Google CEO meets with Flappy Bird creator

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has written on Twitter that he had an interesting meeting with Flappy Bird creator Nguyen Ha Dong at a street pub in Hanoi on December 22.

He wrote “enjoyed meeting with Dongatory, creator of Flappy Bird, in Hanoi today, amazing where next great developer can come from.”

Meanwhile Ha Dong could not conceal his happiness to talk with the CEO of Google – the world’s most powerful Internet company.

“Sundar Pichai is a nice and humble gentleman, like most Indian people I met before,” Dong said.

People were very surprised and admired two ‘hot’ men with simple costumes drinking lemon tea and eating sunflower nuts at a small pub in a street in Hanoi.

Earlier at a meeting with start-up business people on the same day, Pichai said he was very glad to meet with Ha Dong.

He revealed that he will come to Vietnam later to gain a better understanding about the IT community and seek cooperative opportunities.

1 Singaporean, 3 Vietnamese arrested for links to foreign gambling website

Police on December 22 arrested a Singaporean and three Vietnamese for allegedly gambling and organizing gambling activities on an online casino based in the Philippines.

Wong Boon Leong, 35, the alleged Singaporean ringleader, was arrested along with a woman named Nguyen Thu Kim Cuc, 29, and two men named Nguyen Van Nam, 33, and Vo Dang Thanh Trung, 31, police said. They all live in Ho Chi Minh City.

Police searched Leong’s house in Binh Thanh District and seized documents related to gambling activities.

The man entered Vietnam in 2013 and organized gambling activities via the gambling website.

The police said thousands of Vietnamese gamblers spent up to around VND1 trillion (US$44.35 million) in this case.

Further investigations are ongoing.

Gambling of any kind is illegal in Vietnam even though the country is home to several luxury casinos which cater only to foreign passport holders.

Baby dies after receiving Quinvaxem

A two-month old baby girl in the northern Bac Ninh province, who received a dose of Quinvaxem on Sunday, died due to shock from the side-effects of the vaccine.

Deputy Director of the Health Department Nguyen Dinh Tam, yesterday announced that the family took the baby, Nguyen Thao Nhi, for a vaccination of the 5-in-1 vaccine at the health centre of Vo Cuong district in Bac Ninh City.

At 11:30am, when the baby began crying and her body turned pale, her family took her to the Bac Ninh Paediatric Hospital. She received first aid there but her health deteriorated.

She was then transferred to the Central Paediatrics Hospital, but her condition showed no improvement. Despite intensive treatment, the girl died at 9pm.

A medical examination council has been set up to verify the cause of death.

People prevent building of trade centre

Residents in Gia Lam District's Ninh Hiep commune yesterday again prevented local authorities from building more trade centres here.

The new centre will be located near the Ninh Hiep market and occupy the land for parking of the market.

The local residents complained that two centres were built here but they are operating ineffectively due to fewer customers.

They said they did not want to trade inside the centre due to the high cost of rents and difficulties in trading if the centre was built.

They allowed their children to stay at home instead going to school to put pressure on local authorities on the building project.

Hoang Viet Cuong, head of local Education and Training Department, said about 600 to 700 students of primary and high schools were absent from schools and some people also hindered students from entering school.

Cuong said when the incident happened, the department worked with local authorities to explain to the residents and encourage them to allow their children to resume school.

In the afternoon, most of students already resumed school, local authorities said.

This is not the first time the people here allowed their children to stay at home to prevent the local authorities from building the trade centre.

Ha Noi rearranges traffic to reduce congestion

Deputy Chairman of Ha Noi People's Committee Nguyen Quoc Hung has authorised the city's Transport Department to reduce traffic congestion at the city's traffic intersections as the New Year approaches.

Hung has asked the Transport Department to work with the Police Department and local authorities and implement the measures in this regard.

Under the proposed plans, traffic will be reorganised at Nguyen Thai Hoc-Son Tay-Tran Phu-Le Truc area. Traffic lights on Giang Van Minh-Kim Ma Intersection and the area under the Nga Tu So Flyover will be restored.

Son Tay Street at the section from Kim Ma to Tran Phu will become a two-way street.

Trucks will be banned from travelling at peak hours in the morning and afternoon at the north of Vinh Tuy Bridge and Nhat Tan Bridge to reduce traffic jams.

The Transport Department will also study the expansion of Pham Van Dong and Tran Quoc Hoan Lane and rearrange traffic at Dien Bien Phu-Tran Phu Intersection to facilitate movement of traffic.

