Plane passenger arrested for carrying firearms illegally

The 41-year-old man, from Hanoi, hid three firearms and four ammo boxes in his luggage on flight VN10 from Paris to Vietnam. (Source: laodong.vn)

Customs officers at Ho Chi Minh City-based Tan Son Nhat International Airport and competent forces on November 23 arrested a man for illegally carrying firearms. 

The 41-year-old man, from Hanoi, hid three firearms and four ammo boxes in his luggage on flight VN10 from Paris to Vietnam. 

However, he left the luggage at the airport and ran off after recognising the close inspection of customs officers. 

The case is under investigation.

Cocaine transported to Vietnam via express services seized

Nguyen Thi Bich Hanh 

The Hanoi Customs Department said on November 23 that its officers and other forces brought to light a case of using express delivery service to bring cocaine into Vietnam from Canada.

On November 22, three parcels of goods at the northern international post centre in Hanoi to be delivered to Hai Phong city were suspected to contain drugs.

When the goods were received by Nguyen Thi Bich Hanh in Le Chan district, Hai Phong city and her company at the Hai Phong Post Office the same day, they were detained by anti-drug officers and policemen of Hai Phong and Hanoi. 

Anti-drug officers found 25.56 grams of white crystals wrapped as chocolate balls in these parcels, which, as Hanh confessed, are cocaine.

Competent forces are investing further into the case.

Vietnam, Japan promote medical academic exchange

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Umeda Kunio (third, left) and students from HMU at the event (source: tuoitre.vn)

An exchange between medical students of Vietnam and Japan was held in Hanoi on November 23, aiming to further enhance medical cooperation and academic exchange between the two countries. 

Jointly organised by the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, the advanced technology research and regeneration for medical examination and treatment organisation (MERRO), and the Hanoi Medical University (HMU), the event is part of activities to mark the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties. 

On the occasion, elite students from HMU namely Hoang Thi Hoai, Dao Thi Thao Van and Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang were presented non-refundable scholarships from the MERRO.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Umeda Kunio said more and more medical facilities in Japan have the demand to receive Vietnamese labourers due to their hard work and industriousness, and similarities in the two countries' culture.

According to the diplomat, Japan’s health sector suffers a serious shortage of nurses and caregivers. He suggested Vietnam continue to support Japan in this issue. 

Matsuoka Atsuko, President of the MERRO said MERRO’s scholarship fund was established with the aim of supporting human resources training in a number of regions, including in ASEAN member nations, through providing scholarships for students with excellent academic achievements.  

After their graduation, those receiving METRO scholarships will be supported by both the Vietnamese and Japanese sides to have opportunities to pursue further study in Japan for improved knowledge and skills, she said.

Experts share int’l experience in gastroenterology

The 12th Gastroenterological Congress of Southeast Asian Nations and the 24th National Scientific Congress of gastroenterology are taking place in the central city of Da Nang on November 22-24.

The events, organised by the Vietnam Association of Gastroenterology, have drawn the participation of more than 600 domestic and foreign professors and doctors in this field.

Speaking at the congresses, Dr. Ta Long, President of the Vietnam Association of Gastroenterology, said in Vietnam, digestive diseases top the list of internal diseases, including gastrointestinal disorders, peptic ulcer, hepatitis, cirrhosis, gallstone, gastrointestinal bleeding and colon cancer. 

At present, gastrointestinal endoscopy technique is developing strongly with modern machines which provide accurate diagnoses, helping patients ease surgery costs and pains, he said.

At the events, participants heard more than 30 professional reports delivered by leading gastrointestinal experts at home and abroad on the latest studies in the field. They include update on management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), optimisation in treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), and update on the diagnosis and treatment of ulcerative colon, among others.

Solutions suggested to boost Mekong Delta’s sustainable development

Secretary of the Dong Thap provincial Party Committee Le Minh Hoan speaks at the workshop in Can Tho city on November 22 

Policies and solutions to promote sustainable development and climate change response in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam were suggested at a workshop in Can Tho city on November 22.

