Vietnam & Japan join hands to develop WIFI sensor chip

Vietnam will send engineers to Japan in order to learn microelectronic design and cooperate with Japanese engineers to conduct researches on WIFI sensor chips for serving agriculture development in Vietnam, announced Vice President of HCMC Hi-Tech Park (SHTP) Duong Minh Tam at the workshop “Internet of thing” yesterday.

After finishing the studying course, Vietnamese engineers and experts will collaborate with Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (ASIT) of Japan to conduct researches, manufacture and  commercialization projects for WIFI sensor chip in Vietnam.

In Japan, WIFI sensor technology systems have been widely applied in measuring the temperature in breeding room, environment and fish pond, helping farmers control health condition, diseases on planting and cattle, added Mr. Duong Minh Tam.

Da River water supply's damaged pipeline repaired

Repairs to the Da River Water Supply Plant's damaged pipeline were completed at 2.30am today after 15 hours of work, and water supply to residents has resumed.

Nguyen Van Ton, General Director of the Vinaconex Water Supply Joint-stock Company, said this, adding that the breach in the pipeline, the 11th since it was opened for public use in late 2008, was more difficult to repair than the previous breach.

The pipeline was about 3m underground and the broken part was some 30cm wide and 11m long, Ton said.

The company's workers had to work overnight to replace the broken section of the pipeline with a new one, he said.

The Da River water pipeline, which passes through Thach That District in Ha Noi, had broken at 11.45am yesterday.

Successful heart-lung transplants in Hue

The Hue Central Hospital on July 22 successfully performed heart-lung transplants for a 40 year-old man in Hue City, said Prof Dr. Bui Duc Phu, director of the hospital.  

Prof Dr. Phu said this was the first heart-lung transplants conducted in Vietnam.

On July 19, four doctors at Hue Central Hospital flew to HCM city to receive the heart and lung donated by a brain-dead donor.

The brain-dead donor had an AB blood type. Donors with AB blood type can only be matched with recipients with the same blood type. Associate Prof. Nguyen Truong Son, director of Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City said the AB blood type was uncommon among Vietnamese.

To expedite the transport of the organs between HCM City and Hue, the hospitals had to ask for assistance from national aviation, customs and import-export management agencies.

The heart must be transplanted within three hours, and the lung, within four hours, Son said.

Earlier on March 2011, Hue Central Hospital also successfully conducted the heart transplant for a 26-year old male patient.

Sleepy driver caused accident that killed three

The accident that occurred at 4.30am on Highway 1A, killing three people and injuring four others, was caused by a sleepy driver, the Thanh Hoa Police said today.

The highway passes through Ha Binh Commune in Ha Trung District in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

Colonel Tran Trung Hieu, spokesman of the provincial police, said driver Ho Tuan Sau, 49, who lives in the central province of Nghe An, was driving at high speed when the accident occurred. When a coach blew its horn to overtake him, Sauu steered his vehicle to the right to let the coach pass, but in doing so, he crashed into a trailer travelling in the lane next to him.

The deceased were identified as Le Van Mui, 48, Nguyen Van Tan, 62, and Nguyen Thai Ha, 29, all from the central province of Nghe An.

The police are temporarily holding Sau to complete the procedures to prosecute him.

10 tonnes of suspected smuggled goods seized

Authorities in Ha Noi yesterday seized more than 10 tonnes of goods worth billions of dong, suspected to have been smuggled, in Long Bien District.

Forty-seven types of consumer goods being carried in a container, including confectioneries, beverages and cosmetics, were seized while being unloaded at the Gia Lam Train Factory warehouse.

Bui Van Quang, the 34-year-old driver, could not produce documents establishing the origin of the goods. He said he was hired to transport them from Hai Phong to Ha Noi by Phu Dien Company, located in Duc Giang, Long Bien District.

If the ownership of the goods is not established, they will be dealt with according to the law.

The goods have been sealed and stored at a warehouse managed by the Hanoi Market Surveillance Agency.

Conference updates developments in East Sea

The latest developments and policy options in the East Sea were at the heart of a conference held in Washington D.C. on July 21.

Organised by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the fifth annual function drew experts from Vietnam, China, the Philippines and the US, among others.

