.

Long said the city must have a back-up solution if the Hospital for Tropical Diseases is overloaded so that patients can be transferred to other hospitals.

HCM City receives three flights a day from Middle Eastern countries, with around 550 passengers, and seven flights a day from South Korea with around 1,200 passengers.

Dr Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, director of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCM City told Tien that the hospital had established a steering committee on MERS prevention procedures.

The hospital will receive and treat patients suspected of MERS from other healthcare facilities, Chau said, adding that the hospital had also organised training courses on MERS for its staff.

Also on June 19, the Preventive Medicine Department under the Ministry of Health announced that the rumour of a MERS-CoV-infected person residing in the Keangnam Landmark Tower in Ha Noi was false.

The ministry confirmed that as of June 19, Viet Nam had not recorded any single case of MERS-CoV.

Public policy offers secured life in central region

Nearly 3,000 impoverished households across central region have built flood-resistant homes with assistance from a government project, as heard during a workshop on June 19.

The workshop reviewed the outcomes of the programme, which has been implemented under a Prime Minister decision since August 2014 in a bid to help construct flood-proof homes for disadvantaged residents of 13 central coastal provinces.

The programme requires a total funding of 366.7 billion VND (16.89 million USD), of which 100 billion VND (4.6 million USD) was designated for 2014.

According to reports released at the function, 45 percent of the 2014 plans have been completed thus far. Despite a sluggish pace in some provinces, active implementation is ongoing.

This year, the Finance Ministry plans to grant 133 billion VND (6.12 million USD) to the localities.

The Ministry of Construction urged local authorities to accelerate their implementation process via rapid disbursement or mobilising provincial budgets before the public funds are received.

Six residential projects land in Bac Giang province

The construction of six urban area and residential projects is scheduled to kick off in the northern province of Bac Giang from now to early 2016, according to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Lai Thanh Son.

The projects include the 17.8-hectare Bach Viet new urban area, 23.3-hectare Kosy new urban area, 11.8-hectare Dong Cua new urban area, 8.4-hectare Cho Moi residential area, and two projects in Yen Dung District covering 18.5 hectares and 19.8 hectares, respectively.

Difficulties have been addressed within the province to boost project implementation. The Department of Construction was asked to cooperate with relevant agencies to draw investment to the province and create favourable policies for residential investment projects.

The province is also reforming administration procedures to shorten the time required for project evaluations by 20-30 percent.

In addition, the province and its localities have mapped out investment plans and arranged capital for 2016-2020 to carry out approved social infrastructure initiatives such as schools, cultural houses and medical stations at approved residential projects.

Some 16 residential projects are taking shape in the province, though their progress has been slow, the Department of Construction said.

Son La arrests heroin smuggler

Police and border guards in the northern mountainous province of Son La arrested an individual suspected of smuggling 2,000 methamphetamine tablets and 3.3 kilograms of opium on June 18.

The detainee is Mua A Giang, 35, from Pu Nhan village, Moc Chau district, Son La province.

Under the pretence of taking his wife and two-month-old child to a local hospital for a medical check-up, Giang brought the drugs from Vietnam-Laos border into the province.

He told the police that he was paid 10 million VND (475 USD) by a Lao national to transport the drugs from the border to Moc Chau town.

The case is under investigation.

Vietnam press day marked in Czech Republic

Representatives from ten media agencies run by the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic gathered in Prague capital on June 18 to celebrate the 90th founding anniversary of the Vietnamese revolutionary press (June 21).

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Truong Manh Son briefed participants on major activities of Vietnamese-language newspapers in the European country over the last year, praising the contributions made by reporters and translators to promoting friendship between the two nations.

Representatives from the media agencies shared difficulties they faced in maintaining the availability of newspapers.

They called for support from the Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic for their operations.

Ambassador Son affirmed that his agency and the Association will provide further assistance to press offices moving forward.

Vietnam Day, Week planned for Ukrainian province

A plan to organise a Vietnam Day or Week in Lvov, the central province of western Ukraine was well received by local authorities during their recent meetings with Vietnamese Ambassador to Ukraine Nguyen Minh Tri.

