Hoa Binh: One more prosecuted for involvement in medical incident

 At a trial on the medical incident in Hoa Binh province 

The Investigation Police Agency of Hoa Binh Police Department on November 20 launched legal proceedings against director of Thien Son Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company Do Anh Tuan for “lacking responsibility causing serious consequences”.

He was prosecuted for his involvement in a medical incident that left nine patients dead at Hoa Binh General Hospital on May 29, 2017 and was placed under house arrest.

Thien Son company signed a contract on May 25, 2017 to repair and maintain the RO water filter No.2 used for kidney dialysis at the hospital. However, the firm then sold the contract to Tram Anh Water Treatment Co., Ltd.

On May 29, 2017, 18 patients suffered from symptoms of anaphylactic shock, with difficulty breathing, a sudden fall in blood pressure, stomach ache and vomiting while receiving kidney dialysis at Hoa Binh General Hospital’s Department of Intensive Care. Nine of the patients died.

According to authorised agencies, substandard water for kidney dialysis and equipment that wasn’t maintained and operated properly caused the incident.

Immediately after the incident, local police commenced criminal proceedings against Bui Manh Quoc (Director of the Tram Anh Water Treatment Co., Ltd), Tran Van Son, employee of the medical material and equipment division at the Hoa Binh hospital and Hoang Cong Luong, doctor in the Department of the Intensive Care of the Hoa Binh General Hospital.

The first-instance trial on the medical incident was held in May, 2018. However, the trial panel returned the file on the case on June 5 and asked authorities to carry out additional investigations.

On July 2, Deputy Director of the Hoa Binh General Hospital Hoang Dinh Khieu and former head of the hospital’s Medical Materials and Equipment Department Tran Van Thang were prosecuted for “unintentionally causing deaths” and “lacking responsibility causing serious consequences”. They were also banned from leaving their residences.

National External Information Service Awards 2018 announced

VNA Deputy General Director Le Quoc Minh (R) addresses the press conference on November 22 

The Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education, the Steering Committee on External Information Work and the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) held a press conference on November 22 to announce the fifth edition of the National External Information Service Awards at the VNA headquarters.

The National External Information Service Awards 2018, organised by the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education, the Steering Committee on External Information Work and the VNA, honours outstanding authors, press works and books in the external information sector. The VNA has been selected to act as the standing agency of this year’s awards.

Speaking at the press conference, Bui Truong Giang, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education, and deputy head of the Steering Committee on External Information Work, affirmed that over the years, the external information service has reaped positive results, contributing to maintaining political stability, serving socio-economic development, ensuring national defence-security and promoting international integration. It has also helped raise the prestige of Vietnam in the international arena and introduce the country to international friends. 

Notably, in 2018, Vietnam impressed the global community with the successful hosting of several diplomatic events such as the World Economic Forum on ASEAN, the sixth Greater Mekong Sub-region Summit (GMS-6) and the 10th Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Summit (CLV-10), the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-26) and the sixth Assembly of the Global Environment Fund.

The annual National External Information Service Awards, launched in 2014, have been participated in by many journalists from both domestic and international publications. 

In 2017, the organising board received 970 entries in forms ranging from print newspaper articles, online articles, radio broadcasts, television broadcasts, press photos, landscape photos and books. The works were published in 15 languages including Vietnamese, English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Khmer, Thai and Bulgarian.  Contestants were diverse, including journalists and collaborators of domestic and foreign press agencies, experts, researchers, photographers, Vietnamese representative agencies abroad and foreign representative agencies in Vietnam. The organising board awarded 67 works, including seven first, 15 second, 18 third and 27 consolation prizes.

VNA Deputy General Director Le Quoc Minh, deputy head of the steering board for the National External Information Service Awards 2018, said this is the second time the VNA has been selected to be the standing agency of the awards after the first in 2014, making it the first press agency to host the event twice. The double number of submissions after four years, the addition of a new genre – book, the plentiful forms of entries and the diverse contestants have showed the increasing appeal of the awards.

According to Minh, with a range of external information channels, forms and works, together with cooperation with about 40 foreign news agencies and a network of 30 representative offices in all the five continents, the VNA boasts many advantages in disseminating information on the event.