Conference reviewing 10 years of anti-corruption law implementation

A national conference reviewing the 10-year implementation of the Law on Corruption Prevention and Control will be held in late March 2016, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a meeting in Hanoi on December 22.

Phuc, who is also the head of the steering board for reviewing the law implementation, added that outstanding individuals and collectives in anti-corruption efforts will be honoured at the event.

The review is meant to detect flaws in anti-corruption policies and laws and form proposals to maximise the work’s effectiveness, he stressed.

Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Judicial Affairs Nguyen Van Hien said the Law on Corruption Prevention and Control is instrumental to ensuring the transparency of the State apparatus.

Following the review, comprehensive amendments to the law will be suggested and breakthrough measures will be sought to step up anti-corruption activities, the official noted.

At the meeting, Deputy PM Phuc also urged the steering board, ministries, sectors and localities to promote the progress and quality of their own reviews to prepare for the national conference.

The Law on Corruption Prevention and Control was approved at the eighth sitting of the 11th National Assembly on November 29, 2005. It comprises eight chapters and 92 articles.

Revisions and supplements to the 2005 law were made in 2007 and 2012.

Young commune officials land jobs

Six hundred youths who were recruited as commune officials four years ago will be offered appropriate positions when the project ends in July 2017, the Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed.

Vu Dang Minh, director of the Department of Youth Affairs under the ministry, said that according to the personal wishes of these youths and the need of different regions, they would be offered the positions from the commune level that suit their qualifications and qualities.

He added that a recent report showed that almost all these youths accomplished their mission at the communes during those four years and only 0.35 per cent of those people did not complete it.

Previously, some government officials had citizens worried when they announced that they may not have enough jobs for those 600 youths, due to the plan of the government to reduce long-term staff.

The project to recruit 600 commune officials was first implemented in 2011.

University graduates who were below 30 years of age had an opportunity to become vice chairs of 600 communes in Viet Nam, under a US$10.25 million project which has been approved by the Prime Minister.

To be recruited as vice chairs of commune-level People's Committees, candidates must meet the following criteria: be below 30 years of age, hold a university diploma, be a member of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union or the Communist Party of Viet Nam, and have good health and good morals.

They must commit themselves for at least five years of working in poor communes. Priority is given to candidates from provinces with poor districts, ethnic minority people, or those who can speak the languages of the ethnic minority groups, in addition to those who have completed military services, and have experience in administration.

The ministry set up project management units from central to local levels, with the central unit to be in charge of recruitment.

They enjoyed the same benefits accorded to deputy chairpersons at the commune level. In addition, the young intellectuals were given free accommodation and were entitled to a permanent residence status in the commune where they work.

Through this project, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung allowed poor communes to increase the number of the People's Committee's members from 3 to 5, including 1 chairperson, 2 deputy chairpersons and 2 other officials.

The project was implemented in 600 out of 894 poor communes in Viet Nam. Each commune will have a vice chair who is recruited under this project.

A survey at 680 communes of 62 poor districts in Viet Nam shows that only 31.18 per cent of commune officials are college or university graduates. Communes need well-trained officials to implement the policies for hunger eradication and poverty reduction, and economic-social development.

When this project is completed in July 2017, the home affairs ministry will carry out a new project aimed at recruiting 500 young intellectuals who are willing to contribute to develop the rural and mountainous regions.

Ministry wants interchange ready by end of month

The remaining auxiliary components of Thanh Tri Bridge and National Highway 5 Interchange construction project have to be completed before December 30.

The transport ministry recently sent this request to the Thang Long Project Management Board, the investor of the construction project, in a written document.

This interchange between Thanh Tri Bridge and National Highway 5 opened to traffic six months ahead of schedule on October 18 after one year of construction. However, the auxiliary components of the construction project are not yet ready, leading to severe traffic jams during rush hour.

"If the contractors do not hurry to complete the remaining auxiliary components of the project before December 30, we will ask the Thang Long Project Management board to choose another unit to do this job," the transport ministry said in the document.

Under the project, National Highway 5 running through the interchange has been widened to 60m with a designated speed of up to 80km per hour. The roads connecting Ring Road 3 with Highway 5 have been constructed. Ring Road 3 has been widened to 52.5m, with six lanes and a maximum speed of 100km per hour. More than 2km of the railway line on the Ha Noi-Hai Phong route has been shifted by about 40m to the south.

The construction of the interchange started in October last year and it was scheduled to be opened to traffic before Lunar New Year Festival in early February 2016.

