Students enjoy wildlife summer camp

Nearly 40 university students from HCM City, Ha Noi, Can Tho and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province attended the Wildlife Summer Camp 2015 which ended yesterday (June 22) at Wildlife At Risk's (WAR) Hon Me Wildlife Rescue Station.

The camp is an annual programme, launched by WAR in June 2013 that calls on youth to conserve and protect wildlife.

It raises awareness and skills about conservation, and creates opportunities for students to contribute to wildlife conservation.

The students worked with WAR staff to prepare food for rescued wildlife, including the yellow-cheeked crested gibbon, loris, moon bear and Siamese crocodile.

They also painted enclosures, cleared grass and grew over 100 wildlife food plants including banana and papaya.

They also learned skills related to wildlife conservation jobs, such as surveying in the forest, setting up a camera trap, taking photos and creating a video clip about wildlife protection.

Typhoon brings rain, saving crops from drought

Quang Tri Province, among the localities hit hardest by the prolonged heatwave and drought in the central region, received heavy rains, saving part of the withering crop, and cheering farmers.

It has been raining in the province since early yesterday morning, with the locality receiving an average 40mm of rain, the province's centre for hydrometeorological forecasting said.

The centre said rains have come with the arrival of Typhoon Kujira (whale in Japanese) over the East Sea, which is expected to bring rain to the entire country in the next few days.

The rains helped to save thousands of hectares of rice and vegetables that had been withering because of temperatures of 37 to 42 degrees Celsius and drought in several parts of the locality.

Earlier, local agricultural authorities said some 10,000ha of rice and vegetable crops had withered because of drought, while 3,700ha of farmland had dried up and been left uncultivated.

Farmers were delighted with the rain, saying their farms could now be saved. "The showers have revived my rice and vegetable crops," Nguyen Thi Dan, a farmer in the province's Cam Lo District, said.

The central region's hydrometeorological forecasting unit said rainfall of 45mm to 212mm in many places in the region would temporarily reduce the intensity of drought, which is expected to last till September this year.

32 seamen of capsized vessel rescued

Thirty-two seamen from central province of Quang Ngai whose ship capsized on the Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands were rescued and brought to Ba Ria-Vung Tau today morning.

At midnight last Wednesday, the 32 seamen on a fishing vessel were catching cuttlefish on Toc Tan Na Island when they were struck by strong wind and waves. Their ship capsized and sank. All of the seamen managed to stay afloat with the help of life buoys. However, one of them suffered a rib bone fracture.

After staying afloat in the sea for four hours, they were rescued by a fishing vessel from the central province of Quang Nam. The injured seaman has received timely emergency aids.

Police detain youth for swindling people

The hi-tech Crime Prevention Police Department (PC50) has detained a 23-year-old man for reportedly swindling people of VND3 billion (US$137,600) by claiming to provide various types of fake diplomas.

The police said Tran Tien Dat, from Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, used the Internet and social media to publicise information that he could make fake diplomas.

He did not make the diplomas, but still tricked people into sending him money through bank accounts. The youth also created a Facebook page about his services and used various phone numbers and fake identity cards.

Dat often visited Internet cafes in the area of Nghia Thanh commune, Chau Duc District, to lure more people.

The case is being investigated further.

PM to supply province 500 tonnes of rice

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered the Ministry of Finance to supply Dak Lak Province with nearly 500 tonnes of rice.

This ration is intended to help the province manage the shortage of food between harvests this year.

According to the provincial People's Committee, the prolonged drought has seriously impacted the crop output, especially for wet crops, such as rice. As a result, many households are facing a state of critical hunger, particularly impoverished households or those living in underprivileged areas and ethnic minority groups.

The People's Committee reported that there were more than 8,700 households in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) province, or 32,833 people, with insufficient food supplies.

In another development, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has recommended continuing efforts to deal with droughts and soil salinity in the central coastal provinces, according to the Government Office.

The Deputy PM has required the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disasters Prevention and Control and the ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Natural Resources and Environment, and Industry and Trade to continue directing the relevant authorities and localities in this area to tackle the drought's effect on crops in 2015.

He asked the Peoples' Committees of these provinces to determine which people are badly in need of food and fresh water and to provide the proper assistance. Hai also asked the ministries of Health and Agriculture and Rural Development to adopt measures to prevent diseases amongst people and animals.

The drought, which has hit the central coastal provinces, is reported to be the worst seen in the country in the past decade.