The Vietnamese diplomat said he appreciated Ukraine’s support for his homeland’s development process, particularly in the field of education and training, while noting that the organisation of Vietnam Day or Week events in the locality could significantly boost mutual understanding between the two peoples.

He also requested more favourable conditions for Vietnam promotion campaigns in Lvov.

Lvov Governor Oleg Sinhutka and Mayor Andrey Sadovoy said they were impressed by the progress made by Vietnam in recent years and suggested Vietnamese provinces and Lvov increase their collaboration across trade, tourism, education and training, and vehicle manufacturing.

They said the two sides should launch cultural and commercial promotion campaigns via the media.

During his stay, Tri also met with the Vietnamese community and updated them on the latest home affairs. The expats declared their willingness to help organise the Vietnam Day or Week events.

Documentary on national sovereignty in East Sea premieres

Ho Chi Minh City Television (HTV) announced its documentary series on the Vietnamese sea and islands on June 18, demonstrating the country’s national sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

With filming starting in 2012 in nine different countries, the five-episode documentary series shows the Vietnamese governing process over its territories in the East Sea since the feudal age.

It features interviews with international experts and an analysis of historical documents, including the royal history records dating back to the Le and Nguyen Dynasties, such as a national map drawn in 1838.

HTV Director Nguyen Quy Hoa said the films will be translated into different languages and may include additional chapters later on if more documents become available.

The documentary aims to promote Vietnamese sovereignty to Vietnamese nationals at home and abroad, as well as international viewers.

Each 30-minute episode will be screened on HTV9 at 9 pm, starting on June 20.

Deputy PM calls for community efforts to help drug addicts

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam called on the entire community to end discrimination against drug addicts and help them integrate into the society and rebuild a normal life during a meeting in northern Vinh Phuc province on June 19.

At the meeting, part of activities in response to the 2015 Action Month on Drug Prevention and Control, the Deputy PM urged the youth to take practical actions against drugs by keeping themselves and their friends and family away from drugs.

He also called on the business circle to give former drug addicts a second chance at employment to help them integrate into the society.

Meanwhile, Christopher Batt, Head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vietnam , said drug abuse and trafficking negatively impact the growth and stability of countries around the globe.

The office will work closely with Vietnam to build effective detoxification methods in line with the law to deal with drug dependence, he pledged.

This year, the action month is themed “Joining Hands to help Drug Addicts,” calling for the engagement of the whole community in drug prevention and control and implementing overall measures to provide drug addicts with opportunities to integrate into the community sustainably.

During the meeting, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Thi Hai Chuyen expressed hope that each individual in the community would volunteer to assist drug addicts.

Statistics showed that by the end of 2014, Vietnam had 204,377 drug addicts, mostly young people. As many as 76 percent of the addicts are under 35 years old.

Kien Giang hosts wildlife conservation camp for youth

An annual wildlife conservation camp is taking place at the Hon Me Wildlife Rescue Station in the southern province of Kien Giang, drawing the participation of 40 students from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The students, who are the winners of a video clip and writing competition on calling for young people to engage in protecting wildlife, arrived at the Rescue Station on June 19 to join in the Summer Movement 2015, held by the Wildlife At Risk (WAR) and the Douc Langur Foundation (DLF).

They will be trained in skills to persuade others to join hands in protecting wildlife animals, take photos of wild animals and survive in the jungle, as well as study relevant jobs related to wildlife protection. Furthermore, the students will try their hands at taking care of animals and planting forests.

The camp, which has been held annually at the WAR’s initiative since June 2013, will create valuable opportunities for volunteer students to improve their knowledge and skills to conserve nature, including wild animals, said Do Thi Thanh Huyen, Wildlife Education Manager from WAR.

Hon Me Wildlife Rescue Station, covering an area of nearly 3 hectares, was established in April, 2008 by WAR and the Kien Giang provincial Ranger Department. Currently, some 50 individuals of animals are given shelter at the station, including Asian black bear, sun bear, yellow-cheeked gibbon, Indochinese lutung and pangolin.

