Polluted water kills fish at Vinh Citadel

Polluted water has caused mass fish deaths since early this month in the moat around the ancient Vinh Citadel in the central city of Vinh, Nghệ An Province, an environmental official said.  

Head of the city’s Natural Resources and Environment Department Nguyễn Huy Hoàng said on Wednesday that after receiving reports about the dead fish, local authorities’ examinations found waste water from local residents’ daily activities being discharged into the moat.

The waste water should have been collected and transferred to Hưng Hoà Waste Water Treatment Plant.

Since early this year, the dry season has made the moat water stagnant, resulting in a shortage of oxygen that kills fish, according to Hoàng.

Relevant agencies are also investigating to see if there are any production units releasing untreated waste water into the moat.

Since January 9, people living around the moat have reported that a terrible smell was arising from the many dead fish.

Nguyễn Văn Thanh, 64 years old, of Cửa Nam Ward, Vinh City said the moat had been polluted for years but this incident was the worst one yet.

“I have never seen so many dead fish in the moat before,” Thanh told Tuổi trẻ (Youth) newspaper.

On January 11, workers started collecting the fish.

In 2016, the north-central city of Vinh approved upgrades to the moat at a cost of VNĐ111 billion (US$5 million).

The task required moving 100 households, dredging the old moat, building a wall along the bank and installing a drainage system and two new moats inside and outside the 6,475ha citadel.

The citadel was built in the shape of a turtle in 1804 using a traditional eastern design. It was surrounded by a large moat eight metres wide.

Exhibition spotlights traditional Quan ho singing in modern context

Quan ho artists talk to school pupils about the art form at the exhibition

An exhibition on Quan ho (love duets) opened in the northern province of Bac Ninh on January 23 to mark a decade since the traditional art form was recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity (2009 - 2019).

Taking place at the provincial museum, the exhibition features more than 500 photos, documents, and objects that tell the story of Quan ho. 

Quan ho is an art form that combines various elements, including music, lyrics, and costume, and features the distinctive culture of people in the region, formerly called Kinh Bac.

It has different sub-genres, including hat chuc, hat mung (literally meaning greeting singing), hat tho (ritual singing), hat canh (a singing competition between Quan ho choirs from different villages, which takes place in the evening during the spring festival), and hat hoi (festival singing). 

After its recognition as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the provincial authorities have paid more attention to preserving the art form. These include preferential treatment for Quan ho artists; open classes where artists can teach younger generations; and initiatives to collect, record, and compile more than 500 Quan ho folk songs.

The exhibition is classified into three categories, one of which introduces Diem village, which is considered the birthplace of Quan ho music.

The second category gives insight into traditional Quan ho cultural spaces and the practice of the art form in contemporary society.  

The last category showcases the outcomes of preservation efforts, including several communications campaigns, education programmes, and preferential policies targeting Quan ho artists.

The event will last until March 5.

$1 mln total prize offered for innovative climate change responses

At the workshop to launch the third Proof of Concept (PoC) competition 

Organisations and individuals with creative ideas that can help Vietnam respond and adapt to the impacts of climate change may win the chance to access aid worth 75,000 USD for each project.

The information was announced at a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on January 23 to call for entries to the third Proof of Concept (PoC) competition with the theme “Women and the future of the green economy”. The workshop was jointly held by the Vietnam Climate Innovation Center (VCIC), the Ho Chi Minh City Hi-Tech Park, and the Vietnam Women’s Union.

The competition offers a total prize value of 1 million USD, with winners receiving 75,000 USD each to develop one product or service and given the priority to gain access to all of the VCIC’s consulting and business development support services.

The third edition focuses on initiatives related to products, services, and business models related to energy, sustainable agriculture, information technology in climate change, renewable energy technology, water management, and water purification.

Under half of northern, midland paddy fields have enough water for new crops

Over 253,000 ha of land in the midland and northern region had enough water for 2018-2019 winter-spring rice crops as of January 23, or 45.77 percent of the total land, reported the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Directorate of Water Resources. 

Localities with high water coverage include Nam Dinh (82.5 percent), Ha Nam (67.4 percent), Phu Tho (67 percent), Ninh Binh (66 percent), Vinh Phuc (33 percent), and Thai Binh (41 percent). 

