Vietnam, Laos, Thailand localities cooperate to fight human trafficking

Border guards arrested a woman involved in a human trafficking ring.

A workshop aimed at promoting joint efforts by Vietnam, Laos and Thailand against human trafficking was held in Dong Ha city of the central province of Quang Tri on July 22.

The event drew the participation of representatives from women’s associations of Quang Tri province, the Lao provinces of Salavan and Savannakhet, and Thailand’s province of Mukdahan.

Participants discussed ways to prevent human trafficking, particularly along the joint borderline of the three nations.

Focus was put on strengthening cooperation among authorities of the provinces along the East-West Corridor which runs from Vietnam to Myanmar via Laws and Thailand in human trafficking combat and overseas workers management, ensuring financial resources for the work and raising public awareness and the participation of authorities and local residents alike.

Other efforts include creating jobs and providing financial support for returning victims and sharing experience in combating human trafficking among the localities.

Over the past years, numerous exchanges have been conducted by the relevant provincial women’s associations to strengthen the cooperation among the localities, particularly in fighting human trafficking.-

Government Inspectorate updates media on inspection work

Hot issues regarding inspection and the settlement of complaints and denunciations were major topics of a press conference hosted by the Government Inspectorate in Hanoi on July 22.

Asked about Ha Tinh authorities’ responsibility for leasing land to Taiwan’s Formosa Hung Nghiep steel and iron company for 70 years, Deputy Inspector General Ngo Van Khanh affirmed that the licensing was against the law.

According to legal rules before 2014, the province was only allowed to license land rent for no longer than 50 years.

The Investment Law 2005 stipulates that any foreign-invested project is valid for a maximum of 50 years. In necessary cases, the government could consider extending business operations which should not be more than 70 years, he said, adding that the Formosa project did not receive the Prime Minister’s approval.

Khanh said Ha Tinh authorities have not properly clarified their own responsibilities in the case, and the Government Inspectorate and relevant units are investigating several issues involving Formosa to seek solutions that ensure citizens’ rights.

About the inspection of business activities at the PetroVietnam Construction Corporation (PVC), Khanh said the government inspectorate has uncovered law violations during the construction of a bio-fuel plant in Phu Tho and the Dinh Vu fiber plant in Hai Phong, which will be dealt with in line with the law.

As regards security and order at the citizen reception offices, head of the Government Inspectorate’s Central Citizen Reception Department Nguyen Hong Diep informed that several riotous incidences happened at citizen reception offices in the second quarter, including a serious case when an official was stabbed and injured.

The Government Inspectorate has suggested the government and the Ministry of Public Security add citizen reception offices into the list of security protection targets.

A nationwide teleconference will be held to seek solutions to improving the reception for citizens and the settlement of complaints and denunciations, Diep said.

Le Hong Linh, head of the Government Inspectorate’s General Planning Department said during the second quarter, the sector conducted nearly 2,000 administrative inspections and 85,000 specialised inspections.

The inspections brought to light the misuse of more than 8 trillion VND and 860ha of land. The sector recommended administrative disciplinary measures towards over 200 units and transferred 19 cases involving 31 individuals to criminal investigation agencies.

Four officials in the central province of Quang Ngai and the southern province of Tay Ninh were found to lack responsibility causing corruption. Two of them were disciplined and two were subject to criminal proceedings.

Ministries, agencies and localities inspected 782 units, 19 of them were found to have committed law violations, he said.

Netherlands aids waste treatment project in Binh Duong

The Dutch Government will give financial support to the implementation, operation and maintenance of the water drainage and wastewater treatment project in the southern province of Binh Duong as stipulated in an agreement signed on July 22.

The 12 million EUR project will benefit 219 small production facilities and nearly 19,400 local households in Tan Binh commune (Di An town), part of An Phu and Binh Chuan commune (Thuan An town), Thai Hoa commune and part of Tan Phuoc Khanh commune (Tan Uyen town).

Its aim is to ensure the local environment and to improve water quality for the Dong Nai river system – the main source of water for over 12 million people in Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces and Ho Chi Minh City .

According to Simon Van Der Burg, Consul General of the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh city , the completion of the wastewater collection and treatment system will do some good for local people’s health and business operations.