Charitable activities underway in southern provinces

A raft of charitable activities have been held in the southern provinces of Binh Phuoc and Binh Duong in a bid to support the poor and beneficiaries of welfare policies.

Officials of Binh Phuoc border guard force have donated 700 million VND (32,600 USD) to purchase 34 breeding cows for disadvantaged households in the border districts of Bu Dop, Loc Ninh and Bu Gia Map.

In Binh Duong, Kumho Tire Vietnam Co., Ltd has joined hands with the provincial Department of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs to build houses and hand over saving books to families of those who have rendered service to the nation. The donation was worth over 639 million VND (30,000 USD).

The company has proactively participated in a number of charitable activities to enhance social welfare in the locality.

Methadone therapy in Vinh Phuc effective

Methadone therapy for drug addicts has proved effective in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, bringing health benefits and curbing HIV infections and drug addiction relapses.

The therapy has been made available to 97.5 percent of local drug users in the first five months of this year, according to the provincial Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention.

After one month of treatment, 27 percent of the participating addicts gave up heroine, which then increased to 34 percent after two months. A number of patients were also able to find jobs without showing signs of drug dependency.

Statistically, nearly 300 drug abusers in Vinh Phuc have accessed methadone treatment since early this year.

The centre has decided to expand the therapy to Binh Xuyen, Lap Thach and Vinh Tuong districts. Local authorities hope to roll it out to around 800 people in 2015 and fund all health check-ups and tests.

Le Quang Son, Director of the centre, said his agency will work to raise public awareness of the therapy significance, thus encouraging drug addicts to apply for treatment and reintegrate into the community.

Around 2,000 and counting addicted to drugs are believed to reside in Vinh Phuc.

Hanoi extends precautions against MERS-CoV

Hanoi has been stepping up precautionary measures to ward off transmission risk of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), as heard at a meeting on June 18 in Hanoi between Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien and the municipal authorities.

For the early detection of passengers with MERS-CoV symptoms, the city is conducting temperature screenings at Noi Bai International Airport. Some 988 flights carrying over 128,000 passengers from affected areas were monitored in June, including 156 flights hailing from the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the Middle East.

Once any suspected passenger patient is detected, he or she will be admitted to either the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases or the Bac Thang Long, Dong Da, Thanh Nhan, Duc Giang and Ha Dong hospital. Field hospitals are to be established if needed.

Some 65 mobile medical teams and 1,740 medical staff have been provided with additional training at local districts and communes.

In addition, the capital has devised plans to deal with any outbreak emergency alongside proper clinical approaches to those infected at different stages of the disease.

Among eight key prevention measures enacted by Hanoi authorities are strict supervision at border gates, educating people on disease self-prevention, providing training for medical staff and ensuring sufficient medical personnel, facilities and medicines.

Hanoi authorities have asked the Health Ministry to continually update the city on the outbreak and engage the ministries of transport and public security in the effort.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister Tien spoke highly of the capital’s active efforts against the early spread of MERS virus and urged the city to learn from the best practices of other countries for an effective and cost-efficient epidemic control solution.

She pledged additional support to help train medical staff at the grassroots levels.

Ninh Binh improves rural water quality, environmental hygiene

A two-month drive to improve rural water quality and environmental hygiene in northern Ninh Binh province has yielded positive outcomes following a wide range of activities.

Since April 15, about 1,500 leaflets on the benefits of clean water have been handed out to local people who were also encouraged to clean up the environment around three concentrated water supply stations in Quang Son commune; the Quynh Son farm in Quynh Luu commune; and Son Thanh, Thanh Lac, and Thuong Hoa communes.

Provinces collected 24.5 tonnes of waste, cleaned up 32 kilometres of roads and dredged 13.2 kilometres of sewers. Meanwhile, about 83 percent of the tested water supply stations met Vietnamese Ministry of Health’s standards, up 8.65 percent from the last test.