Panels addressed recent developments in the East Sea, legal issues and strategic balance, and engaged in a crisis simulation.

Two hot issues highlighted at the full-day event were the Philippines’s lawsuit against China at the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), and China’s illegal construction of artificial islands in the East Sea.

Daniel Russell, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs said any disputes must be solved via diplomatic solutions and in line with international law.

Free plant for people

Doan Minh Nhan, a 25-year-old resident in Thu Dau Mot District of Binh Duong Province, has a unique idea of traveling two hours from home to Hang Xanh intersection in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District to give away moringa trees to strangers everyday.

From noon to night, the young man stands next to his motorbike surrounded by hundreds of moringa trees and a sign that reads: “Giving free plants.” According to him, clean vegetables with clear origins are what many people are concerned about.

Asked about the reason to do this philanthropic work in HCMC, Nhan said that people in the city pay much attention to green food, so they might have high demands to plant the tree.

“I expect that people who plant the tree and people who use it will be more aware of green and sustainable food.”

A graduate from Khoi Viet Vocational school with a major in restaurant and hotel management in 2010, Nhan worked in HCMC before coming back to his hometown to do the farming and help his family plant rubber trees. He sees the rising trend of clean farming, so he will soon plant clean fruits and vegetables.

Tien Giang cracks down on mining of sand

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tien Giang has initiated tough measures to control mining of sand in the river.

The measures are aimed at preventing landslides on the riverbanks and protecting the aquaculture resources as well lives and assets of local people who live alongside rivers.

The provincial authority has temporarily stopped the issue and extension of licences for mining of sand, so as to review the situation on the Tien River.

The province will also co-operate with the neighbouring localities of Long An Province and HCM City to prepare regulations on aquaculture and mineral resources, as well as to apply surveillance measures to discover and handle violations, and prevent illegal sand exploitation.

Moreover, Tien Giang Province will review and revise some regulations on mineral exploitation and transportation in the province.

Awareness programmes about natural resources and environment protection will be also promoted among the people.

At present, only two businesses are permitted to mine sand from Tien River.

The amount of sand being exploited has dramatically decreased. In 2012, the businesses exploited more than 55,000cu.m of sand, while in 2014, the yield was about 7,000cu.m, as compared to 5,000cu.m this year.

In fact, mining of sand has brought huge socio-economic benefits to the province. However, there were some issues too.

Activities that did not seriously comply with regulations caused changes in river currents and soil erosion of the river banks.

So far, the province has allocated four large areas for sand exploitation on the River Tien in the districts of Cai Be and Cai Lay.

The local authority also regulates that the evaluation of applications for sand exploitation work must take account of environmental impact assessment and safe water traffic.

The exploitation work must be carried out at least 20m away from the river banks.

Despites the tough regulations, illegal mining of sand continues in the river.

Operation Smile provides new round of surgeries

From July 20 to 24 in Hanoi, Operation Smile, in cooperation with the National Fund for Vietnamese Children and the Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Hospital, is organizing free surgeries for children with harelips or cleft palates. Viet Capital Bank and Live to Love Vietnam are sponsoring the program.

This is the 19th round of free surgeries provided by Operation Smile. On July 20, 160 children underwent examinations and, from July 21 to 24, 92 will have surgery.  

Viet Capital Bank and Live to Love Vietnam have worked with Operation Smile in many other activities.

One Quang Nam person tests positive for diphtheria

One of three medical samples from patients in the mountainous Phuoc Loc Commune of Phuoc Son District has tested positive for diphtheria.

Director of the province's health department Nguyen Van Hai told Viet Nam News yesterday that the test results from Nha Trang Pasteur Institute reported only one patient as being infected with the disease.

He said it was the second case among 13 patients being treated for diphtheria, and that no new case has been detected in the area since July 9.

He said the institute had tested seven out of 10 medical samples that were sent to Nha Trang two weeks ago, while the reports of the three remaining samples were released on Tuesday night.

"They were the last results of 10 medical samples tested for diphtheria in the area. The situation is under control. Patients are still receiving treatment at the district hospital and at home under the supervision of doctors," he said.

Last week, the department said 13 people in villages 8A and 8B in the commune reportedly had fever, ganglion inflammations and difficulty in eating and drinking, all being symptoms related to diphtheria.