Tran Thanh Liem, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, noted that the province has paid due attention to improving local livelihoods and protecting the environment, especially in densely-populated urban areas.

However, the province needs support from foreign nations and international financial organisations due to its limited capital, he highlighted.

The aid will be provided under the Facility for Infrastructure Development ORIO, which is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

National Defence Sports Centre 4 triumph

National Defence Sports Centre 4 triumphed at the National Junior Swimming Championships which wrapped up in HCM City yesterday. The team bagged 20 gold, five silver and eight bronze medals.

Long An came in second, with 19 gold, 17 silver and 16 bronze medals. HCM City came in third, with 17 gold, 33 silver and 29 bronze medals.

After five days of competition, District 1 Sports Centre only won one silver medal, while Bình Định won two bronze medals to rank last out of 19 teams.

Vietnamese nurses, orderlies in demand in Japan

Japan is open to Vietnamese nurses and orderlies as it will need a large number of foreign personnel in this field in the next few years, a representative of the All Japan Hospital Association has said.

There are 32.7 million people aged at least 65 in Japan at present, accounting for 25.75 percent of the population, Noboru Yamamoto, head of the international cooperation division of the association, which receives Vietnamese orderlies, said at an international conference in Hanoi on July 22.

He added the country will need 700,000 orderlies and caretakers in the next 10 years while Japanese people working in this area number around 300,000 – 400,000. It will need the same number of orderlies from other countries, including Vietnam.

Japan has opened an apprenticeship programme for Vietnamese candidates to help address the shortage. When working in Japan, Vietnamese orderlies can acquire first-rate skills and they can in turn give training to future caretakers, Noboru Yamamoto said.

Additionally, orderlies who already graduated from Vietnam’s junior colleges or universities, must pass Japan’s national nursing certification exam to serve as an official orderly in Japan.

At the event, Chairman of the Vietnam Nurses Association Pham Duc Muc said the Vietnamese Government signed an economic partnership agreement with Japan that features an article on sending Vietnamese orderlies to the country.

Nearly 500 Vietnamese candidates have been involved in the apprenticeship programme in Japan so far, he added.

The international conference, held by the Vietnam Nurses Association and the All Japan Hospital Association, shared information on nursing personnel in Japan and experience in caring for the elderly.-

Excavation conducted at Binh Dinh’s old commercial port

Artifacts dating back to the 16th century were found during a trial excavation at the relic of Thi Nai – Nuoc Man commercial port in the central province of Binh Dinh.

Archaelogists said at a press briefing in the province’s Quy Nhon City on July 22 that despite the small scale of the excavation, they found traces of pillar foundations and other architectural works, along with a large amount of artifacts, ranging from architectural items, ceramic objects and coins.

The architectural vestiges were believed to date back to the 18 th -19 th century, while the artifacts were of different periods from the 16 th century up to the 20 th century.

Bui Van Hieu from the Vietnam Archaeology Institute said the large amount of ceramic items dating back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties of China and Hizen porcelain of Japan are evidence that the port used to be a big commercial centre.

Archaeologists said the port, first called Thi Nai and then changed to Nuoc Man, held a very important role in the economic development of the province as well as the region, adding that further excavations are needed to seek insights into the trading and cultural exchanges between Vietnam and other countries through sea routes on the East Sea.

Bac Giang targets over 1 million tourists by 2020

The northern province of Bac Giang has set the goal of attracting more than 1 million tourists by 2020, including over 11,700 foreigners, and earning over 830 billion VND (37.2 million USD).

Between 2016 and 2017, the province will develop Tay Yen Tu as a tourism brand and annually hold Tay Yen Tu festival, starting from January 2018, said Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the provincial Steering Committee for Tourism Development Le Anh Duong.

The provincial Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Giang, Quang Ninh and Hai Duong will compile dossiers to seek the recognition of the Tran Dynasty and Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhism relic complex as UNESCO world heritage.

Cultural-spiritual, historical and ecological tourism products will be major offers.

Private investment will be called for a 100-200ha cultural park, while Kham Lang-Chu Dien and Trung Son golf courses will be added to the master plan of Vietnam golf courses until 2020.

