Phu Yen declares end to A/H5N6 outbreak

A health worker sprays disinfectant around housing areas 

The central province of Phu Yen recorded no new outbreak of A/H5N6 influenza in the locality over the past three weeks, said Nguyen Van Lam, vice head of the provincial sub-department of animal husbandry and veterinary medicine, on November 21.

An outbreak of the influenza, also known as bird flu, was discovered at two poultry farms owned by local residents of Dong Binh village, Phu Hoa district on October 27. As many as 2,900 poultry were culled. 

The A/H5N6 was a very strong virus and transmittable to humans.

Upon detecting the outbreak in the province, the provincial sub-department has worked to apply preventive measures. As a result, all poultry in the affected Hoa An commune and neighbouring communes of Hoa An, Hoa Tri, and Hoa Thang in Phu Hoa district; Hoa Binh in Tay Hoa district; Hoa Thanh in Dong Hoa district; and Binh Ngoc in Tuy Hoa city, were vaccinated.

In addition, 5,000 litres of disinfectant were sent to the localities.

As no new outbreak was reported after 21 days, the trading, slaughtering and transporting of poultry in the province will resume.

However, local farmers are advised to stay vigilant and keep a close watch on the growth of their poultry and promptly report any animal deaths to authorised agencies. The fowls are also required to receive full vaccinations.

Phu Yen is one of the localities with the largest number of poultry in Vietnam’s central region, totalling around 3.6 million. 

Can Tho to mark 15 years of becoming centrally-run city

An aerial view of Can Tho city 

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho will hold a series of activities next year to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its becoming a centrally-run city, revealed a meeting between the municipal authorities and leaders of departments and agencies on November 21. 

Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tran Viet Phuong said the activities will review the path over the past 15 years in terms of politics, national defence, economy and culture, thereby outlining future orientations. 

The grand ceremony will take place on January 2, together with a photo exhibition, a documentary and a yearbook on 15-year achievements, an open marathon tournament, and a music show. 

Trade promotion activities and seminars calling for investment will be also co-organised by the Can Tho Trade and Investment Promotion Centre, the Can Tho International Exhibition Fair and the municipal Department of Planning and Investment. 

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Truong Quang Hoai Nam said cultural and trade promotion activities will popularise the city to visitors at home and abroad, seek promising investors and expand markets for local firms.

Lai Chau to host conference on tourism development in rural areas

The grandiose beauty of Ta Lien Son attracts many young visitors

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has approved the organisation of a national seminar on tourism development in rural areas in line with building new-style rural areas.

The event is set to take place on December 5-6 in the north-western mountainous province of Lai Chau.

The Deputy PM, also head of the Central Steering Committee for National Target Programmes, has instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to join hands with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the People’s Committee of Lai Chau to organise the seminar.

According to the Central Coordination Office in New Rural Development, the national target programme on building new-style rural areas has given a face-lift to many Vietnamese localities, especially in infrastructure, creating optimal conditions for agritourism development in Vietnam’s traditional farming villages.

In return, agritourism is expected to serve as a motivation for the building of new-style rural areas for its contributions to economic reform, market expansion and conservation of cultural values and specialties in rural areas.

At present, various community-based tourism programmes have flourished in northern mountainous provinces of Hoa Binh, Son La, Lao Cai and Lai Chau, and central localities like Quang Nam province. 

The national target programme on building new-style rural areas, initiated by the government in 2010, laid out 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics, and defence, aiming to enhance the development in rural regions of Vietnam. The list of criteria includes the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacity, environmental protection, and the promotion of cultural values.      

To date, the entire nation now has 3,542 communes that meet the standards of new-style rural areas (or 39.7 percent of all communes nationwide). Meanwhile, 55 districts in 28 provinces and cities have received the Prime Minister’s accreditation for fulfilling all criteria and completing their assigned mission in new-style rural building.