More than 15,000 families in 32 communes received concessional loans from a clean water and household hygiene fund to build sanitary toilets. Some 2,000 households were also supported with nearly 1.6 billion VND (about 74,400 USD) from an energy efficiency promotion programme to build biogas tanks.

Households within specific areas have also worked together to ensure their neighbourhoods are green and clean.

Vice Chairman of the Ninh Binh People’s Committee Dinh Chung Phung said the province will communicate the importance of clean water and the environment to residents via the local radio network.

It will also ask the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to allocate finances from the national target programme on rural clean water and environmental hygiene for the construction of water supply facilities, which was previously suspended due to a lack of funding, he added.-

Viet Nam struggles to deal with unhealthy environment

Viet Nam suffered from a shortage of clean water, polluted air and untreated garbage and waste.

Associate professor Nguyen Huy Nga from the National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health said this at a conference on environmental health management in Ha Noi yesterday.

During the conference, experts discussed difficulties facing environmental health in the country.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health showed that only 85 per cent of rural households had access to clean water. And only 65 per cent of rural households had hygienic latrines.

Medical waste was also not managed well, said Nga.

Air and water pollution in traditional trade villages had reached alarming levels, he added.

Viet Nam had set up units specialised in environmental health in different ministries, but did not have professionals to manage them.

"Viet Nam should have a national action plan on environmental health," he said.

The plan should target research on environmental health and improve people's awareness on the issue.

Le Thi Thanh Huong, an expert from the Viet Nam Public Health Association, said Viet Nam lacked experts specialising in environmental health.

It also did not properly compile national data on environmental health.

Huong suggested the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment should closely co-operate to avoid overlapping management.

More training should be given to workers and researchers in the field.

Comprehensive research on environmental health was needed to define the most dangerous factors threatening people's health, said Huong.

Residents remain unconvinced about benefits of rural training

Vocational training programmes in rural areas of the southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province still leave much to be desired despite efforts by the provincial authorities.

Designed as a social programme to help residents fight poverty, the training scheme has seen a less-than-enthusiastic response from local residents who are not convinced they will be able to find a decent job after training.

A number of local authorities are reported to be still run training classes for jobs that are no longer in high demand. Authorities are also said to have failed to get feedback on what skills should be included in the programme.

Out of 121 workers trained to produce hand-knit crafts, only 21 were able to secure orders from local companies. Another project to make handmade bead jewellery had to stop as the market became too saturated, according to the province's Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Another negative factor was a lack of co-ordination among local authorities who failed to work together to create a scheme to satisfy all the province's training needs.

The length of the courses were also said to be too short and only covered the basics for job training. As a result, workers were not able perform well when they were hired.

The programme was often interrupted during agricultural harvest seasons as workers often preferred to work temporary jobs in the field rather than attend classes.

Local authorities lacked the manpower to maintain staff in charge of the programme and were unable to provide workers with any job guidance after they completed their training.

Statistics show more than 14,000 workers were trained under the programme from 2011 to 2014. Of these, about 8.727 were about to find jobs, based on a departmental report.

The department's director Le Thi Trang Dai said a comprehensive review would be made to improve the programme. It would include focusing on training for high-demand jobs and areas with high unemployment rate.

Vietnamese doctors use ECMO technique to save newborn baby

Doctors of the Central Children Hospital in Hanoi have successfully applied the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) technique to save a 27 day old newborn baby who suffered from serious pneumonia and respiratory problems, the hospital announced yesterday.

The child patient was transferred from the General Hospital in the northern province of Hai Duong when he was suffering severe infection and breathing failure though doctors in Hai Duong put him on ventilator.

He had been treated in the hospital in Hai Duong in 2 weeks where doctors diagnosed him to have pneumonia but his condition did not abate after 2 week treatment; accordingly the hospital transferred to the Central Children Hospital.

The baby received intensive treatment yet his condition did not improve. Soon, doctors held a consultation and decided to use ECMO technique as the fatality rate is up to 100 percent. After one week, the baby’s condition improved as his lung and other organ function worked well and infection is no longer.