Extension of National Highway 37 proposed, to cost $62 million

The Project Management Unit 6 under the Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam has submitted a proposal to the Transport Ministry to extend National Highway 37.

The project suggests that the Ha Noi-Lang Son highway be connected to the Ha Noi-Thai Nguyen highway under the Build-Operate-Transfer format.

According to the proposal, the upgrade cost is estimated at nearly VND1,300 billion (about $62 million). The project will contribute to the socio-economic development plan for Bac Giang and Thai Nguyen provinces, in addition to establishing a direct link between the major industrial zones of the two provinces, it notes.

The extended section will be located in Viet Yen and Hiep Hoa districts in Bac Giang Province and in Pho Yen District, Thai Nguyen Province.

It will be 34km in length and 12m in width and will have two lanes, allowing vehicles to move at up to 80km per hour.

The proposal suggests that the cost can be returned in 22 years.

According to Nguyen Kieu Hung, deputy director of the project management unit 6, the toll station will be located in Hiep Hoa District, Bac Giang Province. The toll proposed for a four-seater vehicle is VND35,000 ($1.6), with a scope for 18 per cent annual increase.

If approved by the Transport Ministry, the project will start construction in the fourth quarter of this year and will be completed in 24 months.

Multinational online meeting to cope with MERS-CoV

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health organised an online meeting on June 23 with ASEAN member states, the Republic of Korea, Japan and China to share information on coping with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (MERS-CoV).

Vietnam has not had any confirmed cases of the disease but the health ministry is standing ready for any possible occurrences while coordinating with other ASEAN member nations and international organisations to prevent the deadly virus from entering Vietnam.

The same day, the ministry’s health examination department held a workshop to complete guidance on MERS-Cov infection prevention.

At a meeting with the press, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh said the capital is urgently enacting measures to prevent any infections.

The International Health Quarantine Centre has designed plans to coordinate with the Noi Bai international airport to keep the outbreak from entering Vietnam.

From June 1 to present, the two sides have supervised 1,230 flights with nearly 160,000 passengers from MERS-affected countries.

Also on June 23, health workers from the Central Highland province of Lam Dong quarantined a female Russian tourist, suspected of carrying MERS, for further observation. The patient is staying in isolation at the Lam Dong General Hospital while her blood sample is tested at the Ho Chi Minh City’s Pasteur Institute.

MERS-CoV, first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, belongs to a family of corona viruses including SARS, which haunted Asia in 2003.

According to the Preventive Health Department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Health, as of June 23, the Republic of Korea had reported 175 cases and 27 fatalities.

Forum discusses sustainable agriculture in Southeast Asia

As many as 350 leaders from Southeast Asian countries, international businesses, financial institutions and agricultural associations gathered at a forum in Hanoi on June 23 to seek measures to form sustainable agriculture sectors in ASEAN member nations.

In his opening speech, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh underlined the need for ASEAN countries to forge links and increase investment in the field.

Vietnam and other ASEAN’s member nations are facing great challenges in meeting the increasing demand for commodities produced sustainably, he said.

According to Doanh, Vietnam has employed the public–private partnership (PPP) model in a number of fields, proving effective in the coffee industry by helping improve outputs and incomes for farmers. About 500,000 farmers are expected to get involved in PPP projects in 2017.

He expressed his hope that through the forum, participating businesses would find solutions to spur cooperation, which are necessary for increasing the output of farm produce, ensuring food security and improving the competitiveness of ASEAN agricultural commodities in international markets.

New production methods are needed to increase both the output and quality of farm produce, improve livelihoods and minimise losses and negative impacts from agricultural activities on the environment, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vu Tien Loc stressed.

Businesses will play an important role in promoting connections and sustainable agricultural development through their production and business models applying high technologies, he added.

However, he also noted that the number of enterprises in Southeast Asian nations investing in agriculture and technology is limited.

During the two-day forum, participants will contribute opinions on developing supply chains for products produced sustainably such as tea, rice, coffee, aquatic products, dairy butter and maize.

They will also discuss necessary changes to the global cultivation system to create fair opportunities for farmers running small-scale production models.

Vietnam successful in bringing progress to children: UNICEF

Vietnam has reaped remarkable achievements in caring for children, according a recently released report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

As the final version, the UNICEF report on millennium development goals (MDGs) related to children highlights the experience of countries around the world in realising MDGs and important outcomes in bringing progress for children worldwide since 1990.