Three people, who were believed to have the disease, had died. But two medical samples of the dead persons tested negative for diphtheria.

Meanwhile, only one patient tested positive for diphtheria among the first seven medical samples of patients sent to Nha Trang Institute.

Villages 8A and 8B have 224 ethnic Mo Nong people.

Bodies found at pit collapse site

The bodies of two workers who died in a pit collapse were found at 7.30am today, Standing Deputy Chairman of the Quang Ninh People's Committee Dang Huy Hau said.

The victims were Vu Duc Thanh, 42, and Bui Ngoc Toan, 40. They were workers of the Vang Danh Coal Company.

A pit of the company collapsed at 8.20pm yesterday in Uong Bi City. Thanh and Toan were caught in the collapse.

The incident is being investigated.

Soldiers died at sea honoured

The Viet Nam Buddhist Association held a memorial service for the 64 Vietnamese soldiers who fought in the 1988 battle of Gac Ma Island to safeguard the nation's sovereignty yesterday on the occasion of the War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27).

It was also held to honour the soldiers and civillians who sacrificed their lives during the nation's struggle for independence, unification and freedom.

After the ceremony, Bui Le Trang's painting Gac Ma – Immortal Circle was auctioned and sold for VND1.28 billion ($58,700) to the Hoa Binh Corporation. The painting was later donated to the Viet Nam National Museum of History.

The money from the auction and other donations will be used to support the families of soldiers who have fought to protect the nation's sovereignty at sea.

200-mln-USD project to supply water to HCM City suburbs

The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has approved a project to develop and manage a clean water supply system in suburban Cu Chi district worth 4.37 trillion VND (200 million USD).

It will be carried out by the Saigon Water Infrastructure Corporation (Saigon Water) between July 2015 and December 2019.

The first phase of the project, running from now through the end of this year, involves the construction of water supply networks linking the Kenh Dong water plant with Cu Chi town and ten other communes nearby as well as the instalment of home water filtration systems and water metres for each household alongside water tanks for areas not currently connected to water networks.

Six existing groundwater treatment stations in An Nhon Tay, Pham Van Coi, Phuoc Thanh, Thai My, Trung An and Trung Lap Ha communes are scheduled to be renovated and the Binh My 2 groundwater treatment station will be newly built.

This first phase aims to benefit more than 98,400 local families in the district.

Completed networks during the second phase from 2016 to 2019 are expected to ensure water supply for all local households and install water metres for over 53,100 of them.

HCM City to launch waterway transport

The HCM City People's Committee has approved the introduction next year of passenger services on two waterway routes through the Sai Gon River and Thanh Da, Tau Hu and Ben Nghe canals.

One will be a 10.8km route from Bach Dang Wharf in District 1 to Linh Dong Ward in Thu Duc District on the Sai Gon River and Thanh Da Canal and passing through many crowded residential areas and tourist spots in Districts 1, 2, Binh Thanh, and Thu Duc.

The second of 10.3 km will also start at Bach Dang and go through the Ben Nghe and Tau Hu canals to Lo Gom area in District 6. It will run through Districts 1, 4, 5, 8, and 6.

The services, using boats that can carry at least 60 passengers, will be operated by the city-based Daily Limited Company, which will invest VND128 billion (US$6 million).

The two routes will each have seven stops en route.

Construction of jetties and other infrastructure is also expected to be finished next year.

The routes pass through thickly populated areas and, according to Daily Limited Company, can link up with the bus system.

The new service would also help develop waterway tourism, it added.

HCM City to up oversight of ice manufacturers

The HCM City Food Safety and Hygiene Division plans to conduct more inspections at ice manufacturing facilities, particularly those that use well water.

More than 54 per cent of 22 tested samples of ice were found to be contaminated with bacteria and had a high chloride concentration.

Speaking at a workshop in HCM City yesterday, Le Thai Hoa, the division's head, said that substandard ice-making facilities would be forced to shut down and that fines would be strictly enforced.

Restaurants must buy ice from facilities with a certificate of product quality, he added.

Manufacturers should also transport ice by using heat-insulating devices instead of woven polypropylene (PE) bags, he said.