Submissions can be in any language and must be published in the forms of an article of printed newspaper, online newspaper and website (licensed by competent agencies), radio broadcast, television broadcast, press photo, landscape photo or book. They must have been broadcast via licensed mass media in Vietnam or in a foreign country from January 1 to December 31, 2018. The awards will be announced and presented in May 2019.

Entries must be sent to the Standing Agency of the National External Information Service Awards 2018 before March 31, 2019.

Central, southern localities asked to brace for Typhoon Usagi

An overview of meeting on Typhoon Usagi response 

Vietnamese central and southern coastal localities have been instructed to take urgent measures to brace for Typhoon Usagi – the ninth storm to hit the East Sea this year said to be heading to the south central region.

Usagi is forecast to make landfall in the night of November 24 or the morning of November 25, Tran Quang Hoai, standing member of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and head of the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority, said at a meeting on storm response in Hanoi on November 23.

Hoai urged localities likely to be affected by the storm to pay attention to areas vulnerable to landslides and prepare to address incidents related to sea dykes in order to ensure safety for locals.

Based on forecasts, localities should put in place plans to evacuate people from dangerous areas and coastal areas before 12:00 of November 24 and ban fishing activities if necessary, he suggested, adding that the Steering Committee and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will send working groups to check on storm response and measures to ensure the safe and effective operation of reservoirs in localities during the day.

The National Committee for Disaster Response and Search and Rescue must get ready for search and rescue missions when needed, he affirmed.

According to Sen. Lt. Col. Nguyen Dinh Hung, deputy head of the Search and Rescue Division under the Border Guard High Command, as of 6:00 am of November 23, information about the storm and guidance were provided for 64,137 ships with 330,712 people on board, so that they are moving to safer areas.

At 4:00 am, the typhoon’s centre was at 10.9 degrees north latitude and 113.8 degrees east longitude, about 450 km east of the coast of the south central and southern provinces from Ninh Thuan to Ba Ria – Vung Tau. The storm's strongest winds were at a speed of 60 – 75 km per hour, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

In the next 24 hours, it is forecast to move west at 10 - 15 km per hour and may gain more strength. The storm with sustained wind speeds at 75 – 100 km per hour will be about 230 km east of the coast of provinces from Ninh Thuan to Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

At 4:00 am of November 25, the storm will continue moving west at 10 – 15 km per hour and make landfall in the area between coastal provinces in south central and east southern regions. It is then weakened to a tropical depression, the centre said.

The typhoon will cause torrential rains for south-central and south-east provinces, it added. Localities stretching from Thua Thien – Hue to Binh Thuan provinces and in the southern Central Highlands region might suffer downpour with rainfall up to 300-500mm.

HCM City, WB top officials visit site of Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe project

Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong (left) and WB Country Director for Vietnam Ousmane Dione (right) take a fact-finding trip to District 2 where the second phase of a WB-funded environmental sanitation project is underway. (Photo: sggp.org.vn)

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong and World Bank (WB) Country Director for Vietnam Ousmane Dione on November 22 took a fact-finding trip to the city’s District 2 where the second phase of a WB-funded environmental sanitation project is underway.

Following the trip, Phong said he was pleased to see the project in good progress while expressing his belief that once completed, it would improve the well-being of the city’s residents and help restore and protect the ecosystem of the Sai Gon and Dong Nai Rivers.

Dione, for his part, spoke highly of the project’s progress, saying the fact the city and WB leaders visited the project’s site together demonstrates the strong commitment for cooperation between the two sides.

He expected the project would make HCM City more resilient to pollution and environmental changes and turn it into a more sustainable and livable city, vowed to continue assisting Vietnam and HCM City in other environmental sanitation projects, and thanked local people for their support during the project’s implementation.

The second phase of the HCM City Environmental Sanitation Project, which began last year, focuses on improving wastewater services for the entire Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Basin. It is planned to be completed by 2021.

The project involves the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Thanh My Loi Ward, District 2 and a 8-km sewer interceptor which will collect wastewater from Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe canal in the districts of Binh Thanh, Go Vap, Tan Binh, Phu Nhuan, 1, 2 and 3 to the plant then discharge into Dong Nai River. 