Collective bargaining helps build harmonised labour relations

Workers cleaning and packaging grapes on a grape farm in Phan Rang-Thap Cham city of the south-central coastal province Ninh Thuan 

Collective bargaining agreements are a legal basis and important tool that help ease arising conflicts between employers and employees as well as protect the legitimate rights and interests of labourers.

The remark was made by Le Xuan Thanh, deputy head of the industrial relations and wage department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), at a conference reviewing the progress of collective bargaining deals in Ho Chi Minh City on November 21.

“Negotiating and signing collective bargaining agreements in enterprises are urgent to maintain “harmonious and stable” labour relations,” he said.

Vietnam is in the early stage of industrialisation, with the level of competitiveness and capacity varying a great deal between different businesses, collective bargaining agreements hold critical importance towards a balance between the rights and benefits of employers and employees, he added.

Recent surveys by the MOLISA showed that despite being newly adopted practice in Vietnam, businesses that have negotiated a collective agreement and follow through with promises of better benefits and working conditions tend to induce good discipline amongst workers and reduce risks of wildcat strikes and costly labour disputes.

However, some pointed to the still widespread issue of businesses ignoring collective agreement, or their failure to listen to grievances from workers during negotiations. Many essential issues in labour relations such as wages, bonuses, factors in determining pay raises and working conditions have not been given sufficient attention, the conference heard.

To tackle these problems, Nguyen Hong Ha, deputy head of the labour and wage office at the HCM City’s labour department said it’s important to raise “legal awareness” amongst workers, and to more effectively communicate to enterprises the meaning of collective bargaining agreements and labour code violations.

Her counterpart in Hanoi, Nguyen Thi Oanh, agreed, saying that “equipping union officials with legal knowledge and better skills in negotiation and in resolving labour disputes” is a necessity.

Trade unions must keep in touch with workers, to reflect the employees’ expectations and demands towards employers in the collective bargaining process, Oanh said.

While Vietnam has not ratified the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No 98 on the right to organise and collective bargaining, the country has made commitments to fulfill the obligations through new-generation trade pacts, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) that the National Assembly adopted earlier this month and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) which is slated to be approved by the European Parliament in early 2019.

Currently, the country has more than 505,000 active businesses, employing 15 million people.

By 2018, 27,000 businesses had signed collective bargaining agreements, accounting for 21 percent of the number of firms with 10 employees or above, and 67 percent of businesses that have a union.

All public sector enterprises have signed collective bargaining agreements, while the figure in private sector and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was 66 percent.

Conference talks cancer control plans

Dr. Alexandru Eniu of the European Society For Medical Oncology’s executive board speaks about the global aspects of cancer at a scientific conference held by HCM City’s Thu Duc District Hospital on November 21. 

National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) must be comprehensive and funded since the global cancer burden is huge and would increase, Dr Alexandru Eniu of the European Society For Medical Oncology’s executive board has warned.

NCCPs acknowledge cancer as a diverse group of different diseases requiring specific patient management, he told an annual scientific conference held at the Thu Duc district Hospital on November 21.

They promote cancer research and the use of cancer statistics to determine national priorities and epidemiological specificities, and set the objectives, goals and targets for cancer control, he said.

The plans work for the prevention of the four main lifestyle risk factors for cancers, tobacco, alcohol, obesity, and physical inactivity, he said, adding that they would support primary care health providers in the early detection of cancers, he said.

But they require multi-stakeholder engagement to develop, implement and operationalise successful and effective cancer control strategies and turn policy commitment into effective action, he said.

Stakeholders include public and private hospitals, NGOs and academia.

“Good health is a basic human right and a prerequisite for sustainable global development.

“We are currently experiencing a cancer epidemic,” said Dr. Eniu.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer’s 2018 GLOBOCAN report showed the new cancer cases world-wide had risen to 18.1 million, including 9.6 million deaths.

Cancers of the lung, breast, colorectal, prostate, and stomach were the most common among them.

Dr Nguyen Trieu Vu, head of the Thu Duc district Hospital’s oncology department, said Vietnam has 164,000 new cases each year and cancers kill 114,000 people every year.