Apart from restoring and upgrading the local special national relics and the carved woodblocks of Vinh Nghiem pagoda, Bac Giang will also call for investment in Khuon Than lake tourist area, as well as build tourist products in Luc Ngan fruit areas, among others.

Bac Giang is currently home to more than 2,230 relics, including 680 recognised ones, for example, Vinh Nghiem pagoda is where a collection of 3,050 carved woodblocks recognised by UNESCO as a world documentary heritage are kept; there is also Nuoc Vang-Luc Nam spring, Khe Ro-Son Dong natural preservation area and Dong Cao plateau.

Since 2011, the province has spent thousands of billions of Dong to build infrastructure in tourist areas.

This year, Bac Giang expects to serve 492,000 visitors, including 8,000 foreigners and rake in more than 317 billion VND (14.4 million USD).

It is home to 342 lodging facilities with more than 4,200 rooms.

Experts to discuss Central Highlands’ drought crisis

This Central Highland province’s steering committee met leading experts in water management, forestry and power plants on Friday, to discuss measures to deal with drought in the region and water reserves.

The one-day workshop looked at the causes and impact of the average annual loss of 51,200ha of forests as well as the impact of power plants’ dams and reservoirs built on Srepok and Sesan on local livelihood, environment and water resources.

The participants at the workshop also had a closer look at the fast and unplanned growth of plantations of commercial trees such as pepper, rubber, coffee and cashew, which had led to increased deforestation in the highlands over the past few decades.

All the three above-mentioned causes had converted areas such as the Central Highlands that once had plenty of water into drought-hit regions that face a crisis every year.

This year’s drought is the worst in 20 years, which has made rivers, streams and underground water sources to dry up, experts said at the workshop.

A report released by the agriculture and rural development ministry in April this year said 160,000ha of plants faced critical shortage of water, causing economic losses of about VNĐ100 billion each in Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Đắk Nông and Đắk Lắk, besides Lâm Đồng.

Panel discussions focused on climate change and the impact of the El Nino phenomenon and possible threats to the region in the coming years.

The meeting of 150 participants, including local residents and representatives from Electricity of Việt Nam and the Việt Nam Rubber Corporation, aimed to reach conclusions that could help to enhance water security in the region.

 The steering committee for the Central Highlands is a central government body that specialises in monitoring the political and socio-economic balance of the region.

Drought hits Nghệ An Province

Prolonged drought in the central Nghệ An Province has left rice fields fallow and local residents without water.

Yên Thành District’s agriculture and rural development sector said that according to their estimates, about 1,500ha in the district were unable to be cultivated, and 3,000ha of summer-autumn rice were left unwatered. Forty to 60 per cent of households in mountainous communes were lacking water for daily usage because wells had dried up.

Lê Đình Hùng, vice chairman of the People’s Committee of Hùng Thành Commune in Yên Thành District, said farmers could not grow rice in 234ha in the commune because all eight reservoirs in the commune had run out of water.

More than 30 households in the commune had to dig new wells over the past month to seek new sources of water.

The cost for this work increased because water could only be found at a depth of 50-60 metres, instead of 30-40 metres as usual.

The surging demand for new wells also made it difficult to hire people to do this work, said Nguyễn Viết Tân, head of Sơn Thành hamlet.

“My family has waited for 15 days, but is still unable to hire people to dig a new well,” Tân said.

He said drought was not a new phenomenon in his locality, but it was so severe that people could not grow rice for the summer-autumn crop this year, which was unusual.

Yên Thành District’s People’s Committee has decided to support local residents with VNĐ3-5 million for every new well to ease the burden.

Severe water shortages have also affected nearly 2,000 households with 9,000 people in the mountainous Nghi Văn Commune in Nghi Lộc District.

Nguyễn Thị Thơm in hamlet 20 said her family had to sell their only cow to get money to dig a new well.

“For the past month, we have had to ask for water from other people in our hamlet for cooking. But water sources in the hamlet are also drying up, so we have to spend VNĐ16 million to get a new well,” Thơm said.

Cao Cự Đăng, vice chairman of Nghi Văn’s People’s Committee, said the commune authority had asked local residents to share water with each other and use it economically to cope with the situation.