Hoa also required that 114 ice manufacturing facilities should use tap water supplied by Sai Gon Water Corporation (SAWACO) in order to ensure quality, Hoa said.

A water filter should be used to clean water taken from wells.

Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, the division's deputy head, said the quality of tap water was controlled according to technical regulations issued by the Ministry of Health.

As many as 56 per cent of 114 facilities have not tested the quality of used well water, Mai said.

The city's need for ice is 500 tonnes a day, supplied by 193 facilities.

In the first six months of the year, as many as 25.6 per cent of 193 facilities did not have a certificate of food safety and hygiene.

Many small manufacturing facilities use well water and treat it via a variety of processes to ensure quality.

Because of the high price of tap water, at VND20,500(US$0.9) per cubic metre, the manufacturers prefer to use well water.

These companies have petitioned the Government to have preferential water prices.

The companies have said that packaging equipment for rectangular-shaped ice blocks of 50-60 kilos was too expensive. This packaging is required under the packing regulation issued in 2010.

Packing the blocks with polyethylene (PE) bags by hand is difficult because of the material's slippery nature, they said.

Nguyen The Trung of Trung Loi Ice Manufacturing Co. Ltd said the price of PE bags was too high, raising the cost of ice.

Germany helps Vietnam combat climate change

Vietnam’s forests are increasingly threatened as a result of deforestation, forest degradation, fragmentation and other stresses – making them more vulnerable to changing environmental conditions.

To cope with the challenges posed by climate change the Frankfurt Zoological Society has agreed to cooperate with the General Department of Forestry on matters pertaining to biodiversity management.

Pursuant to an agreement signed July 21, the project will be given effect through 2019 and is expected to enhance the nation’s capacity to respond to climate change in the Central and Highland regional areas of the country.

Over 31,000 patients receive methadone treatment

As many as 31,162 patients are receiving methadone treatments nationwide, up 6,621 patients from the end of 2014 and reaching 38 percent of the target, according to the Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control under the Ministry of Health (MoH).

To date, 46 provinces and cities have implemented methadone treatments in 170 clinics .

However, the methadone treatment programme in several localities is facing difficulties including personnel issues, unfavourable administrative formalities, a shortage of human resources and a lack of funding.

To deal with the obstacles, the MoH has mobilised resources for infrastructure, equipment, personnel and expenditures to expand methadone treatment availability.

Since 2013, the ministry has purchased methadone drugs produced domestically at a lower price than imported treatments.

The methadone treatment programme was initially piloted in Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City in 2008 and then expanded to a national scale.

After a 12-month treatment course, the percentage of patients at a high risk of depression drops to 15 percent from 80 percent. Many gain weight and see their physical and mental health stabilise. Meanwhile, the crime rate amongst drug users sinks to 1.3 percent from 40.8 percent, according to the Ministry of Health.

HCM City: 27,000 jobs available in August

Local enterprises will have 27,000 available jobs in August, unveiled the Ho Chi Minh City’s Centre for Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labour Market Information (FALMI) on July 21.

Manpower demand is concentrated in the IT, garment-textiles, footwear and leather sectors and the real estate, logistics, and sales industries.

Employment opportunities are highest for unskilled labour and graduates/post-graduates, accounting for 30 percent and 28 percent of the total job offers respectively. The demand for technicians follows closely at 25 percent.

According to FALMI Vice Director Tran Anh Tuan, newly graduated students will be competing against experienced job-seekers.

The southern hub’s labour market increased its recruitment need in July by 17 percent from the previous month with a focus on new staff in the sales, logistics, IT and service sector.

Gaps between manpower supply and demand are occurring in a range of sectors including IT, garment-textiles, finance-banking and real estate.

Gender integration in MDG implementation promoted in ethnic areas

Promoting gender integration in implementing action plans related to millennium development goals (MDG) in ethnic minority areas was the main focus of a training workshop held in central Binh Thuan province on July 21 and 22.

Jointly held by the provincial People’s Committee and the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the event was attended by Hoang Xuan Luong, Deputy Minister – Vice Chairman of the Government Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, and Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Chief Representative in Vietnam, as well as officials in charge of ethnic affairs from nine localities in the Central Highlands and central regions.