The VND800 billion (US$36.5 million) bid has been implemented under an ODA loan sourced from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA).

More academic opportunies for Vietnamese students in Hungary

As many as 100 Vietnamese students and post graduates will have the chance to study in Hungary under the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarships programme, heard a press conference in Hanoi on December 22.

The programme, based on effective bilateral educational cooperation agreements between the Ministry of Human Capacities of Hungary and the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), offers the full tuition fee, accommodation, medical insurance, and a monthly stipend to the successful candidates.

Accordingly, local candidates can present their application for the academic year 2016/2017 in various fields, including bachelor and master studies (social sciences and economics, technology, agricultural and natural sciences, arts, sport and medical and health studies), one-cycle studies (law and medical/health studies), and doctoral studies.

Application will be considered eligible if the applicant is nominated by MoET.

After a successful nomination, candidates must pass the entry exam of the selected university.

The study programmes are available mainly in English, and some in German and French.

Students shall have a level of proficiency in the language of the study programme required by the host institution. In case of lacking of language proficiency, they can participate in a one-year preparatory Hungarian language course before starting their higher education studies.

Launched in 2013 by the Hungarian Government, the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarships aims to increase the number of foreign students in the country and encourage Hungarian highner education institutions to attract top foreign students.

Each year thousands of students across the world apply for tertiary education studies in Hungary.

Currently, there are 41 sending partners participating in the programme.

For more information, candidates can visit the following websites:

www.stipendiumhungarium.hu

http://hanoi.kormany.hu

Workforce training meeting the needs of tomorrow

Vietnam’s workforce is experiencing a tremendous transition with many employers seeking a labour force capable of meeting increased levels of skill to operate new technologies with precision.

To better address the needs of business in the Danang Hi-Tech Park, the management board recently met with employers to find a pathway to successfully bridge that gap in apprenticeship and other training programs.

Through apprenticeship combined with paid on the job training programs and focused classroom education the parties believe that training can be customized to best meet the needs of both employers and employees.

“As apprentices learn more they earn more,” they said and at the end of their apprenticeship they will receive an industry-recognized credential, which helps to improve their motivation to improve performance.

Representatives from the Danang College of Technology and Danang Vocational College in attendance at the meeting concurred, saying these types of programs have a long history of success in providing high-calibre job preparation.

The parties were in general agreement to work towards developing apprenticeship and on the job training programs under which German experts would provide consultancy, supply teaching equipment as well as lecturers and instructors to the colleges.

The overriding goal is to improve vocational training and increase the number and quality of skilled workers over the next five years with a focus on the practical needs of the Danang Hi-Tech Park.

Vietnam, Cambodia to inaugurate two border markers

Vietnam and Cambodia will inaugurate their two freshly planted border markers on December 26, released the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 22.

The inauguration ceremonies are expected to see the presence of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen.

The marker No. 30 is located at the Le Thanh – O Za Dao international border gate in Ia Nan commune in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai’s Duc Co district.

Meanwhile, the marker No. 275 is planted at the Tinh Bien – Phnom Den international border gate in Xuan To commune, Tinh Bien district, the southern province of An Giang.

Hanoi observes int’l solidarity day with Palestine

The recognition of the State of Palestine by many countries worldwide and its flag-raising ceremony at the United Nations headquarters signal a positive sign and initial success of the Palestinian administration as well as a bright spot in the Middle East peace process.

Chairman of the Vietnam Committee for Solidarity with Palestinian People Ho Anh Dung made the remarks at a ceremony in Hanoi on December 22 to celebrate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (November 29, 1977).

He highlighted the close-knit relations between Vietnam and Palestine over the past 50 years, saying this is an important foundation for the two countries to push ahead with economic and trade links.

Both nations also have a plenty of room to boost cooperation for development across sectors, especially politics, economics and tourism, he said, adding that the two sides have signed agreements on double taxation avoidance, investment protection and encouragement.

Palestinian Ambassador to Vietnam Saadi Salama took this occasion to thank the Vietnamese Party, Government and people for supporting Palestine in the fight for justice for decades.

Vietnam ’s solidarity and friendship with Palestine have brought the bilateral relations closer despite geographical distance, the Ambassador added.

The event was jointly held by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, the Vietnam Committee for Solidarity with Palestinian People, and the Vietnam – Palestine Friendship Association.

Catholic solidarity committee hosts pre-Christmas gathering

The Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics (CSVC) held a pre-Christmas gathering in Hanoi on December 22.

