Long An takes measures to improve PAPI ranking

People waiting for administrative procesure processing. Illustrative Image 

The Mekong Delta province of Long An is striving to improve its Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) in 2018 and the future to ensure sustainable increase in the index through years.

Last year, the province posted 38.3 points over 60 points in PAPI indication, ranking 11th out of 63 localities nationwide, up 11 positions compared to that of 2016.

Five out of six PAPI component indications of Long An were among top group of the country.

However, according to the provincial People’s Committee, the province’s PAPI indications have fluctuated through years, with a lack of sustainability in growth of component indications.

Tran Van Can, Chairman of the committee, asked provincial departments, sectors and organisations as well as localities across the province to seek measures to fix problems in the field, thus improving Long An’s position in PAPI ranking in 2018 and so on.

He also asked for careful analysis of reasons become fluctuations in each component indications of PAPI, thus clarifying responsibility of individuals and collectives and building future plans.

At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen communications on PAPI survey, making it more open and transparent, he requested.

Can also urged the People’s Committees of localities across the province to review their shortcomings reflected by PAPI results, thus designing plans for improvement, raising accountability of local authorities to locals.

Tay Ninh approves master plan on Ba Den national tourist site

Tourists at the Ba Den national tourist site 

The People’s Committee of southern Tay Ninh province has approved a master plan for the construction of the Ba Den national tourist site to 2035, which will be submitted to the Government for approval soon.

According to the plan, the area covers nearly 3,000 hectares spanning Ninh Son, Ninh Thanh wards and Thanh Tan commune of Tay Ninh city, and parts of Suoi Da and Phan communes of Duong Minh Chau district.

The site will be synchronised with functional areas for trade, tourism, culture-sport, entertainment, accommodation, as well as area for scientific, natural and environmental research.

As many as 1,147 hectares, or 38.27 percent of total area of the site, will be developed for tourism, services and accommodation. Meanwhile, an area of 100 hectares will be used for research activities.

Particularly, the majority of the 1,544 ha special-purposed forest area in the site is will be untouched.

Tay Ninh will improve transport infrastructure system connecting the site with Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Long An provinces and Ho Chi Minh City to lure more tourists to the site.

Ba Den (Black Lady) Mountain is famous for its majestic landscapes and magnificent caves and pagodas, and is part of the Nui Ba Relic Complex in Tay Ninh province.

The complex spreads over an area of 24 square kilometres and comprises three mountains: Heo (Pig) Mountain, Phung (Phoenix) Mountain and Ba Den Mountain. 

Ba Den is the highest peak, rising to the height of 986 metres. Besides the landscape, the site, with many pagodas and caves, is considered one of the most famous spiritual lands in the south, worshipping Linh Son Thanh Mau (Linh Son Holy Mother). The most popular destinations at the site are the Ba Temple Complex, old pagodas like Ha Pagoda, Thuong Pagoda and Hang Pagoda and caves on the mountain.-

The site received one million visitors during just 12 days from the first to the 12th day of the Lunar Year (February 16-27).

Project provides treatment for prisons having HIV/AIDS

ARV for HIV treatment 

The southern province of Dong Nai is among 13 localities that have received assistance from the US’ AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in giving healthcare services to prisoners living with HIV/AIDS.

The province and AHF have jointly implemented a project to connect healthcare facilities and prisons in providing free medicines and health care services for prisoners. 

Since 1993, nearly 8,000 HIV/AIDS cases have been reported in Dong Nai, of whom nearly 4,300 are under management, more than 1,100 are not found and the rest died.

Currently, prisons across the province are keeping 130 prisoners living with HIV/AIDS and facing difficulties in seeking health care services.

Hoang Dinh Canh, Vice Director of the Health Ministry’s Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, said that treatment for HIV/AIDS carriers in prisons is difficult as all services for them are depend on support from health care facilities and the community.

He held that linking health care facilities and prisons is crucial to provide treatments for prisoners living with HIV/AIDS.