“Cancer patients in the country are diagnosed late and do not have access to [proper treatment].”

Eniu said 90 percent of patients in low- and middle-income countries lack access to radiotherapy.

“Only 5 percent of patients in low-middle-income countries and 20 percent in middle-income countries have access to safe, affordable and timely cancer surgery.”

Disparities in access to care exist and would grow due to struggling health systems in emerging countries, he said.

Prevention is not enough and treatment is essential, he said. Secondary care is necessary, he said.

Inexpensive medicines treat nearly 80 percent of cancers, he said.

Dr Le Tu Phuong Chi of the Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital’s gynaecological oncology department said the Department of Maternal and Child Health has developed a national action plan for prevention and control of cervical cancer by 2025.

The plan identifies targets based on domestic and international orientation, enhances the availability and quality of treatment and increases the level of service utilisation through communication and health education, she said.

It aims to ensure all provincial and city hospitals can conduct cervical cytology and analyse the results of the cervical samples, 90 percent of district hospitals can do the test and 70 percent of commune health stations can do visual inspection with acetic acid for screening.

It also targets 60 percent of women aged 30 to 54 being screened for cervical cancer.

“Most cervical cancer cases can be prevented by screening, early detection and treatment of precancerous lesions or the detection and treatment of early invasive cancers,” Chi said.

The conference also heard presentations on cardiovascular treatment and others.

HCM City’s Power Corporation gets global gender equality certification

The certificate (Source: sggp.org.vn)

The Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation under the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN HCMC) has been presented an Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) Certification, making it the first enterprise in Vietnam to receive the certification.

The certification will be valid until November 2020. It recognises EVN HCMC’s commitment to gender equality in the company, its efforts in managing equality between male and female employees and effective implementation of gender equality-related policies and action programmes. 

The assessment was carried by FLOCert GmbH - an audit and certification company of Germany from August 2018, with the involvement of all labourers working at EVN HCMC through online surveys.     

The firm plans to focus on fine-tuning policies for female labourers, building gender equal working environment and improving the quality of its labour force, towards promoting the firm’s sustainable development. 

Previously, in February 2018, the Electricity of Vietnam founded the Vietnam Business Coalition for Women’s Empowerment (VBCWE). The group aims to promote gender equality and development of women’s power within EVN and its subsidiaries. 

EVN has also worked with VCBWE to invite the EDGE Certificated Foundation of Switzerland to assess the implementation of gender equality policies at EVN HCMC. 

EDGE Certification is the leading global assessment methodology and business certification standard for gender equality. It was developed by the EDGE Certified Foundation and launched at the World Economic Forum in 2011.

It has been designed to help organisations not only create an optimal workplace for women and men, but also benefit from it. It helps foster equal opportunities for women and men in the workplace. 

EDGE Certification is currently working with nearly 200 organisations, in 50 countries and 23 industries.

Seminar discusses Vietnam’s IT products in global value chain

A seminar on opportunities and challenges for made-in-Vietnam IT products and services in joining the global value chain took place in Ho Chi Minh City on November 22.

In 2017, more than 28,000 companies operating in Vietnam’s IT sector generated 91.6 billion USD in revenue, up 35 percent from 2016. Of the total revenue, hardware products contributed 81.6 billion USD, software 3.8 billion USD, IT services 5.4 billion USD and digital content 800 million USD. The sector’s export value, meanwhile, reached 78.9 billion USD.

According to To Thi Thu Huong, deputy head of the Department of Information Technology under the Ministry of Information and Communications, developing IT production value chains is key to engage deeper in the fourth industrial revolution. However, Vietnamese firms still lack knowledge and experiences in selling their products for clients in the global market. Their human resources and products are yet to meet current demand in the market. 

Hoang Minh Tri, general director of 4p Electronics JSC, said most Vietnamese IT companies employ outdated technologies and production management, thus lacking capacity to fulfill requirement of FDI enterprises in terms of prices, quality, and goods delivery.