Fire destroys pine forest area in Nghệ An Province

A forest fire broke out yesterday in Nghi Lộc District’s Nghi Kiều Commune in the central province of Nghệ An, destroying dozens of hectares of forest.

Local residents told the Giao Thông (Transport) newspaper that the fire started at about 10am yesterday and quickly became uncontrollable. Local communal authorities have mobilised hundreds of people to put out the fire.

It took nearly three hours to get the fire under control, as hot weather stoked flames in the highly flammable pine forest, local authorities said.

Also yesterday, a fire broke out at Rồng Mountain in Quỳnh Lưu District, affecting 5ha of pine forest.

Earlier, the northern province of Thanh Hóa reported two fires, destroying 10ha of pine forest.

The causes of the fires are being investigated.

V. League top teams meet in Round 17

The match between Hải Phòng and SHB Đà Nẵng will be the focus of the V. League’s Round 17 this weekend.

Hải Phòng are the leaders with 34 points while SHB Đà Nẵng are in third place, six points behind.

A win will help Hải Phòng strengthen their top position while SHB Đà Nẵng may take the second place in case FLC Thanh Hóa do not beat defending champions Becamex Bình Dương.

Hải Phòng grabbed two draws in a row in their last two matches but it was on away grounds. They are, however, very powerful when playing at home, as they have not lost any match at Lạch Tray Stadium. After eight matches, they have won six and drawn two.

In this match, Teofilo Soares Eydison will be the key striker of SHB Đà Nẵng who said goodbye to James Torace, while their best forward Gaston Merlo is sidelined because of yellow cards.

Since playing for Đà Nẵng, Brazilian Eydison has scored three goals.

SHB Đà Nẵng President Bùi Xuân Hòa said his team would take all opportunities to beat their rivals for the cup.

He said the match was important, because if they won they would narrow the gap with Hải Phòng, and it would make the race to the podium more exciting.

SHB Đà Nẵng beat Hải Phòng 2-0 in the first leg game.

Becamex Bình Dương strongly dominated the V. League in two recent seasons but they are struggling in this year’s event which runs three fourths of its period and they are at No 8.

A 1-0 win over Quảng Ninh Coal last week pushed them up a little bit after five matches in a row without a win.

Prior to leaving for Thanh Hóa, the team managers steadily confirmed that their target was to defend their title.

Their personnel problem was solved when their key players, midfielder Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng and defender Trương Đình Luật, returned after their bans.

FLC Thanh Hóa, who have 29 points, also showed their determination to compete for the top place.

A win over Becamex Bình Dương will at least maintain the four-point lead with Hải Phòng and also create intense pressure on the leader.

In their first leg match, FLC Thanh Hóa created a bang with a 3-0 win, marking their first victory at Gò Đậu Stadium in two years.

Their only disadvantage was that technical director Lê Thụy Hải could not be present with the team because of his two-match ban.

However their rivals were exhausted with a National Cup match three days ago against Quảng Ninh Coal.

Elsewhere, Đồng Tháp are isolated at the bottom and they are closest to relegation. They will travel to Nha Trang to play Sanna Khánh Hòa.

Long An are next to Đồng Tháp and trying to escape from the SOS area. They will meet with hosts Quảng Ninh Coal at Cẩm Phả.

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai are more confident after beating Hà Nội T&T 1-0 last week. The team of youngsters, third from the bottom, will visit Quảng Nam.

Cần Thơ will welcome newcomer Sài Gòn in a match between two teams who stand at the middle of the ranking.

Two former champions Hà Nội T&T and Sông Lam Nghệ An will meet at the Hàng Đẫy Stadium.

Coach Chu Đình Nghiêm of Hà Nội T&T said his team would focus on each match and would grab any chance coming to them.

Tiến beats Zhang of Hong Kong at ITF U18 tennis event

Nguyễn Đắc Tiến beat Zheng Qi Jonathan Zhang of Hong Kong in the ITF U18 junior tennis tournament’s third round at HCM City’s Phú Thọ tennis club on July 21.

Tiến, junior world number 1293, beat Zhang, ranked 699th, 6-4, 6-0 to reach the event’s quarter-final where he will meet Chinese Taipei’s Yin Bang Shuo.