Andrew Wyatt, Mekong Delta Programme Manager of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said the region is facing certain challenges, noting that the local flood control is currently unsustainable as a system of high dykes have increased disaster risks and could push these risks to other areas. 

The unsustainable land use, caused by weak groundwater resource and sediment management, has led to subsidence in low-lying areas that is even more serious than that caused by the sea level rise. Insufficient marine spatial planning has also raised natural disaster risks posed by strong storms and the rising sea level, he noted.

Wyatt said to curb the increase of disaster risks resulted in by unsustainable development, it is necessary to preserve and restore flood absorbing areas in the Plain of Reeds and Long Xuyen Quadrangle by applying flood-based agricultural models.

Intensive shrimp farms should be relocated away from coastal areas and replaced with forest-based shrimp farming to protect the coast, he said, stressing that this will help reduce groundwater overexploitation that subsequently leads to subsidence.

Le Minh Hoan, Secretary of the Dong Thap provincial Party Committee, said the most important thing is that the Mekong Delta localities have to change the mindset of their administration, farmers, as well as businesses. Instead of cultivating three rice crops per year, local farmers should apply rice – fish, rice – shrimp or rice – lotus farming models. They should also cultivate other kinds of plants and animals for better economic benefits.

Meanwhile, Director of the Soc Trang provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Luong Minh Quyet said technical infrastructure needs to be completed first to sustainably develop the Mekong Delta.

The region consists of 13 provincial-level localities, but it has had only 50km of expressways, Quyet noted, adding that this is the biggest obstacle to local socio-economic development.

Without good infrastructure for transportation, the region will definitely not be able to develop even in normal climate conditions, not to mention the devastating impact of climate change, he stressed. 

Quang Ninh strives to expand service sector

The service industry in the northeastern border province is estimated to grow by 14.2 percent this year thanks to the locality’s concrete actions to boost its tourism services.

The sector accounts for 42.9 percent of Quang Ninh’s economy this year, compared to 41.2 percent of 2017. Its contribution to the State budget increases 16 percent year on year.

The province aims to raise the percentage of the service sector to 48 – 49 percent of the local economy, with an annual expansion rate of 13 – 14 percent by 2020.

To this end, local authorities have taken steps to enhance tourism service management in a bid improve its quality and competitiveness; while drastically promoting its brands.

From 2016 – 2017, Quang Ninh welcomed a total of more than 18.2 million tourist arrivals, including 7.8 million foreign visitors, marking an annual average increase of  12.7 percent with a revenue of over 31.18 trillion VND (1.34 billion USD).

This year alone, the province strives to receive about 12.2 million tourist arrivals to earn an estimated 22.8 trillion VND (976.4 million USD).

Over the past two years, the province has focused on developing local transport infrastructure with a number of key projects to better serve visitors, including the Van Don International Airport, the expressway connecting Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ha Long and Van Don, and port terminals from which tourists take tours around its magnificent Ha Long Bay and other popular destinations. 

The province has also invested in developing logistic services and improving facilities for local customs and quarantine authorities in an attempt to develop foreign trade in a professional manner and reduce border trade through non-official channels.

Furthermore, it has adopted various incentives to attract big investors like VinGroup, Sun Group, FLC Group, BIM Group and Tuan Chau who have developed a number of high-class resort, shopping and entertainment complexes in Ha Long, Cam Pha, Uong Bi, Van Don, Co To and Mong Cai. 

Vietnam’s largest private firm VinGroup has poured money into the Vincom Ha Long – a modern shopping and entertainment centre in Ha Long city on the shore of the World Heritage site Ha Long Bay, the five-star tourism-resort complex of Vinpearl Ha Long Bay Resort and the Vincom Shophouse Complex in Mong Cai.

The Sun Group, another major developer in Vietnam, marked its presence in the city with the Van Don service complex, the beach amusement complex Ha Long Ocean Park, and the beachfront resort complex Sun Premier Village Ha Long Bay.