The Ministry of Information and Communications said a number of major groups operating in Vietnam are yet to pay attention to developing their local support companies. 

Tri said the participation in the global value chain is important to the growth of the support industry. 

He stressed the need to create a fair environment for both FDI and domestic firms and efficient administration procedures applied for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Project improves first aid response capacity at schools

At the launching ceremony 

The Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) Central Committee and Prudential Vietnam launched a project on improving first aid response capacity at schools and in the community in Hanoi on November 22. 

The project will be carried out from November 2018 to June 2019 at primary schools in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which see the highest rates of traffic accidents and accidental injuries nationwide. 

With a total funding of over 1.8 billion VND (77,400 USD), the project will provide first aid training for more than 10,000 teachers and students in the two cities, while organising communication activities to raise public awareness of the significance of emergency response. 

It will also deliver documents and first aid equipment to the schools, and study knowledge, attitude and practice of emergency before and after the implementation of the project. 

Vice President of the VRC Central Committee Tran Quoc Hung said since 1992, the organisation has deployed community-based emergency response activities in 63 cities and provinces nationwide. 

Statistics show that the rate of accidents occurring among children in Vietnam is about eight times higher than that in developed countries, with fatalities most commonly caused by traffic accidents and drowning.

Seminar talks marine planning, coastal ecosystems in Mekong Delta

A seminar was held in Hanoi on November 22 to look into marine spatial planning and a project on improving the human habitat and coastal ecosystems in the Mekong Delta.

The event was held by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

MoNRE Deputy Minister Tran Quy Kien said in the 21st century – the century of oceans, seas and islands are becoming increasingly important to each nation and territory. Coastal countries have been stretching their reach to the seas to tap into marine resources.

Vietnam’s seas triple its mainland area and account for 29 percent of the East Sea’s area. The country has a coastline of over 3,200km long and about 2,700 inshore islands which are the basis for developing the sea-based economy and safeguarding marine defence and security.

The Mekong Delta, comprised of 13 provincial-level localities, covers around 40,000 square kilometres of land and has a population of 18 million, equivalent to 12 percent and 22 percent of Vietnam’s respective figures. Its almost-600km-long coastline borders the East Sea and the West Sea, or the Gulf of Thailand.

Kien admitted that marine economic activities haven’t been harmoniously associated with social development and environmental protection. Sea-related advantages and potential have yet to be fully optimised. Notably, the connectivity between coastal and inland areas, and between sea-related sectors and other sectors remain lax and ineffective.

He pointed out the serious marine pollution, including plastic pollution, in many places, the degradation of marine ecosystems, the overexploitation of some marine resources, and certain shortcomings in the current climate change response.

The 8th meeting of the 12th Party Central Committee last October issued a resolution on the strategy for sustainably developing Vietnam’s marine economy until 2030. One of the main solutions to realise it is perfecting regulations, policies, strategies and plans on the sustainable development of the marine economy.

Kien said the MoNRE is actively working on the marine spatial planning and a master plan on the sustainable exploitation and use of coastal resources. 

Vietnam Airlines Festa to offer attractive air tickets, travel promotions

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will coordinate with the People’s Committee of Hanoi to hold the “Vietnam Airlines Festa” from November 24-25, during which many promotion programmes will be offered to customers.

During the event, held every two months within the framework of the tourism, culture, and social cooperation programme between the two sides, Vietnam Airlines will give a 30 percent discount to customers in the routes linking Hanoi to Vientiane and Luang Pra Bang in Laos.

Attractive gifts will also be presented to those buying tickets along domestic routes, especially children.

At the same time, other firms, including Jetstar Pacific Airlines, Coca Cola, Vinpearl, Nasco, and Viags will also attend the event with promotion programmes.

Visitors to the Vietnam Airline Festa will also have a chance to join exchange programmes and lucky draws to win free air tickers and vouchers at Vinpearl Resorts and Vinpearl Discovery.

Furthermore, there will be a classical music performance by the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra, dancing, and games for all to enjoy.