The water treatment facility is designed to have a daily capacity of 480,000 cu.m. Once completed, wastewater from the basin will be treated by the plant instead of being discharged directly into the Sai Gon River.

The second phase will cost a total of 524 million USD, of which 450 million USD is financed by the WB while the remainder comes from the city’s budget. 

It is expected to benefit more than 1.2 million residents living near the canal, which has been seriously polluted for years.

To date, about 30 percent of the project has been completed with the disbursement of 256 billion VND (11 million USD).

The first phase of the project started in 2003 and was completed in August 2012 with an investment of 421 million USD, of which 294 million USD was sourced from WB’s Official Development Assistance (ODA).

After 10 years of development, the first phase has constructed more than 9 km of water interceptor, using pipe-jacking technology that has been applied in Vietnam for the first time, to improve the Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe canal’s drainage capacity. 

About 1.1 million cubic metres of soil was also dredged from the canal while 16 bridges were upgraded along it. 

Youths win rural building startup contest

The first prize is presented the "Green Blessing" project 

A startup competition to encourage youths to engage in rural building awarded outstanding projects at Can Tho University on November 22.

Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, deputy head of the high-tech farming club and head judge of the contest, said 10 of 179 projects submitted by youths across 52 provinces and cities nationwide  were selected to compete in the final.

She said the projects apply technology to boost tourism growth and promote clean lifestyle and clean food.

The first prize of the contest went to the “Green Blessing”, a project on cultivating organic vegetables in line with responsible tourism by Hoang Thi Hao, Khuc Ngoc Huy, Dinh Hong Diep and Bui Xuan Truong from the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang.

The group worked to develop a tourism model where tourists are treated to safe and clean farm produce, meditation sessions and resort services. They won 50 million VND (2,150 USD) in cash and a maximum loan of 1 billion VND (43,000 USD) from the national fund for employment.

A three-member group from the central province of Thanh Hoa and Nguyen Thi Anh Thi the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap secured second prize for their respective projects on the making of herbal rice and trapa natan products. The prize meant 30 million VND (1,290 USD) and a loan of up to 500 million VND (21, 401 USD) for each winner. 

The third prize winners were Tran Trung Hieu from the Mekong Delta province of An Giang for a project on production and services that support agricultural development; Ben Chi Thinh from the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum with his dang shen processing project; and a seven-member group from the northern province of Tuyen Quang with their project on youth cooperatives and community-based tourism. The third prize came with 15 million VND (645 USD) in cash and up to 300 million VND (12,900 USD) in loans.

Four consolidation prizes each worth 10 million VND (430 USD) and a maximum loan of 200 million VND (8,600 USD) were also awarded.

Exchange held for young Vietnamese, Cambodian officers

Young officers in a football match (Source: baolamdong.vn)

The military high command of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong and the military sub-region of Cambodia’s Siem Reap province organised an exchange for their young officers in Da Lat city on November 22.

Those at the event participated in art performances and sport activities, and visited tourist attractions in Da Lat.

Recalling the history of friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia, both sides affirmed the important role of young officers in defence-security missions.

Young officers of the two units showed their determination to enhance their solidarity, contributing to tightening Vietnam-Cambodia relations.

The two units set up a twin relationship in August 2015. 

Agriculture, farmers, rural areas to come under spotlight

The 10-year implementation of the 10th Party Central Committee’s resolution on agriculture, farmers and rural areas will be reviewed at a national online conference and exhibition slated for November 26 and 27 at the My Dinh National Conference Hall in Hanoi. 

In announcing the events at a press conference on November 21, the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission, one of the organizers, said the event aims to assess the achievements and outstanding shortcomings and problems during the implementation of the resolution, along with identifying their causes and drawing lessons, so as to work out viewpoints and policies for the development of agriculture, farmers and rural areas in the coming period. 

The national online conference, which links all 63 provinces and centrally-run cities in the country, will comprise several thematic symposiums. 

A symposium on sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas will gather business representatives and farmers to seek directions for developing a modern and  sustainable agriculture based on experience of some other countries. 