The Hanoi Hydrological Station reported the same day that water levels in the Red River reached 1.91m on average, and 2.33m at the highest. 

The Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) is increasing power generation to raise the water level. 

The directorate asked the cities and provinces’ agricultural and rural development departments to direct bringing water to paddy fields and store water in ponds, lakes, and ditches from January 21-24. 

The EVN enhanced power generation to Hoa Binh, Thac Ba, and Tuyen Quang hydropower plants on January 19. 

New Year gifts to Lao, Cambodian, Mozambican students in Thai Binh

Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Linh 

The People’s Committee of northern Thai Binh province on January 23 presented nearly 450 gifts to Lao, Cambodian and Mozambican students who are studying at the Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy, each worth 250,000 VND (10.8 USD), on the occasion of the upcoming lunar New Year.

The recipients include 281 Lao, 163 Cambodian and 4 Mozambican students. 

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Linh said the upcoming Lunar New Year festival will afford students a chance to learn about the Vietnamese tradition, thereby fostering friendship and solidarity between the Vietnamese State and people and fellows from Laos, Cambodia and Mozambique. 

She asked the provincial chapter of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations to offer all possible support to the foreign students as well as promote friendship and people-to-people cooperation with Lao, Cambodian and Mozambican localities. 

The university has trained Lao students since 1969, and Cambodia and Mozambican students since 1982 and 2016, respectively. 

Among the 598 Lao students in the university, 317 have completed their studies and returned home. Meanwhile, 451 out of the 614 Cambodian students have also come back to their homeland after graduation. 

In 2016, the university welcomed four Mozambican students.

Ho Chi Minh City aims to tackle traffic jams

Nguyen Thai Son-Nguyen Kiem intersection in Ho Chi Minh City 

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport will focus on implementing major projects to reduce traffic congestion and traffic accidents in 2019.

The department will strive to put 75km of new roads and 17 bridges into operation within the year.

It will prioritise projects in key intersections, belt roads and city gateways, while striving to complete 24 important underway projects such as My Thuy crossroad, An Suong tunnel and Nguyen Thai Son-Nguyen Kiem flyover. 

Additionally, the city transport sector will speed up other major projects such as the road connecting Pham Van Dong street with Go Dua crossroad, Thu Thiem 2 bridge, the intersection at Ho Chi Minh National University, the Luong Dinh Cua street upgrade and Ong Nhieu bridge.

In 2019, the department plans to launch 27 new projects, including the repairing of Nguyen Huu Canh street, the expansion of Dong Van Cong street, the construction of Nguyen Huu Tho-Nguyen Van Linh crossroad, Binh Tien bridge, four main roads in Thu Thiem urban area, as well as the expansion of Hanoi Highway.

Several roads around Tan Son Nhat International Airport will be broadened, including Hoang Hoa Tham and Cong Hoa streets.

According to Tran Quang Lam, Vice Director of the municipal Department of Transport, Tan Son Nhat International Airport’s Terminal 3 is expected to become operation in 2021 with a capacity of 20 million passengers per year. Therefore, roads surrounding the airport must be improved to prevent congestion.

The department has proposed the construction of belt road No.3 to ease traffic jams in the area.

In 2018, the city concluded a number of projects, including the expansion of Hoang Minh Giam street, the construction of the tunnel and flyover in My Thuy intersection project, a tunnel in An Suong intersection, and another at Ho Chi Minh City National University intersection, as well as a bridge crossing Kim Cuong island in District 2.

Kien Giang aims to welcome more than 8 million visitors

The southern province of Kien Giang aims to welcome more than 8 million holidaymakers in 2019. 

The number of tourists coming to the province is projected to rise 9.2 percent from 7.6 million to 8.3 million visitors in 2019. Kien Giang also hopes to exceed 292 million USD in tourism revenue, a 10 percent increase compared to last year.

On the basis of proficient exploitation, potential and strengths such as ecotourism and marine tourism, Kien Giang will continue focusing on finalising tourism development plans. Detailed plans on tourism hotspots, attractive tourist routes and key tourist areas will be taken into consideration.