The training was designed to assist localities in drafting plans and strategies relating to gender integration towards the completion of a plan of action on boosting the implementation of MDGs in ethnic minority regions.

Delegates presented speeches on subjects involving gender and gender integration, including gender equality approaches, gender meanstreaming in implementing MDG-related action plans and policies and social welfare policies dedicated to ethnic girls and women.

They also discussed challenges that have arisen during the implementation of MDGs in ethnic minority-inhabited areas as well as measures to include gender in the efforts.

Vietnam has, to date, completed three of the eight MDGs, including promoting gender equality and empowering women.

However, the country’s gender equality policies are relatively vague and there is still a lack of priority mechanisms for the development of ethnic minority women.

The country is striving to reduce the number of illiterate ethnic minority females to below 20 percent while increasing the number of women participating in commune-level People’s Councils to 30 percent and the proportion of female ethnic deputies to 50 percent.

Work starts on third wind power plant in Binh Thuan

The first phase of construction of a wind power plant began on July 21 in Tuy Phong district in the south central coastal province of Binh Thuan.

Covering 400 hectares, the Phu Lac wind power plant is invested by the Thuan Binh Wind Power JSC, with total capital of over 1 trillion VND (roughly 46 million USD).

During the first phase, the project will install 12 turbines with a combined capacity of 24 megawatts.

The wind power farm, the fourth of its kind in Vietnam including three plants in Binh Thuan and another in the southern province of Bac Lieu , is expected to be completed within 14 months.

Currently, Binh Thuan is leading the country in attracting wind power investments, with 12 projects and a total capacity of 2,000 megawatts.

VUFO bolsters international friendship activities

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) held a conference reviewing people-to-people relationships between Vietnam and other countries in the first six months of 2015 and to outline plans for the remaining months of the year.

Deputy Chairman and General Secretary of the VUFO Don Tuan Phong highlighted major tasks for the last six months of the year, especially bolstering international friendship activities on the occasion of the 70 th anniversary of the country’s National Day, VUFO’s 65 th Traditional Day and the 20 th anniversary of Vietnam-US diplomatic ties.

The VUFO plans to establish the Vietnam-Nepal Friendship Association in the time ahead.

In the first half of the year, the union hosted several major events including an international gathering marking the 40th anniversary of the liberation of Southern Vietnam and national reunification, programmes tracking President Ho Chi Minh’s journeys in China, Laos and Thailand on the occasion of the President’s 125th birthday, and a Vietnam-China Border Festival.

The union received 171 aid projects with total committed funding of 42.5 million USD from foreign non-governmental organisations in the reviewed period, focusing on the fields of health, education, community development, climate change resilience and social affairs.-

Credit helps ensure sustainable poverty alleviation

The Prime Minister has issued a decision providing credit packages at the Bank for Social Policies for households who have recently escaped from poverty to help them develop production and businesses to stabilise their lives and promote sustainable poverty reduction.

The beneficiaries should be those who have risen out of poverty within the last three years.

The loan terms will be agreed upon by the bank and the borrowers based on their production, business and payment capacity.

The interest rates are 125 percent of those for poor households and those for overdue debts are equal to 130 percent of lending interest rates.

The extension of debts is similar to those for poor households stipulated in the Government decree on credit for poor people and preferential policy beneficiaries.

According to the Bank for Social Policies, around 200,000 households who have risen out of poverty have yet to access the bank’s loans to serve their production and business needs.

Vinh Long develops comprehensive irrigation system

The Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long has devised a number of measures for the development of a comprehensive irrigation system, according to the provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Development.

This year alone, it has set aside some 254 billion VND (11.87 million USD) in the construction of and upgrades to 234 irrigation projects across the province with priority given to building flood-proof embankments in Bac Mang Thit district and expanding irrigation canals.

Other focuses have been on projects to upgrade irrigation systems serving large-scale fields in Tam Binh district, embankments surrounding orchards and aquaculture farms in Quoi Thien commune in Vung Liem district, Hoa Ninh and Binh Hoa Phuoc communes in Long Ho district and embankments protecting Binh Tan district’s crops to the north of National Road 1A.