Another symposium on the application of scientific-technological advances in industrialization and modernisation of agriculture and rural development will bring together international and domestic experts. They will present hi-tech agricultural models and latest technological solutions for agricultural processing. It is also an opportunity for delegates to discuss with policymakers policies and measures to promote the research and application of scientific and technological advances in agriculture and rural development. 

 There will also be a symposium on the investment potential and development prospect of the agricultural commodity market in Vietnam in the context of international integration. Issues to be tabled include the State’s incentives and credit policies for agriculture, farmers and rural areas. Leading Vietnamese experts are expected to present their assessment and analysis on opportunities and directions for development for agriculture businesses. 

Around 500 delegates will attend the online conference in Hanoi and between 50 - 100 others will join the event from each province and centrally-run cities. 

Meanwhile, the national expo on achievements in the 10-year implementation of the 10th Party Central Committee’s resolution on agriculture, farmers and rural areas will take place from 13:00 on November 26 to 18:00 on November 27.

The expo will include displays by some ministries, central agencies and model localities. Outstanding enterprises and cooperatives in the agricultural sector will be introduced on the occasion, along with commodities and services at more than 100 booths in three zones. 

PM approves tasks regarding Nui Coc Lake master plan

A view of Nui Coc lake

The Prime Minister has recently approved several tasks regarding the master plan on the Nui Coc Lake national tourism site in the northern province of Thai Nguyen towards 2030. 

The master plan aims to build a major ecological and resort area in the country with synchronous and modern infrastructure, contributing to promoting socio-economic development in the northern mountainous and mid-land region and Thai Nguyen in particular. 

It will also help tap existing advantages such as the ecological system of lakes, islands, protection forests, and the Tan Cuong tea growing area to develop tourism effectively and sustainably.

As planned, the national tourism site will lie in the communes of Phuc Xuan, Phuc Triu, and Tan Cuong in Thai Nguyen city; the communes of Tan Thai, Binh Thuan, Luc Ba, Van Tho, Quan Chu, and Quan Chu township in Dai Tu district; and Phuc Tan commune in Pho Yen town. 

Nui Coc Lake, covering 25 sq.km of surface water, took shape after a dam was built on the Cong River, a tributary of the Cau River, in 1973. It is also a well-known tourist destination in Thai Nguyen province.

German left-wing party delegation learn about plight of Vietnamese AO/dioxin victims

A delegation from Germany’s Die Linke (The Left) party met with the Central Committee of Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin (VAVA) in Hanoi on November 20.

At the meeting, VAVA Chairman Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Van Rinh briefed the delegation on affairs related to Agent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam.

According to Rinh, the US army sprayed some 80 million litres of toxic chemicals in Vietnam during the war, 61 percent of which was Agent Orange, containing 366kg of dioxin. As a result, more than 3 million ha of forested land was destroyed, while basic water and food sources for millions of people were contaminated.

Preliminary statistics showed that 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange/dioxin. Tens of thousands of people died from exposure, while millions of others went on to suffer from cancer and other incurable diseases. Children and grand children of many victims have been affected with widespread birth deformities.

Rinh said the toxic chemical still remains across 28 sites in Vietnam to date.

Most recently, Da Nang airport, one of these spots, saw all of its dioxin-polluted area detoxified, thanks to a six-year project funded by non-refundable aid from the US Government worth 110 million USD. Meanwhile, another dioxin treatment project is underway at the Bien Hoa airport, based in the southern province of Dong Nai. With an estimated cost of 500 million USD, it is expected to last for 10 years.

Since 2007, the US Government has run a specific budget for tackling Agent Orange/dioxin consequences in Vietnam, with total approved funds amounting to 218 million USD. The aid has mostly been injected into addressing environmental issues.

On the part of Vietnam, the Government spends about 50 million USD each year on supporting some 320,000 Agent Orange/dioxin victims, who are offered free health insurance and functional rehabilitation programmes. 

Rinh also introduced his association, which was established in 2004. Currently, the VAVA has 400,000 members working across 63 provinces and cities. The association has raised 1.8 trillion VND (77.05 million USD) worth of donations for victims to date.