Apart from Phu Quoc island, the province is paying attention to developing island tourism in Nam Du, Lại Sơn and Bà Lụa islands. It is also initiating tourist routes in Phu Quoc and U Minh Thuong National Parks.

Hanoi works to ensure food safety during Tet

To better protect consumers’ health, authorities in Hanoi have taken measures to tighten control over food safety and hygiene to prevent food poisoning before and during the Tet festivities 

The food market to serve the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival is bustling with various kinds of products to meet increasing public demand but also poses high risks of unsafe food or violations in food safety and hygiene.

To better protect consumers’ health, authorities in Hanoi have taken measures to tighten control over food safety and hygiene to prevent food poisoning before and during the Tet festivities.

The city has established many inspection teams to inspect food safety and hygiene and product prices to protect consumers’ health. The inspections will focus on facilities producing, processing and trading products that are mainly used during the Tet holiday and festivals, such as meat and meat products, beverages, alcoholic drinks and confectionery.

They will strictly inspect large food processing plants, wholesale markets, supermarkets and shopping malls, besides small street vendors to prevent food poisoning.

Management boards of markets in the city are instructed to regularly inspect and remind businesses to strictly follow food safety and environmental protection regulations and to strictly punish violators.

The municipal Department of Health has set up four mobile teams on food poisoning prevention and control.

Head of the city’s Food Safety and Hygiene Division Tran Ngoc Tu said attention would be paid to food supply from other localities to Hanoi. A recent food poisoning case at a school in Dong Anh district showed that it was difficult to deal with the problem when the school’s food was supplied by a business outside Hanoi.

At a recent inspection in Hoai Duc district, inspectors discovered and fined 44 out of 125 inspected establishments for food safety violations and destroyed many products that failed to meet food safety standards such as confectionery, alcohol and dried beef.  

The city’s Market Watch Division asked relevant agencies to inspect facilities and businesses producing and trading alcohol products to prevent food poisoning which has become an urgent problem over Tet in recent years.

The health ministry last month decided to set up six inter-sectoral teams to inspect food safety in 12 provinces and cities ahead of, during and after Tet. Inspections will be carried out from January 1 to March 25, 2019.

During January-October last year, 91 food poisoning cases were reported nationwide, mainly involving alcohol and poisonous mushrooms, claiming the lives of 15 people.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has warned of potential epidemics during Tet and spring festivals afterwards.

Siemens, HCMUT partner to develop Industry 4.0 Lab

Representatives from Siemens and HCMUT pose for a photo after signing the Memorandum of Understanding. 

Hồ Chí Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT) will co-operate with Siemens to develop the university’s Industry 4.0 Lab.

This co-operation follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inked between the two sides in HCM City on Tuesday.

The partnership leverages Siemens’ expertise in Industry 4.0 to strengthen HCMUT’s curricula, and aims to foster greater development in science and technology, Siemens said in a statement.

The two parties will co-ordinate to identify gaps in the current curricula on Industry 4.0 and energy technology to develop new training courses to supplement and enhance HCMUT’s current offerings.

By implementing Siemens’ solutions to their Innovation Lab, HCMUT can now showcase the complete suite of Siemens’ software and services at the lab.

With a full range of solutions, the facility will support proof of concepts and illustrate how enterprise-wide digitalisation is transforming the global manufacturing industry. The goal is to give students a unique environment to build and test digital solutions using advanced technologies. 

Waterway traffic on Cấm River restricted for bridge construction

A rendering of Hoàng Văn Thụ Bridge crossing Cấm River in the northern city of Hải Phòng. — Photo haiphong.gov.vn

The Hải Phòng Port Authority announced a restriction on waterway transportation around the Hoàng Văn Thụ Bridge construction site on Cấm River in the northern city of Hải Phòng for the next 70 days.

The restriction is valid from 5am until 11 am daily from January 21 to February, 13, 2019 and from February 22 to April 2.

Chairman of the Hải Phòng People’s Committee Nguyễn Văn Tùng asked the city’s Transport Department, Police, Border Guards, Waterway Management No8 Joint Stock Company and relevant agencies to direct traffic around the construction site, prevent traffic jams and ensure marine safety during construction.