The hospital has successfully applied the technique to save 20 children with breathing problems before but all of them are older.

ECMO can help infants and children with a variety of medical problems and conditions, including a condition that occurs when meconium, the first stool of a newborn, is inhaled by the baby before or during delivery, and causes lung problems; Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS): a lung condition, usually in premature babies, that makes it difficult for babies to breathe on their own; persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN); pneumonia and end-stage cardiac or respiratory failure (as a bridge to transplant).

Baby dies of septic shock after vaccination in Ben Tre Province

The Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health yesterday announced that the neonate in the Mekong delta province died after hepatitis B vaccination because of septic shock.

Right after the death, the health sector in Ben Tre reported to the Ministry. A scientific council including medical workers from Pasteur institute and Children Hospital No.1 has been set up to verify the vaccination procedures and the cause of the death.

After analyzing all factors, the council arrived at the conclusion that the baby died of septic shock not relating to vaccination.

According to the reports of the Department of Health in Ben tre, a two day baby in  Binh Dai District of Ben Tre was vaccinated in Nguyen Dinh Chieu General Hospital on June 14.

On the same day, 16 other children were also injected with the same lot of vaccine hepatitis B. Medical workers had conducted right procedures.

After vaccination the neonate was normal but in the night of June 14, he turned blue and experienced breathing failure.

Soon he was taken to Nguyen Dinh Chieu General Hospital where diagnosed to have septic shock and doctors were quick to provide intensive treatment to him yet their efforts were unrewarded. The baby died later.

Youth Volunteer Movement 2015 launched

The Ministry of Education and Training has sent its document to the departments in cities and provinces and universities and colleges asking to effectively implement “Thanh nien tinh nguyen” (Youth Volunteer) movement 2015 launched by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Ministry of Education and Training.

As per the document, the movement themed “Vietnamese youth join hand to build new countryside” and voluntary activities in nearby localities and distant districts to help local inhabitants.

The City communist youth union will work with local young people to develop projects benefiting residents and transfering techniques, aiming to attract more local young people to participate in.

Especially, the Ministry proposed the youth volunteer to focus on “ Tiep suc mua thi” (Giving Assistance to candidates of university examination) program to assist candidates of the 2015 university entrance exams in HCMC from June 28 to July 5 and “Tiep suc toi truong”( Giving assistance to school) program to help needy students and dropouts to have chance of continuing their study.

Further information of the “ Tiep suc mua thi” (Giving Assistance to candidates of university examination) program for twelve graders are available at website http://www.tiepsucmuathi.edu.vn

200km section of Vietnam highway to have six toll stations by year end

A total of six road fee collection stations will be installed within this year on a section of over 200 kilometers on National Highway 14 linking the southern province of Binh Phuoc to the Central Highlands region of Vietnam.

In addition, the road fee at one of the six stations in Binh Phuoc has tripled since June 15.

This contradicts the regulation Transport Minister Dinh La Thang confirmed to the prime minister last month that the minimum distance between two road fee collection stations is 70 kilometers on a highway.

According to the Ministry of Finance, five more road fee collection stations will be set up on the road from now till the end of this year, together with another one currently in operation in Binh Phuoc.

It includes two stations each in Gia Lai and Dak Nong Provinces, and another in Dak Lak Province in the Central Highlands region.

A truck driver estimates that it will cost a 40-foot container truck over VND1 million (US$46) in road fees to go through these stations from Gia Lai to Binh Phuoc.

At the Binh Phuoc station, the road fee for a 12-seat car has gone up from VND10,000 to VND300,000 ($1.5) since June 15.

Similarly, the cost for a 40-foot container truck has risen from VND80,000 ($3.7) to VND180,000 ($8.3).

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper discovered a noteworthy detail that construction of the road section in Binh Phuoc only finished last month, but the road fee collection station was set up in 2010.

In addition, drivers have also complained that many road fee collection stations along other national highways across Vietnam have been placed in the wrong position, allowing them to collect fees on both assigned roads and other free roads.