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan attended the event and shared joy over the season with Catholic dignitaries and followers.

The front leader expressed his hope that the Catholic community will continue to accompany the country in nation-building and defence.

In early December 2015, the VFF and 40 religious organisations of 14 religions across the country signed coordination programmes for the first time to share a common voice over environmental issues.

He thanked the religious compatriots for supporting and actively engaging in environmental protection initiatives and climate change resilience.

He said the hopes the Catholics and CSVC at local levels would devote more efforts to improve living standards and protect the environment.

Leaders of the CSVC promised to promote the national patriotic movements among Catholic followers in the New Year 2016.

Ethnic minority groups enjoys better education

Ethnic groups with a population of less than 5,000 each have been given a better education in the past five years, according to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET).

The project on education development for ethnic minority groups basically completed its desired goals, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Nghia told a conference held in Hanoi on December 22 to review the five-year implementation of the Prime Minister’s Decision No 2123 on the project.

The capability of teachers and managers has been improved and children from the ethnic minority groups have been educated in a better environment, said Nghia.

According to statistics from the MoET, by the end of October this year, localities had built 96 classrooms, 83 teacher rooms in and provided teaching equipment for projected areas. A total of 13,655 children and students benefited from preferential policies with total assistance of over 110 billion VND (4.9 million USD).

In the schoolyear of 2014-2015, all children under five years of age have gone to schools. At the primary and secondary schools, the rates are 99.77 percent and 98.83 percent, respectively.

The rate of children from the ethnic minority groups going to schools increased. In particular, the rate of five-year-old children attending classes reached 100 percent, while those of primary and junior school students were 99.77 percent and 98.83 percent.

The rate of all children in the school age going to schools were recorded in some ethnic minority groups like Co Lao, Pu Peo, Bo Y in Ha Giang, Cong in Lai Chau, Si La in Dien Bien, Brau in Kon Tum.

Despite those encouraging results, there remain problems still needed to be addressed such as facilities of primary schools and the dropout rate in some provinces.

The conference is also an occasion for the MoET to seek solutions for the ethnic minority groups in the period from 2016-2020 and beyond.

The event drew representatives from the six provinces of Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Lai Chau and Dien Bien in the north, Nghe An in the central region and Kon Tum in the Central Highlands province which home to nine ethic groups having a population of less than 5,000 each. They are the Cong, Mang, Si La, Pu Peo, Bo Y, Co Lao, O Du, Bo Rau, and Ro Mam ethnic groups.

Vietnam, Laos gathers for New Year celebration

Vietnamese and Lao Embassies in Malaysia hosted a gathering in Kuala Lumpur on December 22 to celebrate the upcoming New Year 2016.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Cao Phong highlighted the long-standing friendship between Vietnam and Laos over many years and the effective coordination between the two embassies in 2015, the year Malaysia held the Chair of ASEAN.

Phong hoped that the two sides would continue working closely in 2016 and years ahead, contributing to strengthening the two countries’ ties.

For his part, Lao Ambassador Khamphan Anlavan spoke highly of the time-tested solidarity between the two nations and their people.

The gathering is a good opportunity for the two nations’ embassies and representative agencies to deepen mutual understanding.

Participants had a chance to enjoy signature cuisines and cultural performances of both Vietnam and Laos during the gathering.

Thailand agrees to foster labour cooperation with Vietnam

The Thai Ministry of Labour has agreed with Vietnam’s proposal on establishing a joint working group to implement the recently-inked labour documents between the two countries.

At a reception for Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Nguyen Tat Thanh on December 21, Thai Labour Minister Sirichai Distakul stressed the benefit from labour cooperation to both countries, saying that the two sides should act towards a sustainable collaboration.

He promised to give feedback soon on the Ambassador’s proposals, including registration, work permits and favourable conditions for Vietnamese migrant workers in Thailand as well as a prolonged period for the registration process across the country. The current deadline date is December 30, 2015.

Thai Labour Ministry officials affirmed no punishment for free Vietnamese labourers who apply to register for a work permit although they overstayed their visa in Thailand.

Once obtaining the permit, they will be granted full interests and rights, including medical insurance and time off, as a Thai worker.

Minister Distakul confirmed his visit to Vietnam on the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-Thailand diplomatic ties at the invitation of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen in early 2016.

Hanoi vows to facilitate Thai enterprises

Hanoi always creates favourable conditions for Thai enterprises to seek opportunities and land investment in the city, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said.