The construction of Hoàng Văn Thụ Bridge on Cấm River started in early 2017 with a total investment of VNĐ 2.6 trillion (US$112 million). It is expected to be complete by the middle of May this year.

The bridge connects the city’s inner area with the area where the People’s Committee plans to build its new administrative centre. 

Publications offered to ethnic-inhabited, mountainous regions

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has decided to provide 19 magazines and publications for ethnic minority-inhabited, mountainous and disadvantaged regions in the 2019-2021 period.

The move aims to enhance information and communications work serving political tasks in the regions. 

The publications to be distributed to the localities include those focusing on ethnic affairs and mountainous areas, along with border security and youth start-ups in Vietnam’s major newspapers and magazines of the Government Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs, the National Assembly Office, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, and the Vietnam Farmers’ Union, among others.

The PM assigned the Government Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs to work with relevant agencies to keep a close watch on the implementation of the decision. 

Earlier, PM Phuc decided to provide rice as food aid for people in northern and central mountainous provinces ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

The Ministry of Finance was asked to allocate more than 3,700 tonnes of rice from national reserves for poor households in the provinces.

The rice will be distributed among the northern provinces of Ha Giang (359 tonnes), Yen Bai (380 tonnes) and Cao Bang (603 tonnes), the central provinces of Phu Yen (399 tonnes), Binh Dinh (1,000 tonnes) and Quang Binh (975 tonnes).

Buon Ma Thuot prison recognised as special national relic site

A view of Buon Ma Thuot prison in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved the certification of Buon Ma Thuot prison in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak as a special national relic site.

Buon Ma Thuot prison, located in Tu An ward of Buon Ma Thuot city, is a U-shape building complex constructed by French colonialists in 1930.

The prison has total area of 2ha, surrounded by four walls which are 4m high and have four watching towers. Inside the walls are six ranges of jails and cells where prisoners were held in custody by a cruel and harsh regime.

Between 1930 and 1945, more than 3,500 political prisoners were kept in the prison, including Vo Chi Cong, Nguyen Chi Thanh, To Huu and Phan Dang Luu.

Despite cruel torture, the communist prisoners turned the prison into a political training place. In late 1940, a secret force called “faithful force” was formed in the prison, which became the first Party cell set up in Dak Lak, contributing to the revolutionary movement in the province and laying a foundation for the 1945 uprising in Dak Lak.

The prison was recognised as a national historic-cultural relic in July 1980. It was restored in 1992 and 2006. Since 2015, the site welcomed a total of about 47,000 visitors.

Vice Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Dang Gia Duan, said the recognition of the prison as a special national relic site will help the province upgrade the site and gather more documents and exhibits.

He said the province will promote the value of the site through adding it into tourism products of the province, making it a popular destination of Dak Lak.

PurpleAsia builds enhanced website for Newborns Vietnam

The new look of Newborns Vietnam’s website - PHOTO: COURTESY OF PURPLEASIA

Strategic branding, design and PR consultancy PurpleAsia has launched an enhanced website for Newborns Vietnam, a healthcare charity dedicated to improving the outcomes for newborn babies in Vietnam’s central and northern regions.

This is part of PurpleAsia’s US$10,000 program that aims to help charitable organizations in Vietnam improve their brand and communications.

“As a commercial branding, PR and creative agency, the number of exciting and challenging projects that cross our desks in a year is innumerable,” said Matt Millard, managing director of PurpleAsia. “However, it’s our work with Vietnam’s most committed and forward thinking charities, such as Newborns Vietnam, that really brings our team together to deliver something that makes us all feel like we’re giving back to the community.”

Newborns Vietnam is a UK-registered charity that works in partnership with the Ministry of Health as well as local and national hospitals to implement British specialist training programs for nurses and doctors to reduce preventable newborn deaths in Vietnam.

More than 75% of the charity’s funding comes from running, cycling and triathlons with the participation of thousands of men and women from around the world.

At the website launching event, held at PurpleAsia’s office in District 1, Newborns Vietnam’s executive director Suzanna Lubran expressed gratitude for the work done to improve the organization’s brand image.