Globally , mortality of children under-five dropped by more than half – from 90 per 1,000 live births to 43 per 1,000 live births – while underweight and chronic malnutrition among children under five decreased by 42 percent and 41 percent, respectively. Maternal mortality decreased by 45 percent while some 2.6 billion people gained access to improved drinking water sources.

Vietnam made major strides in the period. Since 2000, the mortality rate of children under-five in the country has been halved from 39 per 1,000 live births to 20, the number of stunted children has been reduced by one third (from 36 percent to 25 percent), and the percentage of people with access to clean water has increased from 78 percent to 92 percent.

According to UNICEF, stronger local health, education and social protection systems can help more children grow up and develop comprehensively.

In its report, UNICEF also emphasised the need for global leaders to pay attention to disadvantaged children in building and adopting sustainable development goals (SDGs) and designing investment projects.

Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, Chief Representative of UNICEF in Vietnam said the country has reached a gender balance in primary education and the difference of the number of stunted children in urban and rural areas also saw a remarkable drop.

MDGs provide an orientation for new development goals, helping focus on children who have not benefited from MDGs, he stressed.

UNICEF will work closely with its Vietnamese partners to implement SDGs, especially in activities to bringing progress for children, he added.

Women with disabilities empowered

A workshop was held on June 23 in northern Thai Nguyen province to review the implementation of a project on strengthening participation and voice of women with disabilities via media.

The event, co-organised by the Integration Development and Essential Action (IDEA) and the Association of People with Disabilities of Thai Nguyen city, aims to connect women with disabilities and the community to raise their social status.

The 2013-2014 project, funded by the US Embassy in Vietnam, has benefited 31 women with disabilities from Thai Nguyen and northern central Thanh Hoa province.

It facilitated their participation in a wide range of activities, including training on giving advice to their peers, finding jobs, starting businesses and accessing job opportunities and placements.

They were also equipped with digital cameras, photography skills, life skills and basic legal knowledge.

The project enhanced awareness of the rights and competence of women with disabilities among the community through publicity campaigns.

2.2 mln USD to improve lives of Quang Tri ethnic minorities

A project to develop the livelihoods of ethnic minorities in Huong Hoa district was launched during a seminar in the central province of Quang Tri on June 23.

The 2.2 million USD project will be carried out over five years and benefit 1,200 impoverished households, mostly Pako and Van Kieu ethnic minorities in Huong Tan, Huong Phung, Huong Linh, Huong Son, Huong Viet and Huong Lap communes.

World Vision, an international organisation dedicated to supporting children and the vulnerables worldwide, will set up 50 farming production groups in the above communes. Their members will be trained in sustainable farming and processing as well as cost-saving techniques through community-based saving and credit funds.

They will establish connectivity chains between local authorities and enterprises, markets and farmers to spur consumption.

The project will help with planning and market analysis before production.

Participants also discussed technical models, project management mechanisms and cooperative potentials.

The seminar was co-hosted by World Vision, the Netherlands Development Organisation and the Hoang Hoa district People’s Committee.

Anti-drought actions continue in central coastal provinces

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has recently requested continued efforts to mitigate drought and saltwater intrusion, which annually occur across central coastal provinces.

He assigned the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development; Natural Resources and Environment; and Industry and Trade to direct relevant agencies and drought-prone localities to protect summer-autumn crops from the drought this year.

Municipal and provincial authorities were asked to promptly assist households that lack food and clean water.

The Ministries of Health, and Agriculture and Rural Development ought to guide affected residents how to prevent diseases and epidemics.

Since the end of 2014, a severe drought has wreaked havoc on many central coastal provinces, which is widely considered the worst occurrence in the last decade.

Quang Binh builds flag pole on Hon La Island

The construction of a sovereignty flag pole on Hon La Island in Quang Dong commune, Quang Trach district was launched on June 23 by Quang Binh province’s Communist Youth Union.

The flag pole is one of seven to be built on outpost islands by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Central Committee and the Vietnam Association of Students in collaboration with the Bank for the Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV).

Reaching 110 metres above sea level, the pole in Hon La will be the highest point on the island with an unobstructed view in all directions.

The construction is scheduled to be completed in August.

Other islands scheduled to build flag towers include Tran island in Quang Ninh province, Bach Long Vi in Hai Phong city, Phu Quy in Binh Thuan, Cu Lao Xanh in Binh Dinh, Con Son in Ba Ria Vung Tau and Tho Chu in Kien Giang.

Workshop seeks to improve socio-economic performance indicators

Completing a set of indicators to measure socio-economic development is inevitable for a market economy, as heard at a workshop in Hanoi on June 23.