During his reception for outgoing Thai Ambassador to Vietnam Panyarak Poolthup on December 22, the Hanoi leader expressed his hope that the diplomat, in his new position, will continue supporting and promoting Vietnam-Thailand relations to a new height, particularly the ties between Hanoi and Thai major cities and enterprises.

For his part, the Ambassador pledged to do his utmost to deepen the comprehensive cooperation between two nations.

Last year, two-way trade reached 10.6 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 12.5 percent. Thailand is currently among top 10 investors in Vietnam with over 300 valid projects.

Two countries target to raise two-way trade to 15 billion USD by 2020.-

Free health check-ups for needy Lao people

Vietnam’s Military Hospital 175 is providing free health check-ups and medicines for impoverished Lao people as part of the ongoing 2015 Vietnam-Laos trade fair in the Lao province of Champasak.

About 1,000 Lao residents are expected to receive free health check-ups and medicines during the six-day fair.

Besides, 400 gifts, each worth 1 million VND (44 USD) of units and businesses participating in the fair will be presented to Vietnamese people in the neighbouring country.

Themed “Cooperation, Friendship and Development,” the fair is jointly held by the Vietnam Ministries of National Defence, and Industry and Trade, and the Lao Ministry of Industry and Trade and Champasak provincial People’s Committee.

On display are garments-textiles, leather footwear, agro-forestry-fisheries products, handicrafts, electronics and chemicals, to name but a few, brought by nearly 100 businesses.

It is part of Vietnam’s national trade promotion programme in 2015 and one of a series of economic and political activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Lao National Day and the 71st founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army.

Community-based health care, first aid project benefits the poor

The community-based health care and first aid project has helped improve health and self-recovery ability of the poor and vulnerable people in Ba Thuoc district, central Thanh Hoa province, according to the Vietnam Red Cross.

The project, sponsored by the European Union, has been implemented from 2013-2015 in Ban Cong, Ai Thuong, Thiet Ong, Luong Trung and Dien Ha communes to improve the capability of instructors and volunteers on health care, disease prevention, first aid, and public awareness campaigns.

The project organised two training courses equipping 29 people with expertise on community-based health care, skills on health education communication, malnutrition and disease prevention.

It also trained 100 volunteers in five communes on health care communication and disease prevention and skills on first aid.

Around 800 local residents in areas prone to causalities were equipped with first aid skills for downing, broken arms and legs, bleeding, fever and electrocution and they have helped 236 cases in five communes.

Many models on effective and sustainable health care and injury prevention were formed such as “Teams of versatile Red Cross volunteers,” or “First-aid teams in schools,” or “Medicine chests in schools’.”

Trinh Thi Tiep, Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Red Cross Society, said the society would continue coordinating with the local government to maintain and develop achieved results of the project into sustainable health care models and injury prevention.

Effective models will be applied beyond five communes to benefit more people.

Automatic station monitors water quality of Nui Coc Lake

An automatic water environment monitoring station for Nui Coc Lake funded by the Republic of Korean Government was inaugurated in northern Thai Nguyen province on December 22.

The construction of the monitoring station, located in Phuc Triu commune of Thai Nguyen city, was started in May 2015.

The facility consists of two pumps that operate continuously to take water from a canal of Nui Coc Lake to measurement devices. When statistics on lake water exceed permissible levels, the equipment will automatically store samples and notify the host computer system, placed at the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Vietnam Environment Administration, about the recorded indexes.

The received information will be reported to authorised agencies to make response.

The water environment monitoring at Nui Coc Lake has long been conducted manually, resulting in certain shortcomings in pollution detection and treatment.

The new station is hoped to improve the management of Nui Coc Lake’s water quality, ensuring irrigation and daily demand of local residents.

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

Tra Vinh: Financial support given to SMEs to protect environment

The Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) Development Project in the southern province of Tra Vinh will grant a financial support worth over 7 billion VND (310,500 USD) to local SMEs to reduce emissions during their production while bolstering sustainable development.

Deputy director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment and project director Le Van Huong made the statement at a conference held in the locality on December 22.

He said that the project focuses on the environment protection strategy during 2016-2020.

In addition to recommending measures to raise enterprises’ awareness of environment protection, the project management board will join hands with relevant agencies to fine-tune and increase management capacity in the field.

The money will also be splashed out on the purchase of waste treatment and collection equipment, guidance on waste classification, among others.