“All of us at Newborns Vietnam are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done in partnership with the Vietnamese Government to improve the survival of babies born too soon, too sick and too small. One kilometer, one turn of the pedal at a time, Newborns is making a difference in the life chances of thousands of Vietnam’s precious babies," she said.

“The new website captures the hopes and fears of all parents whose babies need special care as well as our vision of a Vietnam where there are no preventable deaths of newborn infants, where every birth is celebrated, and babies survive and realize their full potential. The website is our point entry to the world, helping us gain the support we need to raise awareness about this phenomenon and allowing us to expand our reach throughout the country and eventually the region.”

To see the new website and find out more about the organization, visit www.newbornsvietnam.org.

Dan On Foods, Canadian Consulate General support disabled children

Canadian Consul General in HCMC Kyle Nunas and a representative of Dan On Foods give presents to the children 

Canadian Consul General in HCMC Kyle Nunas and Dan On Foods Corporation have donated VND500 million (nearly US$22,000) to the center for children with disabilities and the homeless shelter of Binh Duc Commune in Binh Duong Province.

The money will be used to repair the center and the shelter, and build new classrooms for the children. Many business partners of Dan On Foods also joined the donation presentation ceremony early this month and handed gifts to the children to enjoy the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.

Speaking at the event, Nunas said charity work is one of the Canadian Consulate General’s main missions in Vietnam. As a company invested by Canada, Dan On Foods has been a pioneer in charity work in Vietnam with numerous meaningful programs such as granting scholarships to poor students and supporting centers for disabled children. 

According to the Canadian Consul General, many Canadians are living and working in Vietnam and Canada also has a lot of enterprises operating here. Impacts of the wars in the past and current pollution can negatively affect the development and future of children in Vietnam.

“We choose to join Dan On Foods in their charity work because their goals match our missions of supporting women and children, which will create long-lasting values in the future,” he said.

Luu Bao Hoa, managing director at Dan On Foods, said: “We have spent US$20,000-30,000 a year on charity programs over the past 10 years. We hope our charity work will help the children have a happier and more comfortable life. We believe that growing in a good environment, they will contribute to the development and prosperity of the country.”

Established in Vietnam in 1999, Dan On Foods Corporation provides quality products that contribute to the healthy diets of consumers such as nuts, dried fruits, trail mixes, grains and cereals.

RMIT Vietnam student reinvents Monopoly game

Thanh Tam has created a new Vietnamese version of Monopoly game and called it Tet Ta Mua - PHOTO: COURTESY OF RMIT VIETNAM

Inspired by the idea of bringing families closer together, an RMIT Vietnam student has redesigned the popular Monopoly game to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday (Tet).

Bachelor of Design (Digital Media) graduate Nguyen Ngoc Thanh Tam said she initially intended to create a children’s book to honor Vietnamese culture but then realized a game could be something that could gather all family members. After 13 weeks of conceptualizing, structuring and designing, a new version of Monopoly that Tam called Tet Ta Mua was complete. 

After some research, Tam not only learned how to design a game that the whole family could enjoy but also studied the history of Tet culture to ensure the game is meaningful and authentic for all players. She then applied her learned knowledge from brand design identity, graphic design and color layout to create the game.

“In my view, the current Lunar New Year no longer has the same cultural values as before. Therefore, I hope that both adults and young children can gain the cultural values of Vietnam through the game and children will learn from older people,” she said.

RMIT School of Communication & Design Lecturer and Tam’s project mentor Nguyen Hung Giang said the project is creative, beautifully made and had many culturally vibrant messages.

Designed with delicate watercolor drawings, the game makes players feel excited when learning about lists of things, food, wishes and works given in the lead up to, and during Tet in Vietnam, such as buying banh chung and banh tet (traditional Vietnamese cake), receiving lucky money and enjoying family reunions.

The game brings players closer together, by celebrating and valuing the beauty of Vietnamese culture, while teaching children more about Tet.

Designed in both Vietnamese and English, Tet Ta Mua is also aimed at expats who are living in Vietnam, and Vietnamese families residing abroad.

The RMIT graduate now plans to expand the game and hopes families will adopt it as "spiritual food" during Tet.