The performance indicators are important for orienting the national socio-economic development, which helps the Party and State map out plans and strategies as well as manage, scrutinise and evaluate the implementation of development plans in each period, said Professor Doctor Vuong Dinh Hue.

Participants pointed out shortcomings in the current system, which lacks indicators reflecting economic efficacy, competitiveness, sustainability and growth quality.

Indicators evaluating the economic restructuring process such as labour productivity, total-factor productivity, national competitive capacity, human development index and incremental capital output ratio have yet to be established, they said.

Furthermore, some criteria are not in accordance with international practices and others are not based on reliable statistics (such as calculating the number of domestic tourists and the number of people using hygienic water).

A number of socio-economic targets have been set without allocating sufficient financial resources, resulting in low feasibility, experts said, adding that the estimated, preliminary and official statistics of several indicators are uneven due to restrictions in the Law on Statistics promulgated in 2003 and loose coordination between ministries, sectors and localities.

Experts suggested indicators to be retained, removed or supplemented while proposing new criteria for socio-economic development plans.

They also discussed in depth the role of planning and statistics agencies, methods to calculate indicators, and increasing coordination between ministries and relevant sectors to handle violations in statistics reporting and evaluate the implementation of socio-economic development plans.

The workshop was organised by the Party Central Committee’s Economics Commission, the National Assembly Committee for Economic Affairs, the World Bank in Vietnam and the National Economics University.

It aims to collect feedback on research of socio-economic performance indicators and discussion on the draft revised Law on Statistics.

Gifts presented to impoverished children in Binh Dinh province

As many as 50 bicycles and 50 gifts worth 90 million VND (4,190 USD) were presented to disadvantaged students in the central province of Binh Dinh during the Life’s Journey programme held in the locality on June 23.

The programme was jointly organised by the National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC), the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and AIA Vietnam Life Insurance Co., Ltd. It also featured a bicycle-ride to raise funds, a writing competition on student dreams, children’s rights popularisation and an environmental protection campaign.

Over 200,000 students drop out of school every year, Deputy General of the NFVC Le Tuyet Mai said, adding that one of the main reasons is that they have to walk too far to get to the nearest school, especially for students living in remote areas.

To overcome this obstacle, the programme awarded 770 bikes valued at over 1.3 billion VND (60,500 USD) to underprivileged students in 23 cities and provinces nationwide last year.

This year, “Life’s Journey” will bring an additional 1,000 bicycles to students in need in 25 localities across the country.   

Submissions for community contest launched

Vietnamese and international units and individuals, especially youth, from all walks of life can send community development ideas to a contest from now through the end of August this year.

The programme was introduced on June 22 in Hanoi by the Communist Magazine, the Vietnam Youth Federation, and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

It collects submitted initiatives for poverty and hunger reduction, socio-economic development or boosting the industrialisation and modernisation of the country.

The entries can focus on education, healthcare, transport, science-technology, tourism, environmental protection, urban development, modern rural building or disadvantaged island and border areas.

According to Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Communist Magazine Vu Van Ha, feasible initiatives will be selected and carried out by organisations and enterprises.

Between three to five of the most outstanding solutions will receive financial assistance from the organising board, Ha said, adding that another ten will be honoured.

A workshop will be held to introduce the initiatives to organisations and enterprises.

President of the Vietnam Youth Federation Nguyen Phi Long hailed the programme for its contributions to the “I love my home country” movement.

The awards ceremony will take place in December this year in Hanoi.-

Bus terminals told to focus on service

The capital city has asked transportation companies to focus more on improving service quality instead of increasing frequency on inter-provincial routes, the Nhan Dan (The People) Newspaper reported on June 22.

As part of efforts to make inter-provincial travel from and to the city more comfortable and safe for passengers, it has asked the municipal Transport Department to review bus schedules at all major terminals in the capital city.

The Hanoi People's Committee has also directed all bus stations in the capital city not to increase the number of trips on fixed routes except during national holidays or the Tet festival, the report said.

It quoted Nguyen Quoc Hung, Vice Chairman of the city People's Committee, as saying that from now until 2020, bus terminals receiving high traffic volumes should also not increase the number of routes they service.

"Bus terminals need to invest financial resources in improving service quality," he said.

He also said that new fixed-bus routes will be launched from the Nuoc Ngam and Yen Nghia bus terminals that have the infrastructural capacity to handle more routes and trips.