In particular, the group’s Sun World Ha Long Complex is the biggest tourism property project in Ha Long, with a total investment of 7.794 trillion VND (333.45 million USD).

The FLC group invested 3.4 trillion VND (145.55 million USD) in the FLC Ha Long, a complex of golf course, villas, condo hotels and conference facilities, which spreads over 224 ha of land. It is also carrying out a project building a 50-storey twin-tower complex in the centre of Ha Long city. 

Son La youths bolster cooperation with Lao localities

At the event 

A delegation from the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCM CYU) - Son La chapter and that of the Lao People's Revolutionary Youth Union - Houaphanh and Sayaboury chapters held talks in Son La northwestern border province on November 23.

At the event, the two sides briefed each other on activities of the unions and youth development over the years. 

Secretary of the Son La HCM CYU Vang A La said the chapter has paid due attention to international youth development, focusing on communication work to raise members’ awareness of international integration, especially with nine northern localities of Laos that Son La has formed cooperative ties with.

During the talks, delegates also discussed the role of youth unions in support of youth’s participation in the socio-economic development of their localities. 

The visiting delegation affirmed the traditional friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos. 

Lao delegates expected that youths in Son La, Houaphanh and Sayaboury provinces will continue to nurture cooperation and promote the traditional bonds between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party.

They also expressed their hope that the HCM CYU Son La chapter will organise more programmes and activities on human resources development and building economic models for members in the coming time.

While in Son La, the Lao delegation paid a visit to Ngoc Lan cooperative in Noong Xong village in Mai Son district.

Roundtable seeks solutions to aquaculture sector

Developing concentrated aquaculture areas, strengthening linkages among stakeholders, optimising costs, increasing the use of technology, and building brands are among the measures that would add value to the aquaculture sector, according to the Directorate of Fisheries.

Addressing a roundtable in Ho Chi Minh City on November 22, Tran Dinh Luan, Deputy General Director of the Directorate, highlighted the importance of the aquaculture sector in the country’s agricultural production and exports.

Productivity and output have increased significantly in recent years, with output exceeding catches from the sea, he said.

The increase in the use of technology has obviously helped increase aquaculture productivity and output, Vu Duyen Hai from the directorate said.

Demand for aquaculture products is expected to continue increasing in the coming years, especially in developing countries, he said.

The free trade agreements the country has signed will throw up opportunities for Vietnamese firms to increase production and export, he added.

But the sector faces challenges, Hai and other participants said.

Vietnam is among the world’s largest aquaculture producers and exporters, but its costs are high compared to other countries in the region, they said.

Other challenges included a lack of infrastructure, small scale of farming, intense competition in the global market, technical barriers put up by importing countries, and lack of brands, they added.

Truong Thi Le Khanh, Chairwoman of the Vinh Hoan Co. Ltd., to raise the value of aquaculture products, Vietnam need to improve from the improvement of the product quality from varieties to farming and processing technologies.

She called on businesses and producers to adopt advanced production technologies, automate processing, diversify products and strengthen linkages among stakeholders to cut costs and improve quality.

Besides, enterprises should pay due attention to by-products and invest more in processing to raise the value for the sector.

Truong Dinh Hoe, General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said the Government should zone areas for aquaculture and processing plants and identify what species to breed with a focus on encouraging closed production models, linkages in production chains and adoption of modern technologies to improve productivity and reduce costs.

The sector should acquire aquaculture certificates demanded by large import markets, further clamp down on the use of chemicals and antibiotics, and develop brands, he said.

The fisheries industry earned 7.4 billion USD from exports in the first 10 months of the year and will surely meet the full-year target of 9 billion USD, Hoe said.

Shrimp exports are expected to be worth 3.8 billion USD and tra fish, 2.2 billion USD, he said.

Organised by the directorate, VASEP and GIZ, the event was held to discuss the current situation in the aquaculture sector and measures to improve its efficiency and increase investment in it.