Earlier, Tiến, from Hà Nội, crushed his teammate Huỳnh Minh Thịnh 2-0.

Seventeen-year-old Tiến won the U18 Thailand Open in May.

The tournament, in which 120 players from 22 countries and territories are competing, will end on July 24.

Book on HCM City history published

A new book highlighting the sports and printed press history of HCM City was launched yesterday.

The overseas Vietnamese author Nguyễn Đức Hiệp wrote Sài Gòn – Chợ Lớn, Thể Thao Và Báo Chí Trước 1945 (Sài Gòn – Chợ Lớn: Sports and Printed Press Before 1945).

The book is a part of a series about old HCM City, formerly known as Sài Gòn. The book series also includes Sài Gòn – Chợ Lớn: Qua Những Tư Liệu Quý Trước 1945 (Sài Gòn – Chợ Lớn, History As Described from Documents Before 1945) and Sài Gòn – Chợ Lớn, Ký Ức Đô Thị và Con Người (Sài Gòn – Chợ Lớn, Memories of A City and Its People), which were both published earlier by the Culture, Literature and Arts Publishing House.

The first two books were mainly composed of material Hiệp published online and in various journals over the past six years of research.

"The new book was written during the beginning of this year to cover two subjects: sports history, which often does not attract much interest; and printed press and journalism, which were extensively studied in academia and popular literature. Hiệp researched valuable special sources. It makes his book distinctive from others,” Huỳnh Thị Xuân Hạnh, director of the publishing house, said.

“I told him to write more three books about HCM City which will be launched at the end of this year”.

Hiệp was born in HCM City and showed a keen interest in its history from an early age. He later moved to Australia to study engineering and environmental sciences.

He currently works at the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage in Australia.

In addition to his scientific publications on the subject of environmental sciences and climate change, Hiệp’s interests also include heritage conservation and urban development.

He has since returned to Việt Nam multiple times to visit and collaborate with colleagues in research institutes and universities in Việt Nam on environmental and urban development issues.

Since the late 1990s, HCM City’s urban landscape changed rapidly due to economic reform policy.

Many old colonial buildings and architecture from the last century continue to be replaced by modern high rise commercial and residential buildings.

“One of the reasons I wrote these books about HCM City is to preserve its past collective memories,” Hiệp said.

“The various articles cover streetscapes, stories and narratives of people and societies in the past centuries, based on archival material from the National Library of France, the National Library of Việt Nam, the National Library of Singapore, private collectors and online sources”.

Author Hiệp yesterday delivered a talk with two English researchers, Tim Doling and French Daniel Caune, at Nguyễn Văn Bình book street in HCM City.

Exhibition on Japanese culture exchange held in Hà Nội

An exhibition on Japanese culture entitled Ichigo Ichie 2016 (The Journey of the Sun) will be held at the Hà Nội–Amsterdam Highschool, 1 Hoàng Minh Giám Street, Cầu Giấy District, on July 23.

Activities at the exhibition include a display of Japanese cultural objects like dolls, masks, costumes, toys, footwear, carp streamers and origami.

Other activites include board games, shogi chess, uno games, yukata (summer kimono) costume wearing and lots of cultural exchange games.

The exhibition also has art perfomances like a furisode (the most formal style of kimono worn by young unmarried women in Japan) performance, yosakoi dancing and Japanese singing.   

The exhibition is to be held from 7am to noon. Entrance is free for the public.

Large-scale farm model a success but lacks co-operation

The large-scale farm model, which has achieved great success since being adopted in the Mekong Delta five years ago, could produce even better results with closer co-operation between farmers and enterprises.  

The model, which involves farmers pooling lands to achieve economies of scale, works by co-operation between them and businesses with support from the government and crop scientists, but is plagued by inefficient co-operation.   

There are often complaints by both farmers and the agricultural businesses that the other has violated the contract: the former complain the businesses come up with new demands when paddy prices fall, while the latter claim farmers sell their produce to other traders when the price increases.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Trần Thanh Nam says the regular breach of contract indicates that the relationship between the two sides is not very good.

In the near future, when export enterprises need reliable sources of rice and farmers become aware they should be united with businesses amid the country’s integration, they will develop a trusty relationship, he says.