There are 10 inter-provincial bus terminals in the capital city, with the six main ones being: Giap Bat, My Dinh, Gia Lam, Luong Yen, Nuoc Ngam and Yen Nghia.

Most of them are located at gateways to the city or on main roads that link the city via ring-roads to various provinces.

Bus terminals in the city serve 540 inter-provincial transport routes that link Hanoi with 42 provinces and cities in Vietnam.

A total of 404 passenger transport enterprises have registered with the municipal Transport Department to run on inter-provincial routes. These firms have been allowed to operate 4,591 buses. Firms in Hanoi account for 15 percent of the licensed enterprises, operating 1,263 buses. They serve 61 million turns of passengers every year, and have recorded an average growth of 8.25 percent per year over the last several years, the report said.

Among the 10 bus terminals, the My Dinh Terminal has the highest number of bus arrivals and departures, at 1,600 arrivals and Nuoc Ngam Terminal has the lowest at 220.

Transport Department Deputy Director Nguyen Hoang Linh said the difference between the two above terminals was based on city residents' demand for travel.

However, he also said that some bus terminals were not effectively connecting with public transport enterprises and failed to provide quality service. This discouraged passengers from taking buses at these terminals, he added.

Vietnam pushes extreme poverty elimination forwards

Vietnam has called for drastic measures to be implemented worldwide to eliminate extreme poverty and ensure human rights for every individual.

Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh, Head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN) and other international organisations in Geneva, made the statement at the UN’s dialogue on extreme poverty and promoting human rights, including ensuring basic human rights in the fight against terrorism, on June 22.

Ambassador Thanh highlighted Vietnam’s efforts to implement the national target programme on poverty reduction, making contributions to ensuring equality among different regions and social classes.

Regarding the fight against terrorism, the Ambassador condemned terrorism activities of any kind and motive, stressing that terrorists must be punished for violations of human rights.

At the dialogue, Philip Alston, a UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty, focused on the cause-effect relationship between poverty and inequality in economics, politics and culture.

He recommended the UN Human Rights Council seek practical solutions to inequality worldwide.

Meanwhile, UN Special Rapporteur on promoting and protecting human rights Ben Emmerson analysed human rights infringements in Iraq and Syria caused by Islamic State activities (IS) while underscoring that countries need to scrutinise individuals involved in terrorism activities.

Vietnamese ex-police captain sentenced to nine years for shooting senior to death

A Vietnam court has sentenced a former traffic police officer in the southern province of Dong Nai to nine years in prison for shooting his superior dead following a row at a karaoke bar in 2013.

Former captain Ngo Van Vinh, 40, received the sentence on charges of murder at his trial that was opened by the provincial People’s Court on Monday after two delays due to a lack of witnesses.

Vinh, who was an officer at the Suoi Tre Traffic Control Station, was arrested after he shot and killed Major Tran Ngoc Son, deputy head of the station, and injured Senior Lieutenant Doan Thanh Phu, another officer there, in September 2013.

At yesterday’s hearing, Vinh said he fired two shots but he did not admit that he shot Maj. Son dead.     

The jury, however, said the evidence and testimonies of the witnesses were enough to convict Vinh of murder pursuant to Article 93 of the Penal Code.

The court also ordered that Vinh pay VND170 million (US$7,800) as damages to Maj. Son’s family and also pay them to help raise his two children until they reach 18 years old.

According to the indictment, the shooting resulted from a conflict at the HL karaoke bar in Long Khanh Town on September 22, 2013.

On that afternoon, Vinh and one of his colleagues were in a karaoke room when they learned that Maj. Son and his two acquaintances were in another at the bar.

Vinh entered Maj. Son’s room and invited Truong Thanh Chi, one of the two acquaintances, to share a glass of beer with him, but Chi turned him down and pushed the glass into his nose, causing bleeding.

Chi then continued to beat Vinh before the assault was stopped. Vinh then left the bar and returned to the station.

Maj. Son then came back to the station as well and scolded Vinh for fighting with Chi. He grabbed Vinh’s head and banged it against the edge of the bed where he was lying.

Furious, Vinh grabbed a gun he had left under a pillow on the bed and shot Maj. Son and then Sr. Lt. Phu, who tried to stop him from shooting.

Other officers seized Vinh after the shooting.

Maj. Son died later at Long Khanh General Hospital due to fatal wounds to his hip and back, while Sr. Lt. Phu suffered injuries in his abdomen.