So far this year, 156 irrigation works worth a total of 64.3 billion VND (more than 3 million USD) have been completed, supplying water to 91 percent of the province’s agricultural land.

As many as 15 out of 22 communes have met the irrigation criteria in the new rural area building programme.

During the rest of the year, the sector targets to accelerate the implementation and operation of sewage and dam systems in the modern rural Thanh Binh commune and irrigation works for large-scale fields in Tan An Luong commune, Vung Liem district, among others, to meet the requirements of local agricultural production restructuring.

Additionally, under the local irrigation system restructuring plan from 2014-2020, nearly nine trillion VND (420.56 million USD) has been allocated for developing rural areas.

The locality has also mobilised different resources to facilitate the construction, operation and management of local irrigation systems.

Numerous activities to connect domestic, overseas youth

A series of sports, start-up and voluntary events are scheduled to take place in the next several days to connect domestic and overseas young Vietnamese people, said the Vietnam Youth Federation on July 21.

The Connecting VietYouth 2015 (CVY 2015) programme will begin with a charity run titled CVY Innovation Marathon on July 25 at the Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi. The run with prizes totalling over 500 million VND (23,200 USD) is expected to attract more than 1,500 people, including expatriate students from the UK, France, Switzerland, the US, Australia and Singapore.

The proceeds will be spent on presenting books and stationery to underprivileged students in northern mountainous provinces and organising an event celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival for child patients at the Hanoi-based Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion.

A start-up workshop (CVY Innovation Day) and another giving advice on overseas study (CVY Study Abroad Conference) will be held at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi one day later. Successful entrepreneurs and overseas students will share their experience to give the youth practical views of these topics.

CVY 2015 participants will also offer presents to child patients at the National Cancer Hospital and join disadvantaged children in exchanges and help their families in home repairs.

The CVY 2015 is organised by the Global Shapers Community, the Vietnamese Students Association in the UK and the Vietnamese Youth and Student Association in the US.

Conference focuses on vein-related disease

Nearly 200 doctors and researchers from across the country discussed the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency at a medical education programme in HCM City last week.

The programme featured live surgeries performed by Dr. Olivier Hartung from France's Assistance Publique – Hopitaux de Marseille together with doctors from the HCM City University Medical Centre.

Most people with CVI fail to be diagnosed or properly treated at an early enough stage since they usually ignore early symptoms like swelling in the lower legs and pain or tiredness in the legs, according to Assoc. Prof. Le Nu Thi Hoa Hiep of the HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

Ignored, it could cause pulmonary embolism that can often be fatal.

CVI affects retired people more and women are more susceptible than men, she said.

It is most treatable in the early stages, with the basic treatment protocol prohibiting prolonged sitting or standing and requiring regular exercise, losing weight and practising good skin hygiene.

Endovenous thermal ablation, a new technique that uses laser or high-frequency radio waves to create intense local heat in the affected vein, was among the topics discussed at the programme organised by the HCM City University Medical Centre.

‘Hospital At Home’ program introduced in HCM City

The ‘Hospital At Home’ program has recently become more popular in Ho Chi Minh City thanks to the participation of public hospitals.

Besides private hospitals offering health checks for both locals and foreigners in the city, public infirmaries have also offered the service to provide care and brief diagnoses at home for elderly patients and those who have difficulty walking.

However, not all public hospitals have provided the service, with only Thong Nhat Hospital, Go Vap Hospital, the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital and Binh Thanh Hospital offering it.

The four above hospitals set out different requirements for patients to benefit from the service, which is applicable to those having Vietnam’s health insurance.

Thong Nhat Hospital has the most relaxed requirements for patients, and the facility has offered the service for three months.

Patients and their relatives only need to make a phone call and Thong Nhat Hospital doctors will make an appointment. It has helped over 150 patients in the past months.

For Go Vap Hospital and the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, patients must visit the facilities to complete administrative procedures and health records first.

Relatives of patients also come to the hospitals to register for at-home health checks and make an appointment.

Binh Thanh Hospital provides limited chances for health checks at home since its managers decide on and approve each case, and only patients who have health records with difficulty in walking are qualified.

The prices for each health check at home range from VND150,000 to VND500,000 (US$7-US$23) at different hospitals.