On November 25, the carrier and the Hanoi Department of Education and Training will hold an awards ceremony for winners of a painting contest for primary students. A hundred outstanding paintings will also be displayed.

Australia helps Dak Nong develop coffee, pepper cultivation

Strategies to expand coffee and pepper cultivation in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong were discussed between the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) and the provincial People’s Committee during their meeting on November 22.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Truong Thanh Tung hoped that the ACIAR will help the province cross-breed coffee and pepper varieties for plantation in concentrated areas, as well as apply high technologies, a sustainable production process, and good agricultural practice into the cultivation.

Dak Nong expects to receive support in promoting the links between supply and demand, as well as in technical transfer to local famers and businesses, he added.

At the meeting, both sides pointed out that coffee and pepper have failed as profitable crops as farmers tried to grow them on unsuitable land and during unfavourable weather conditions. Poor cultivating techniques also resulted in low productivity.

Statistics showed that as of mid-November, more than 1,000ha of pepper died, accounting for 7.7 percent of the province’s total acreage of pepper. In addition, the post-harvest process was not paid due attention and as such, the pepper products failed to meet the requirements of the global market.  

According a memorandum of understanding signed between the ACIAR and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Australian side will endorse Dak Nong province and other Central Higlands localities to develop sustainable coffee and pepper value chains via building production links and improving the quality of human resources. The project will be carried out over 10 years.

Da Nang: Int’l seminar shines a light on sustainable urbanisation investment

Delegates speak at the seminar 

The People’s Committee of Da Nang city held an international seminar with CityNet on “Investing in Sustainable Urbanisation” in the central city on November 22, focusing on sustainable city finance and urban infrastructure investments.

In his remarks at the seminar, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Ho Ky Minh said the local administration aims to sustainably develop Da Nang. In 2014, the city adopted a project to build a smart city which outlined five priority areas, namely transport, water supply, drainage, food safety control, and building a connected city, he noted.

The event provided a platform for city members of CityNet, like Da Nang, to share their best practices and discuss how to address some of the challenges of investing in sustainable urbanisation, the vice chairman added.

CityNet, a regional network of local authorities for the management of human settlements, was founded in Nagoya, Japan in 1987. Starting with 26 members, CityNet has grown to 135 members, made up of city governments, non-governmental organisations, private companies, and research centres. Its members include six cities from Vietnam – Hai Phong, Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, and Ho Chi Minh City.

As the largest association of urban stakeholders committed to sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region, it connects those active in the field to exchange knowledge and find innovative solutions for urban challenges.

According to the CityNet Secretariat, growing demand for infrastructure development is a huge challenge to urbanisation. Urban communities largely depend on effective urban planning, as well as access to affordable public services. However, they have limited access to city finance to do so, not to mention the ever-increasing demands on infrastructure due to a booming urban population.

City finance is crucial in making cities more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient, said Mary Jane Ortega, CityNet Special Adviser. Without sustainable financing and investments in urban infrastructure, cities will not be able to develop solutions to the various challenges they are facing. So the cities must develop specific programmes for cooperation, particularly in finance for sustainable city development, she added.

Toru Hashimoto, Executive Director of the Department of Development Cooperation of Yokohama, Japan, said Yokohama has fostered international partnership with many cities of different countries. In Southeast Asia, the city has set up ties with Cebu (the Philippines), Bangkok (Thailand), and Da Nang (Vietnam), he said.

He further noted that Da Nang is growing fast and will experience similar urban issues to Yokohama’s. Rapid economic growth, together with a booming population, will trigger traffic congestion, pollution, declining disaster resilience, and difficulties in urban management.

To address these, Yokohama and Da Nang have worked together in a number of projects, including the building of Lien Chieu Port under a public-private partnership contract and the application of a joint crediting mechanism (JCM) to install high-efficiency pumps at the Da Nang Water Supply Company, Hashimoto said.

He revealed that Yokohama is surveying locations and looking into all possible organic solutions to help Da Nang cope with pollution and develop smart public transport in the Vietnamese city. 