But for that there should be greater intervention by authorities, he says.

Phan Công Bình, director of Công Bình, a company based in Long An Province, says “We face many challenges without support from the local government.”

He says the key to the problem lies in harmonising the benefits of the two sides.

Farmers and enterprises agree that they rarely sue each other even when one side violates the contract, but experts want penalties to be made more stringent.

Đồng Tháp and An Giang were the first two provinces in the country to adopt the model, which helps farmers cut costs and improve quality.    

Hậu Giang Province was where the cost of growing paddy used to be the highest in the delta, at VNĐ4,000-4,200 per kilogramme.

But since the model was adopted, the cost came down to VNĐ2,700, Nguyễn Văn Đồng, director of the provincial agriculture department, says.

Five years after the programme began the delta has the largest area -- 450,000 hectares -- under the large-scale farm model.

Several companies like Gentraco, Lộc Trời Corporation and others have been operating efficiently under the model.

In the last two years alone, banks have lent VNĐ7 trillion (US$318 million) for 21 projects by companies involved in it, with the money used to produce high-quality rice for export.

Sketches about Vietnamese history on show    

An exhibition of sketches and lacquer paintings about Vietnam’s history is ongoing at the HCMC Fine Arts Museum, Thanh Nien newspaper reported.  

Organized until August 2 by San Art, a non-profit arts organization based in HCMC, the “Sketching Vietnamese history” exhibition features a vast collection of sketches and 12 lacquer paintings by artist Quach Phong.

The sketches, drawn on two paper scrolls with each measuring over 50 meters in length, cover the history from the dynasty of Hung Kings dating back to over 2,000 BC to the early period of the Later Le Dynasty in the 15th and 16th centuries.

The 12 lacquer paintings, part of Phong’s ongoing effort to bring these sketches to life, and an interview with him on his artistic vision are expected to highlight the exhibition at 97 Pho Duc Chinh Street, District 1, HCMC.

Gala concert marks 60th anniversary of HCMC Conservatory of Music

A gala concert, one of the music shows celebarting the 60th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music will be held in the evenning on July 28.

The HCMC Conservatory of Music

Nearly 200 artists of the city’s music academy, the Saigon Philharmonic Orchestra, the traditional music orchestra, inclduing pianist Bich Tra, violinist Hoang Tuan Cuong, meritorious artists Ta Minh Tam and Tran Vuong Thach, violinist Bui Cong Duy, artists Nguyen Thuy Yen, Pham Nguyen Anh Vu, Pham The Vi and among will join in the event. They will present to audiences Vietnamese and international musical works.

The Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music will hold a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of its establishment and development as well as receiveing certifications of merit from the Government, the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, and the municipal People’s Committee in the morning on the day.

An exhibition on its acitivities over the past 60 years opened on July 22.

Jetstar Pacific offers cheap tickets

Low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific Airlines announced to sell cheap airfares at less VND 320, 000 a route at 11am on July 22- 24, on the occasion of the airline puts into exploitation of its Airbus A320 CEO Sharklet, the first among four aircrafts receiving this year.

The cheap ticket will be applied for 11 domestic flights departing from Buon Ma Thuot/ Nha Trang/ Da Nang/ Hue/ Phu Quoc/ Tuy Hoa/ Quy Nhon/ Chu Lai/ Dong Hoi/ Pleiku/ Da Lat to Ho Chi Minh City.

Routes from Hanoi/ Hai Phong/ Thanh Hoa/ Vinh to Ho Chi Minh City and international routes connecting between Bangkok/ Singapore and HCMC also will be offered the preferential program with VND 320, 000.

The ticket price excludes tax and other additional fee.

By the end of this year, the low-cost carrier will continue to receive three A320 aircrafts.

Earlier, the airline also signed a contract to buy ten A320 CEO Sharklet aircrafts from the European aerospace giant Airbus in 2017.

PM visits & hands over gifts Heroic mother in Can Tho

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday visited & presented gifts to families of people who served the nation in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on occasion of the 69th Day for Invalids and War Martyrs (July 27).