However, relevant agencies have failed to solve the problem thoroughly.

An example can be found in Hanoi, where the Thang Long – Noi Bai Highway was only put in use in December 2010, but the road fee station started working in September 2009.

In addition, one road toll station is placed at the entrance to Hanoi, meaning drivers using other roads to enter the capital have to pay a tax for a road they did not use.

The public has also protested the road fee stations on the Hanoi – Hai Phong Highway for a similar reason.

According to the Ministry of Transport, Vietnam now has a total of 96 road fee collection stations working or set to open on national highways invested in the form of BOT (Build – Operate – Transfer).

They include 45 posts currently in use and 51 others to become operational when construction of certain roads finishes by 2018.

36 prizes awarded at Ho Chi Minh Youth Informatics Contest 2015

The HCMC Youth Communist Union in collaboration with the departments of Information and Communications; Science and Technology; Education and Training, and Ho Chi Minh City Television yesterday held a ceremony to award the 24th Ho Chi Minh Young Informatics Contest.

The organizationl board awarded 36 prizes for the best individuals and groups in this year’s contest, including four- first prizes, nine- second prizes, five- third prizes and 18 consolation prizes.

Accordingly, the four- first prizes went to Nguyen Quang Hung from Phan Dinh Phung Primary School, Pham Viet An from Nang Khieu High school of National University in HCMC, Lo Nguyen Tuan Khiem from Dong Khoi Secondary School and a student group from Ho Chi Minh City University of Science.

The contest was considered as an advantaged opportunity to help students improve informatics knowledge in their study.

Nha Trang gets free water to survive drought

Authorities in Nha Trang city in central Khanh Hoa Province are providing free water to residents to help them get through the prevailing drought.

Several communes in Nha Trang City - Phuoc Dong, Vinh Luong and Vinh Phuong - have been struggling with drought for two months. Wells have dried up and natural supplies have become contaminated by encroaching sea water.

Tran Hung Dung, chairman of Vinh Luong communal People’s Committee, told DTiNews the city’s clean water system can meet 40 percent of the commune’s demand, but Cat Loi Hamlet's 400 households have none.

“We want Nha Trang City’s authorities a plan to build a water reserve for residents in Cat Loi Hamlet,” he noted.

Tran Van Noi, 58, a local man in the commune, said they have received enough free water for about a month. Water is supplied to 25 households in the area about three times a week.

“But my family has eight members and the water we receive is not enough for our daily needs,” Noi said.

Due to the severe water shortage, several residents in Chua Hamlet have been buying water at high prices from surrounding areas.

Fire destroys store assets

A fire that broke out in an apartment building in HCM City's District 5 yesterday evening destroyed a store and a costly motorbike.

According to a witness, at 10pm yesterday, he saw smoke coming out from a locked ground-floor apartment.

Although people made efforts to enter the apartment and douse the flames, they could not and had to wait until firefighters arrived.

The fire spread fast because of the presence of inflammable items, including notebooks, school accessories, and cotton toys, in the apartment.

As the fire spread, hundreds of occupants of the three-storey apartment building ran out into the open.

No casualties were reported.

Over 100 firefighting policemen from three nearby districts were mobilised to douse the fire.

The fire was extinguished after one hour.

The apartment had been rented out to a school accessory store for several years.

Hundreds of fire-fighters and dozens of trucks were deployed to douse a heavy blaze that broke out in southern Long An Province's Duc Hoa District yesterday.

The fire with heavy smoke was triggered early morning after an explosion ripped through Hiep Phat Paint Limited Company in the Hoang Gia Industrial Zone. Fortunately, the fire broke out at a non-working hour, avoiding any casualty.

Long An Firefighting Force said more than 100 fighters and 10 trucks worked for more than 10 hours to douse the flames.

The initial estimate of the damage was VND8 billion (roughly US$370,000).

Drivers to undergo health checkups

The HCMC Department of Transport has requested local transport enterprises to send drivers to hospitals and medical centers for health checkups before employing them.