At yesterday’s hearing, the court said Chi has been detained for assaulting Vinh and he will be tried on charges of “intentionally inflicting injury on other persons” pursuant to Article 104 of the Penal Code.

Vietnam, Laos standardise bilingual teaching in Laos

Vietnam and Laos will work closely together to standardise the Vietnamese-Lao bilingual teaching in Laos under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in Vientiane on June 23.

The MoU detailed the outcomes of a working session between signatories Vietnam-Laos Project Steering Committee and the Committee for Compilation of Lao-Vietnamese Bilingual Curricula.

Accordingly, the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences will compile a Vietnamese-language teaching curriculum and a set of textbooks for 1-12 th grades as well as pilot the teaching of Vietnamese and Lao languages at Nguyen Du school, the first Vietnamese-Lao bilingual educational establishment in Vientiane.

The institute will also design a programme piloting the teaching of the Vietnamese language for students at overseas Vietnamese schools.

Established under an agreement between the two governments, the school is run by the Association of Vietnamese in Vientiane under the watch of the Vietnamese embassy in Laos.

Funds sought to provide fresh water for HCM City residents

City authorities aim to provide access to hygienic water for all HCM City households by the end of the year, according to a resolution passed by the city People's Council on June 20.

Around 360,000 of 1.9 million households of the city do not have access to fresh water. They are located mostly in the outskirts and must use rain water, drilled-well water, or water pumped from canals, the city's Transport Department has said.

To reach the goal, the city needs total capital of 5 trillion VND (240 million USD).

The city has sought funds from the private sector to provide fresh water to rural areas.

The Saigon Water Infrastructure Joint Stock Company, for example, will manage water supply and distribution in Cu Chi district. Several other investors plan to provide 300,000 cubic metres of fresh water every day.

It is expected that during 2016-2019, more investors from the private sector will be sought.

"Related departments like the Health Department should educate customers about the use of unhygienic water," Chairwoman of the city People's Council Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam was quoted as saying in the Saigon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper.

Deputy Chairman of the city People's Committee Nguyen Huu Tin said the city faced challenges in both human resources and budget for water supply projects.

The city plans to invest in a 1,256 km system to distribute fresh water to 116,700 households.

Another 1,500 fresh water tanks will also be provided to households without fresh water. The remaining households will each receive a water treatment system.

"All local residents will receive the same quality fresh water at the same price of 5,300 VND (0.25 USD) for each cubic metre," Tin said.

General practitioners to be trained for family-doctor system

General practitioners will be trained to become family doctors like in many Western countries.

The highly popular overseas service is being introduced to try and reduce overloading at central hospitals - and to offer patients far better care for the same price.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien spoke on June 21 with Vietnam Television's People ask – Ministers answer programme.

She said the family-doctor system meant that doctors would be given comprehensive training to treat all patients. People who needed specialist treatment would be referred to experts in different medical fields.

Tien said the family doctor system meant that patients would only need to go to central hospitals when they had a serious disease or needed complicated surgery. Although the family-doctor model was popular in many countries, it was still a new concept in Vietnam, she said.

Family doctors not only treated diseases, but taught patients about disease prevention as well as help them control chronic diseases, she said.

The family doctor model has been piloted in eight provinces and cities since July 2014.

Tien said that the ministry would soon assess the quality of the pilot programme as the foundation for a national system.

At present, the health ministry plans to allow GPs (General Practioners) to be based at clinics within commune health-care centres, hospitals at district and provincial levels - sometimes, even at reliably run private clinics.

Information technology will be used by GPs to send and receive personal information about patients to specialists, blood and X-ray laboratories, social-insurance agencies and central hospitals.

In most developed countries or in developing countries, a GP may be routinely involved in pre-hospital emergency care, the delivery of babies, community hospital care and performing low-complexity surgical procedures.

Major blood bank running dry

The country’s major blood bank is running out of supply and is calling for donations, especially of types A and O.

A statement from the Central Institute of Blood Transfusion and Hematology in Hanoi said it only has enough blood left for one week use.

The group A supply has dropped to a seventh of the safe amount, and the hospital is only able to supply 10% of the demand.

The type O supply is at 80% of the safe amount, it said.

Dr Pham Tuan Duong, deputy director of the institute, told Tuoi Tre newspaper, “Patients are waiting for blood every day, especially those in need of A and O blood types.

“We earnestly call for your donations for the sake of patients’ lives.”

The institute is the biggest blood bank in northern Vietnam, supplying blood to 120 hospitals in Hanoi and other provinces.

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