The project was kicked off on the outset of this year with a total investment of 200 billion VND (8.8 million USD), with 177.8 billion VND (7.9 million USD) funded by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development and the remaining coming from the province’s corresponding fund.

It aims to benefit 200 enterprises and more than 194,000 residents in 20 targeted communes by providing job opportunities and building small-scale infrastructure such as waste treatment facilities, inter-village roads, bridges and markets.

Thai labour market welcomes free Vietnamese workers

Thailand's labour ministry will create more favourable conditions to allow free Vietnamese workers to integrate more easily into the Thai work environment.

Thailand's Minister of Labour Sirichai Distakul said this during a working session with delegates of the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand on Monday.

The Thai ministry accepted the request of the Vietnamese government for the setting up of a specific group in charge of all issues related to free Vietnamese workers in Thailand.

Distakul said labour was a practical co-operation sector that could benefit both parties. Therefore, the two countries should work for a long-term, stable co-operation in this sector.

The minister said he would give his response soon on the request made by Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Nguyen Tat Thanh for creating favourable conditions for the issue of licences to all Vietnamese workers in Thailand. Thanh said he hoped the licence validity would be extended in all cities of Thailand.

Officials of Thailand's labour ministry said free Vietnamese workers who had got work permits would not be punished even if they have lived in Thailand beyond the permitted period. According to the current law, those who outstay will be fined 20,000 Thai bahts (US$554), and those who work without work permits face imprisonment.

Labourers with work permits will enjoy the same rights as Thai workers, such as getting a health insurance card and taking vacations to visit families in Viet Nam.

Thailand has been opening its labour market to Vietnamese workers in recent years, as it sees higher demand for guest workers. In a recent statement broadcast on the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT) early this year, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ochao said Thailand would fall short by 60,000 to 70,000 workers when it joins the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in early 2016 and that Thailand was considering importing Vietnamese labourers to meet this demand. With this in mind, Thailand is accelerating the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on labour co-operation with Viet Nam, and is adjusting the MoUs signed with Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to match the current political, economic and social developments.

As the two countries will celebrate 40 years of bilateral ties next year, Minister Distakul said she would visit Viet Nam during the first quarter of 2016, at the invitation of Viet Nam's Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen.

Modern machines to improve agricultural production

Co-operation between Yanmar Agriculture Research Institute-Vietnam (YARI-Vietnam) and the Japanese-based agricultural machinery maker Yanmar Corporation has boosted the implementation of technology in Viet Nam's agricultural sector, said deputy chairman of southern Can Tho Province Truong Quang Hoai Nam in a workshop today in Can Tho.

The event, which was organised by YARI-Vietnam and Can Tho University (CTU) – one of the country's leading universities in agricultural research – gathered researchers, experts from various Yanmar agricultural institutes for the first time to discuss the implementation and utilisation of integrated technology to improve the lives of farmers in Southeast Asian regions.

YARI-Vietnam and Yanmar Corporation have contributed greatly to pushing research in major fields of the country's agricultural sector including bio-fuel, agricultural machinery engineering and aquaculture farming, according to Associated Professor Ha Thanh Toan, president of CTU.

In addition, the institute offered numerous exchange programmes for Vietnamese agricultural researchers and students, which aimed to speed up the mechanisation of agricultural production and to achieve sustainable development in the Mekong Delta.

The workshop also provided a forum for international and Vietnamese researchers and experts to share experiences and address critical issues for the implementation of scientific and technological advances, as well as the mechanisation of agricultural production in Viet Nam.

Ha Noi promotes use of biofuel

The Ha Noi People's Committee has said local committees and other city agencies should use only the E5 biofuel, which contains five per cent ethanol, in their official cars.

The committee will stop reimbursing the bills for regular fuel purchases by offices and authoritative bodies being funded by the state budget from the beginning of next year. The committee also said its officials should use the biofuel in their personal vehicles.

The city's department of trade and industry has been asked to ensure stable and sufficient supply of the E5 biofuel to meet the market demand.

The HCM City Police's environmental police department and the animal health department have seized about two tonnes of contaminated pork.

The meat was found when the authorities conducted a sudden inspection of an outlet that supplied poultry and cattle products in District 12.

Cao Chi Dong, 38, the owner of the outlet, failed to showed valid papers for the meat, which was found to be contaminated and had a foul stench.

The outlet was reportedly being run without a business licence for a long time.

Dong told police that the meat had been transported from the northern provinces by passenger buses and was to be supplied to restaurants in the city and the southern provinces.

The meat was later destroyed by the concerned authorities.

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