HCM City strengthens trade connection with southern localities

A conference on supply – demand connectivity between Ho Chi Minh City and localities in the Eastwest and Southwest regions was held in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre on November 22.

The conference drew the participation of over 1,500 businesses from 35 provinces and cities nationwide, with 473 stalls showcasing products and services.

More than 300 memorandum of understanding on cooperation were signed at the event.

According to Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem, the conference aimed at expanding the market for high-quality domestic goods, helping the production and promotion of local specialties.

Pham Thanh Kien, head of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, said the city will continue increasing trade collaboration with other localities via exchanging information and experience for better commercial management, organising training programmes for farmers in following the VietGap and GlobalGap standards, and building trademark for specialties of each locality.

Under a commercial cooperation programme between the city and other provinces and cities for 2016 – 2018, partner localities have created favourable conditions for HCM City firms to build plants and material areas, as well as develop production and goods distribution networks. 

A total of 90 businesses, including 73 from HCM City, have joined the programme. They have to date invested over 30.11 trillion VND (1.29 billion USD) in 42 plants and production facilities, and 72 farms across the Eastwest and Southwest regions.

Workshop seeks solutions to stimulate land accumulation

Solutions to accelerate land accumulation and experience in the process were the focus of a workshop held by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) on November 22. 

CIEM Director Nguyen Dinh Cung said it is time for Vietnam to promote land accumulation in order to restructure and reorganize agricultural production towards modern and smart production on larger scale. 

He said many farmer households want to transfer the land use rights to others as they want to switch to other occupations with higher incomes, but the demand for land use rights is low due to many regulations limiting the scale of land and the land use duration. 

The expert urged measures to facilitate land accumulation, first of all more flexibility in management of land use purposes. Taxation should be used instead of the current land limit, Cung said. 

In connection with the transfer of land use rights, farmers must seek new livelihoods for incomes. Therefore, the development of occupations other than agricultural production must receive due attention during land accumulation, Cung said, adding that occupational training for farmers is also necessary.

Nguyen Huu Tho, Deputy Director in charge of the CIEM’s Rural Development Policy Department, said a survey in three northern provinces of Ha Nam, Thai Binh and Ninh Binh showed the average scale of land accumulation was 2 hectares. Land is accumulated through four main methods, which are farmers leasing land of each other, enterprises leasing land of farmers under direct contracts or through the local administration, and farmers leasing land through cooperatives. 

Tho proposed giving more power in land management to provincial and district administrations, and abolishing the regulation on the time limit for agricultural land use. 

He also called for allowing economic organisations and households directly involved in agricultural production to acquire land use rights for rice land on certain conditions.  

Nguyen Van Vuong from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department for Crop Production said land accumulation at present mostly goes in the direction of establishing cooperatives based on the old style, which does not have much room for development. 

He also called attention to the development of other sectors in rural areas such as industry, services and tourism to draw labour out of agriculture, thus facilitating the accumulation of land.

Quang Ngai fisherman praised for saving others at sea

Vice Chairman of the Quang Ngai People's Committee Nguyen Tang Binh (R) presents the Bravery Order to Tran Thanh Ron on November 21

A fisherman in the central province of Quang Ngai was granted with the State President’s Bravery Order on November 21 in recognition of his saving of four others in distress at sea.

On December 16, 2017, a fishing boat from central Binh Dinh province was sunk by strong waves in a location about 280 nautical miles from the shore, in the vicinity of Vietnam’s HoangSa (Paracel) archipelago. 

Four fishermen on this boat only had enough time to send a distress signal and then moved onto a small coracle.

Receiving the signal, Tran Thanh Ron, a 25-year-old fisherman from Duc Pho district of Quang Ngai, and three others steered their boat to the place of the boat in distress to save the four.

Ron, bringing robes along, jumped down to the sea to help the four fishermen.

In January, the Chairman of the Quang Ngai provincial People’s Committee also presented a certificate of merit to the boat’s crew to honour their action.