The request comes after many drivers were detected using drugs and breaking rules on speed limits. Checks on drivers of 600 transport enterprises in HCMC found many of them failed to meet health requirements and some tested positive for HIV.

As required by the department, transport enterprises have to create medical records of main drivers and their assistants to better manage their employees and help competent authorities with their regular and extraordinary inspections.

Transport enterprises have been urged to ask their drivers and assistants to vow to stop abusing drugs.

The department has warned that transport enterprises will have their services suspended if they are found failing to arrange medical checkups for their drivers.

Those found to have used drugs while driving will be fined in accordance with the Government’s Decree 171/2013/ND-CP issued on November 11, 2013. Drivers who do not comply with drug and alcohol content checks by law enforcement officers will be fined VND10-15 million and their driving licenses detained for two months. Besides, drug users will have driving licenses seized for two years or be fined VND8-10 million.

VFF launches press awards

On June 19, the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) hosted a ceremony in Hanoi to launch press awards for the cause of great national unity.

VFF President Nguyen Thien Nhan extended his congratulation to journalists and news agencies on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press Day and highlighted their great contributions over the past years.

He also expressed his hope that entries to this press award will reflect the activities of authorities at all levels, and public movements attached to the cause of great national unity.

The entries must be in the form of print, radio, television or online journalism and highly public-oriented. The contest is open from June 21st to September 20th.

On the occasion,Chairman of the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao met with with journalists and representatives of media agencies in Hanoi.

The press has reflected shortcomings and unresolved issues in the city and made proposals to resolve them, Thao said adding that the press is an important channel of information, which has given a lot of support to the management and implementation of the city’s political tasks.

Hanoi authorities also hailed the great contribution made by journalists and press agencies to disseminating Party, State policies as well as reflecting the capital city's socio-economic and cultural activities.

HCMC to abolish road maintenance fee on motorcycles

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam proposed to abolish road toll collection on motorcycles, which has aggravated financial burden on residents especially the poor and laborers on Thursday.

She made the proposal at the ongoing 9th session of the 13th National Assembly discussing the Fee Law and continued talking to Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang about the matter on the meeting’s sidelines.

According to Ms. Tam, residents have already paid too many kinds of fees before owning a motorcycle. It is unreasonable to charge the road maintenance fee.

“I proposed to stop collecting this toll because the economy has begun recovering. The people have paid many kinds of taxes,” she said.

If the Government spend the budget reasonably and increase the reclaim rate of corrupted properties reaching only 22 percent, they will be quite capable to make up for the road toll revenue.

Another issue is that officials go to work by cars whose toll payment comes from the state budget while residents travel by motorcycles and pay the fee on their own.

Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang said that the road toll policy on motorcycles aimed to create a fund for road maintenance, repair and upgrading especially in rural areas.

A Ministry of Finance’s circular on the road maintenance toll collection, management and use specifies that the fee payment subjects and level are ruled by municipal and provincial people’s councils, meaning they are totally free to decide the fee collection or not, he explained.

The circular just regulates the ceiling not floor fee level and its revenue will run into local not central budget, he added.

The National Road Maintenance Fund has collected provinces and cities’ opinions about the toll charge on motorcycles and 27 of them have made responses. Of these, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Dong Nai proposed to abolish the fee while the rest 25 others agreed with the collection.

The ministry was waiting for opinions from the other provinces and cities before making any proposal to the Prime Minister, said Mr. Thang.

In response, Ms. Tam said that HCMC was among the latest ones in the country to implement the policy. Ministries and authorized agencies had reminded the city of the fee collection in writing. Therefore, local authorities had discussed and decided to obey the by-law.

Minister Thang reaffirmed that the Ministry of Finance has issued new Circular 133 reducing the fee ceiling level to only VND100,000 for 100 cubic meter motorbikes and VND150,000 for those of higher capacity. Provincial and municipal people’s councils are eligible to slash the fee level to 0 dong.

HCMC People’s Council will apply the 0 level in accordance with the new regulation, Ms. Tam said.

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