Jail time of 7-8yrs proposed for police official in gambling scandal

Former Director of the Department of High-tech Crime Police Nguyen Thanh Hoa at the court 

The People’s Procuracy of the northern province of Phu Tho suggested a jail sentence of between seven years and six months to eight years to former Director of the Ministry of Public Security (MoPS)’s Department of High-tech Crime Police Nguyen Thanh Hoa in a major online gambling case. 

Hoa was prosecuted for “abusing position and power while performing duties”. 

According to the procuracy, former General Director of the MoPS’s General Department of Police Phan Van Vinh was the mastermind who directed Hoa to create favourable conditions and cover up for defendants in their gambling activities. 

Earlier, the procuracy recommended sentencing Vinh to between seven to seven and a half years’ imprisonment for the same charge. 

The procuracy said that the nature and scope of the case has endangered society. The 92 defendants involved were charged with “using the internet to appropriate assets”, “organising gambling”, “gambling”, “illegally trading invoices”, “laundering money”, and “abusing position and power while performing duties”.

During the 28 months of operating software and technological solutions with such card games as Rikvip/Tip.club, 23Zdo, and Zon/Pen, the games’ operators connected with many services, getting companies to set up a system of 5,913 outlets to convert game scores into real money and vice versa.

They attracted more than 42.95 million gambling accounts and earned more than 9 trillion VND (384.4 million USD) from the money gamblers sent to the illegal gambling organising service. 

Vietnam-China Friendship Palace handed over after maintenance

A ceremony was held on November 21 to hand over the Hanoi-based Vietnam-China Friendship Palace following its period of maintenance.

This palace is a special project, holding political and diplomatic significance as a gift from the Chinese Party, State, Government, and people for Vietnam.

Addressing the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Don Tuan Phong said that the Vietnam-China Friendship Palace is a particularly important cooperation project, with its construction carried out by China and accompanying facilities contributed by Vietnam.

He noted that its building began in March 2015 and finished in November 2017. On November 12, 2017, the palace was inaugurated in the presence of Vietnamese National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping.

It is a venue for political, diplomatic, and cultural events and also a destination for those who want to explore the land, people, and culture of the two countries, Phong added.

A representative of the Chinese contractor – Yunnan Construction Engineering Group Co. Ltd – said that after a year of trial operations, the palace has met all its requirements. He expressed his hope that it will become an everlasting symbol of the bilateral friendship.

On this occasion, three building companies of China were presented with certificates of merit by the VUFO presidium, while eight construction experts received the “For peace and friendship between nations” insignia in recognition of their efforts during the construction of the palace.

Vietnam learns from Germany’s experience in housing finance

A workshop sharing Germany’s experience in the field of housing finance was held in Hanoi on November 21 by the the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) and the German building society, Bausparkasse Schwabisch Hall AG (BSH). 

The event heard that as many as 2,000 households in 55 provinces and cities nationwide have been provided with loans for social housing projects, at the outstanding total of nearly 500 billion VND (over 21.3 million USD). On average, each household was able to borrow around 261 million VND.

General Director of the VBSP Duong Quyet Thang said that the bank has mobilised financial resources to create policy credit capital resources, thus meeting the demand for loans for people with low incomes and other policy beneficiaries, especially in the field of social housing.

The Government, relevant ministries, and agencies have given due attention to social housing programmes implemented by the VBSP in recent years, he stressed, adding that they have contributed to guiding poor people in joining hands with the State and community in building social houses for themselves. 

The programmes have helped promote socio-economic development and poverty reduction, as well as contributing to the national new-style rural development programme, Thang noted. 

Michael Dorner, director of international cooperation projects for the BSH, shared the German bank’s experience related to housing saving loans and gave recommendations for the VBSP in the work. 

According to Dorner, the BSH mobilises capital from the contribution of employees through savings contracts. 

Deputy General Director of the VBSP Nguyen Van Ly said the workshop contributes to illustrating the model of housing savings and the experience of Germany and other countries around the world in the field. 