The Prime Minister visited & handed over gifts to veteran Nguyen The Minh at Xuan Khanh commune of Ninh Kieu district and Vietnamese heroic mother Pham Thi An at Tran Phu Street of Cai Khe, Ninh Kieu district. Heroic mother An’s husband & son sacrified in the wartime for national liberation.

The Prime Minister asked mother An’s health adding that mother An and Mr.Minh and others should maintain & foster the revolutionary tradition, contributing developing local & the country.

He suggested the local authorities pay attention to people who served & sacrified for the nation.

Quang Tri sculpture workshop remembers iconic battle

Artists introduce works featuring the life of people during battle of Quang Tri 1972 at a sculpture workshop in the central province of Quang Tri.

The workshop, opened with the theme of Immortality and Revival, showcased 22 works of various artists. The pieces depict those who died in the Second Battle of Quang Tri which began on June 28 and lasted 81 days until September 16, 1972.

In July, many people from various provinces and cities visited Quang Tri to light incense for those who died in the battle.

Veteran Tran Luan Tin named his work Immortality to praise the courage and endurance of those who were there.

"That's the image of Vietnamese people after the battle, rising up from the debris, bomb holes and bullet shells that are everywhere. They never stop working to rebuilt the country. Tonnes of bombs dropped during the war can deliver the deadliest blows but never kill the spirit," he said.

Artist Vuong Duy Bien brought to the workshop his work, Smile, to share about his view about belief in the strength of the soldier and victory. It shows the smile of the soldiers after the battle.

"In the fierce battle, the soldiers continue believing in victory and smiling to keep on fighting," he said.

Mother, the work of sculptor Pham Van Hang, is a familiar yet powerful subject. Hang said he had visited Quang Tri Citadel and the cemeteries many times to pay tributes to those who died and to understand more about the life during the battle.

Those stories from the participation of young women in the war to the mothers who used their own bodies as human shields made him emotional. He wanted to depict a mother who was working hard to raise their children, crying when their children left home for battles but also be willing to die for the cause.

Mai Thuc, vice chairman of Quang Tri Province said, "When you drink water, remember the source, that's what we want to show in this workshop. It's the gratitude to those that died for our independence."

Japan launches new Vietnam friendship association

The Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association (JVFA) has launched a new chapter in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, comprised of 200 members.

At the launch, JVFA President Ohta and General Secretary Sakai Hironori said the new chapter will serve as a bridge to promote economic growth and commercial trade between the two nations.

“The organization was created to support the development of business,” Hiroshi said.

He said even though Vietnamese make up a small percentage of the population in Japan, they contribute a large chunk of gross receipts and so we felt it necessary to form the association.

“The conclusion was to join an established organization with a set framework and connections to help the Vietnamese community to communicate more as a unified voice,” he said.

The Vietnamese community particularly needs assistance with starting a business in Japan, said Hiroshi, and so business creation will be a big focus for us to assist individuals develop their businesses to take them to the next level.

Vietnamese entrepreneurs don’t always use a support system, but if they are given the right tools and use the resources that are freely available, they will develop and grow a lot faster.

The lack of knowledge of resources is the biggest challenge that I see, he said.

Vietnam Consul General Tran Duc Binh in turn pledged to support the association and said he is confident it will contribute to enhancing mutual understanding, friendship ties and economic exchange between the two regions.

Festival gathers nation’s creative entrepreneurs

The third annual festival for designers, writers, photographers and chefs to share stories and concerns about what it’s like to be a creative entrepreneur in Vietnam has been launched.

The event is the brainchild of Vietnam Creative Entrepreneurs Network who want to shine a bright light on the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit throughout the country, said speakers at a July 21 press conference in Ho Chi Minh City announcing the launch.

Those interested in participating in the competition dubbed – Vietnam Creative Festival 2016 – can find complete information on the rules and application process at either the http://creativefest.vn/ website or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CreativeEntrepreneursNetwork.

The deadline for submission of entries is September 15. Individual winners will receive cash prizes of US$670 (VND15 million) while team winners will get US$1,340 (VND30 million).

In connection with the contest a whole slate of activities including a cooking contest along with lively discussions, workshops, seminars and exciting activities are scheduled for October 7-8 at the National Finals in HCM City. 

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