Simone Oldenburg, Vice Chair of the Die Linke party, expressed her appreciation of VAVA’s activities and sympathies for the losses borne by Vietnamese people, particularly Agent Orange/dioxin victims, after the war. 
Vietnam – Korea culture, food fest to run in Hanoi

Scene taken at the media conference introducing the 2018 Vietnam – Republic of Korea (RoK) culture and food festival.

The Vietnam – Republic of Korea (RoK) culture and food festival will take place in Hanoi between November 30 and December 2.

The organisers, including the RoK Embassy, Hanoi People’s Committee and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, selected the Starlake urban complex in the West Lake area as the venue.

This year is the 10th time the annual event has been held, and this year’s budget is seven times higher than the inaugural event.   

The festival will feature a Vietnam-RoK talent contest, a 100-stall food space and musical performances.

Vietnam and the RoK established diplomatic ties on December 22, 1992. They set up their comprehensive strategic partnership in August 2001, and agreed to lift ties to a strategic cooperative partnership in October 2009.

Traditional Korean foods are becoming increasingly popular amongst Vietnamese people, namely kimchi, kimbab, bulgogi, cold noodle soup, and noodles with black bean sauce. Korean pop music and fashion also have increased influence on Vietnamese youths. 

Dong Thap rice farmers switch to other crops, incomes rise

Farmers in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap have begun to use more than 3,000ha of low-yield rice fields for growing fruits and other crops this year.

They are growing mostly corn, sesame, soybean, sweet potato, lotus, mango, longan, orange and dragon fruit, and their incomes have doubled or even tripled, according to local authorities.

Those growing corn have average yields of 8-12 tonnes per hectare per crop and each time earn 7-10 million VND (300-430 USD) higher than rice.

Provincial authorities have encouraged farmers to use infertile paddies to grow corn and establish concentrated areas for the crop.    

The province has zoned such concentrated corn areas in Hong Ngu, Thanh Binh, Tam Nong, Lap Vo and Lai Vung districts.

In the 2018-19 winter-spring crop, the province offered rice farmers a subsidy of 3 million VND (130 USD) per hectare for buying corn seeds for planting if they switched, according to Nguyen Thanh Tai, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The province encourages farmers to grow corn varieties that have shorter maturity periods, high quality and consistent yields, including hybrid varieties.

It has also identified high-yield sesame varieties VV12 and VÐ3 as suitable for growing in drought-prone areas in Cao Lanh city and the districts of Cao Lanh, Lap Vo and Tan Hong.

Many farmers rotate rice and sesame on their rice fields, growing rice in winter-spring and summer-autumn and sesame in spring-summer.

The sesame crop helps improve the soil’s fertility and saves water, especially in the dry season. Besides, it earns them more than 30 million VND (1,300 USD) per hectare per crop, 5-10 million VND (215-430 USD) more than summer-autumn rice, according to farmers.

Many rice farmers who have switched to fruits in recent years earn higher incomes since fruits have high value and demand.  

Ngo Van Binh, who has turned his 7,000sq.m rice field in Lai Vung district’s Vinh Thoi commune into a red-flesh dragon fruit orchard, said he now earns around 200 million VND (8,620 USD) a year.

“Planting dragon fruit requires high initial investment, but the fruit is easy to grow and has high yields so farmers can recover the investment quickly, while earning good incomes.”

His fruits have a guaranteed buyer in the form of a company, he said.

In Lai Vung, other crops have been grown on more than 2,600ha of rice paddies since 2016, according to the district’s Division of Agriculture and Rural Development.

But the small scale of farming, scattered locations of farms, uneven farming skills and lack of regular outlets are obstacles to restructuring, the division said.

Mai Quoc Hau, head of the division, said: “The district will have detailed plans for converting low-yield rice fields in each area and for their markets.”

The district would work with companies to guarantee outlets for farmers, he promised.

The district also plans to teach farming techniques and provide a subsidy of 60 million VND (2,580 USD) to each cooperative team and cooperative registering for the first time to grow crops to Vietnamese good agricultural practice (VietGAP) standards.