Ho Chi Minh City has dozens of public hospitals, but only the four above mentioned facilities have offered the service because of the shortage of health staff.

A doctor can check on average 50 patients at an infirmary in the morning, but he can cover only two cases at home, according to a hospital director.

Dang Huy Quoc Thinh, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, admitted he was not well prepared for disputed cases at home, such as patients dying when they are being checked by doctors.

Doctors may be physically threatened by relatives of the patients who are under psychological shock.

After the hospitals pilot the service for a time, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said it will report on the service to the health ministry for promulgating regulations.

HFF continues to support orphanages

Herbalife Family Foundation (HFF) has announced to renew its partnership with Huong Duong Orphanage in Hau Giang Province and Dong Tam social sponsorship center in Binh Dinh Province within the Casa Herbalife Vietnam Program.

This is the third year that Dong Tam social sponsorship center (Casa Herbalife Dong Tam) has implemented the partnership with the Casa Herbalife Program and HFF, and the second year that Huong Duong Orphanage (Casa Herbalife Huong Duong) has got involved in the partnership.

This year, HFF will provide a financial aid package worth over VND512 million for every Casa Herbalife program. The sum continues to be used to upgrade meals for children; improve and ensure food hygiene and safety as well as maintain and heighten sporting and cultural activities, such as martial arts classes and libraries.

“Beside paying attention to enhancing nutritional quality for children at Casa Herbalife homes, we are interested in taking care of spiritual life and physical workouts for children. Sponsoring for the indoor and outdoor sporting and physical training sector, building libraries and holding regular visits and exchanges are aimed at creating a cozy atmosphere like an actual family for children who are reared there,” Thang Nguyen, senior director/sub-regional general manager of Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia said in a statement.

HFF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children by helping charitable organizations provide healthy nutrition to children in need. Additionally, HFF often supports relief efforts in response to catastrophic natural disasters around the world.

HCMC honors good students

The Department of Education and Training in Ho Chi Minh City July 21 held a ceremony to honor and award good students of the academic 2014-2015.

At the ceremony, Mr. Hai gives awards to Nguyen Huy Hoang, twelfth grader of the school for gifted student who captured the silver medal at the International Mathematics Olympiad.

Speaking at the ceremony, Education Department’s director Le Hong Son, said that for the last academic year, the city had 164,674 good students awarded in the district level; 3,894 good students in the city level and 114 students in the national level.

Among them, Nguyen Huy Hoang, twelfth grader of the school for gifted student captured the silver medal at the International Mathematics Olympiad.

Mr. Son added that the achievement is the good result of close cooperation between family and school plus the continuous efforts of students. It will be impetus to encourage students for more achievements in the future.

On behalf of the city’s leader, Hua Ngoc Thuan, deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, said that he is eager to achievement in the education sector in the academic year, adding that the sector will nurture talented students and train students’ skill as well as ethics.

Politburo member, the city's Party Secretary Le Thanh Hai; Vo Van Thuong, Standing Vice Secretary of the municipal Party Committee; and representatives from agencies and headmasters of educational facilities in the city attended the ceremony.

March 15 chosen as Vietnam Consumer Rights Day

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved the Minister of Industry and Trade’s proposal on choosing the March 15 to be Vietnamese Consumer Rights Day.

According to the recent Prime Minister’s decision No.1035/QĐ-TTg, the annual Vietnamese Consumer Rights Day aims to enhance the public awareness of consumers’ rights and consumer rights protection.

The day will contribute to create a wholesome consumption environment and encourage co-operation and co-ordination between State management agencies, enterprises, and social organizations to protect the interests of consumers.

PM directs building of youth development index

The Prime Minister has issued directions to develop a youth development index (YDI) and a national database on young people and related affairs.

Specifically, the Ministry of Home Affairs will work with the Ministries of Planning and Investment, Finance, Justice and agencies concerned to submit relevant documents to the Prime Minister for consideration.

In coordination with the Ministries of Information & Communications and Planning & Investment, the Ministry of Home Affairs is assigned to collect data for the national archive on population census.

The YDI is expected to comprise 11 categories and nearly 13 indices to be built between now and 2020.

It will provide full and accurate data to inform policymaking and development plans targeting the youth.

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