It introduced a legal system for protecting depositors of social housing, as well as the operation principles of the housing savings system and experience in developing German building societies in Eastern European countries and China.

The social housing loan programme under Decree No.100/2015 / ND-CP is a new lending programme, under which the VBSP is gradually completing measures to facilitate the management of capital sources. 

Thang said that in order to promote the market and solve the social housing problem on a mass scale, it is important to look past the role of the State and banks, instead raising public awareness of saving up for housing. 

He also underlined the need to build the housing saving model for low-income labourers, saying that this will help reduce the burden on the State budget. 

Vu Van Phan, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Construction's Department of Housing and Real Estate Management, said the demand for social housing in Vietnam is very high, especially in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and provinces with urban and industrial zones.

The Ministry of Construction has estimated that from now until 2020, in urban areas nationwide more than 1.7 million dwellers will be in need of housing and about 1.7 million migrant workers will need to have stable places to stay in.

The VBSP is implementing 20 policy credit programmes, including four on housing loans. 

Through preferential credit sources, 568,000 houses have been built for poor households and policy beneficiaries; 105,000 houses for flood-hit households in the Mekong Delta region; and more than 13,000 storm shelters in the central region. Nearly 2,000 households could borrow loans to buy and build social houses.

Ca Mau’s records upbeat outcomes

The Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau has attracted 29 new investment projects worth over 5.1 trillion VND (219.3 million USD) so far this year.

The value was 782 billion VND (33.62 million USD) higher than that of the same period last year.

The local authorities have issued investment licences for 323 projects which together amount to a total value of 92.47 trillion VND (3.97 billion USD).

The province plans to continue encouraging investors’ engagement in infrastructure construction for coastal erosion prevention, clean water supply, aquatic farming, wood processing, and renewable energy development.

According to Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Tien Hai, Ca Mau is working to reform administrative procedures and improve its business climate via preferential policies on land leasing and tax.

The province said it is committed to refusing projects that could pollute the environment.

Ca Mau is surrounded by the ocean on three sides. Its forest and marine resources provide it with unique advantages to develop fisheries, agriculture, forestry, services, tourism, exploitation of gas and oil, and seaports. 
Kien Giang steps up education on IUU rules among fishermen

The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has asked relevant sectors, district and cities to enhance education on regulations about illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing among ship owners and fishermen.

The province has also taken action to raise the sense of legal obligation, especially regulations on IUU fishing, among local people at fishing ports and in districts where fishing is the core industry.

Kien Giang has partnered with the Authority of Grassroots Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications to provide training for hundreds of local communication workers and radio stations of cities, districts, and communes across the province so they can have thorough understanding about the European Commission (EC) rules to combat IUU fishing.

Ha Tien city, one of the province’s fishing hubs which shares the marine border with Thailand and Cambodia, has been among those that have exerted best efforts to combat IUU fishing.

According to Hoang Tu Kien, a ship owner in Hon Tre village in Tien Hai commune of Ha Tien city, the city’s administration and Tien Hai border station have regularly organised talks and meetings, as well as handed out leaflets to improve awareness of the harmful effects of IUU fishing.

Tien and many other fishermen have signed contracts, committing to avoid fishing in foreign waters with the newfound understanding of the potential dangers, including the loss of property.

Kien Giang, where measures against IUU fishing are being piloted, has nine of its 15 districts along the coast. It has established a number of special teams to inspect fishing vessels, handle violations, and withdraw fishing permits if necessary.

The EC imposed its “yellow card” ruling on Vietnam in October last year, after the country failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in the fight against IUU fishing worldwide. 

According to EC requirements, the Vietnamese seafood sector had to implement nine recommendations, including revisions of the legal framework to ensure compliance with international and regional rules, applicable to the conservation and management of fisheries resources; ensuring the effective implementation and enforcement of the country’s revised laws; and strengthening the effective implementation of international rules and management measures.