Hai Duong learns urban management experience from Mexico

Hai Duong Party Committee Secretary and People's Council Chairman Nguyen Manh Hien and the entourage visit the Vietnamese Embassy in Mexico. 

A delegation from the northern province of Hai Duong visited Mexico from November 13-19 to study this Latin American market and exchange experience in urban management.

While in Mexico, Nguyen Manh Hien, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Council had a working session with Ramon Teller, who is in charge of Tecnoparque, the first Technology and Business Park in Mexico City. Experience in high-tech park management and development was on the table at their meeting.

Visiting the Vietnamese Embassy in Mexico, Hien asked the embassy to study agricultural market of the host nation, and help Hai Duong province export local staples like litchi, guava and rosy-pulped grapefruit to the country.

Hien also met with Ismael del Toro, Mayor of Guadalajara city in Jalisco state, during which they highlighted their localities’ strengths and potential while discussing cooperative opportunities.

On the occasion, Miguel Angel Landeros, President of the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade of Western Mexico, took the delegation to visit the digital innovative city, renowned De la Rosa cake production, and VIDA high-tech agricultural production group in Jalisco state, the second largest state in Mexico and 10th largest in Latin American country in terms of economic potential and gross domestic products (GDP).

Hien and his entourage laid flowers at the statue of President Ho Chi Minh in Guadalajara city.

Khmer people in Tra Vinh celebrate Ok Om Bok Festival

A boat race takes place on the Long Binh River in Tra Vinh city, Tra Vinh province, on November 21 to celebrate the Ok Om Bok Festival 

Ok Om Bok (moon worship) Festival of the Khmer ethnic people, part of national intangible cultural heritage, was held in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh on November 22.

At the event, the traditional moon worship ritual, the main activity of the festival, was reenacted by Khmer artists. 

Khmer people believe the moon is the god controlling the weather and crops. The worship aims to thank the moon for granting them good weather and bumper harvests, and to pray for better crops in the following year.

Visitors to the festival also enjoyed traditional singing and dancing performances from the ethnic group.

Addressing the ceremony, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dong Van Lam wished local Buddhists and Khmer people a happy Ok Om Bok Festival. He also called on them and authorities to preserve national heritage, uphold their traditional culture and help with the development of Vietnamese culture.

To celebrate the festival, Tra Vinh held an array of other activities.

The celebratory programme lasted from November 16 to 22, featuring a culture, tourism and cuisine week, a trade – tourism – agriculture promotion exhibition and workshops on the Mekong Delta’s tourism and supply – demand connection.

Additionally, the province unveiled a mural road in Ba Se A hamlet of Luong Hoa commune, Chau Thanh district. The 28 murals, created by Khmer artists, reflect the culture and daily life of the ethnic group.

Tra Vinh is home to more than 310,000 Khmer people, accounting for 31.5 percent of its population.

HCM City tightens control over waste classification

People in HCM City will be fined if they repeatedly fail to sort their rubbish.

• HCM City tightens control over waste classification (Photo by SGGP)

This proposal is among the contents on litter classification regulations issued by municipal authorities on November 14. 

According to the decision, people and households need to sort solid waste before it is collected for treatment facilities. Those households failing to classify waste more than three times per week will be fined.

Under the government’s solid waste management regulations, people who do not sort solid waste or do not hand over waste for environmental units have to pay the fine of VND15-20 million (USD652.17-869.56).

The city also encourages local people to use bags of different colours to classify waste.

Environmental workers will collect organic waste on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, while the remaining days will be for other kinds of waste.

People have to prepare bags and tools for waste classification as well as fees for the waste transportation and gathering service. Households are also required to sign a contract with environmental agencies for the work.

People have rights to inform local authorities of violations in waste gathering and transporting services.

The HCM City Department of Natural Resources and Environment stated that the sorting of garbage aims to reduce landfills to 60% and increasing the amount of recycled solid waste to 40% by 2020.

It estimates that the city produces around 8,000 tonnes of waste every day, an increase of more than 1,000 tonnes per day over 2016.

More than 80 percent of this is sent to landfills, and this is a huge obstacle in the city’s efforts to reduce environmental pollution.