Chhim Sarath, AHF Director for Asia, said that the foundation has cooperated with 11 prisons and two drug detoxification centres in Vietnam, focusing on localities with high number of HIV/AIDS patients.

He affirmed that in the coming time, the foundation will launch more HIV treatment facilities and expand partnership with more prisons in other localities such as Binh Thuan and Ho Chi Minh City, while seeking more sources to support Vietnam in the coming time, aiming for all HIV/AIDS prisoners to receive treatment in the jail.

The foundation’s project in Dong Nai, which started on April 18 and runs until 2020, aims to help Dong Nai complete the 90-90-90 target, which means 90 percent of people living with HIV knowing their conditions, 90 percent of them receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, 90 percent of those taking ARV therapy have viral suppression.

New town, township founded in Bia Ria – Vung Tau, Lam Dong

A view of the International Container Terminal Tan Cang - Cai Mep in Phu My district-level town (old Tan Thanh district), Ba Ria - Vung Tau. 

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee has announced resolutions on the establishment of Phu My township in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and Phuoc Cat town in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

According to the Resolution No. 492/NQ-UBTVQH14, dated April 12, 2018, the district-level township of Phu My was founded, replacing Tan Thanh district. It covers an area of 333.84 sqkm and has a population of over 175,800 people.

The new township borders Ho Chi Minh City to the west, Ba Ria and Vung Tau cities to the south and Dong Nai province to the north. It includes five wards of Hac Dinh, My Xuan, Phu My, Phuoc Hoa and Tan Phuoc, alongside five communes of Chau Pha, Song Xoai, Tan Hai, Tan Hoa and Toc Tien.

Now Ba Ria-Vung Tau province has eight district-level administrative units, including five districts, a township and two provincial cities.

Meanwhile, the Resolution No. 493/NQ-UBTVQH14, also dated April 12, 2018 declares that Phuoc Cat 1 commune of Cat Tien district, Lam Dong province, will become Phuoc Cat town which covers an area of 16.97 sqkm and has a population of over 7,200 people.

The commune-level town shares border with Binh Phuoc province to the west and the south and with Dong Nai to the south.

After the establishment of Phuoc Cat town, Cat Tien district has 11 commune-level administrative units, including nine communes and two towns. Cat Tien is among ten districts and two provincial cities of Lam Dong.

Measures sought for sustainable preservation of Trang An complex

Trang An complex 

Measures and action plans to sustainably preserve and uphold values of the Trang An Landscape Complex in the northern province of Ninh Binh was the main topic of a workshop held at Bai Dinh pagoda in the locality on April 20. 

In his opening remarks, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dinh Chung Phung underlined the province’s efforts in the work, saying that the local authorities have devised many programmes, plans and strategies to promote the preservation of the Complex.

However, he noted that the complex is facing many challenges as well as impacts from changes in the natural and social environment. 

The workshop aims to collect opinions from domestic and foreign experts, managers and scientists on action plans to improve the efficiency of the preservation in combination with tourism development, Phung said. 

The official expressed his hope that reports delivered at the workshop will help Ninh Binh roll out orientations in managing and upholding values of the Trang An Landscape Complex in the future. 

Participant focused discussions on responsible tourism development, relationship between conservation and sustainable development in world heritage areas, preservation and orientations to promote cultural tourism development, tourism exploitation and management, and protection of world heritages at tourist sites. 

They highlighted active results in preserving, managing and promoting the Trang An Complex’s values in recent years, which have contributed to attracting more visitors to Ninh Binh. 

The participants proposed ways to better state management of the complex, and stressed the need to review policies and legal documents on heritage protection and make adjustments to them. It is necessary to promote campaigns to raise public awareness of the importance of protecting the heritage, and benefits it brought in, they said. 

The Trang An complex is a World Natural Heritage and includes Tam Coc-Bich Dong - a series of karst caves and mountain pagodas, the ancient and new Bai Dinh pagoda and the Hoa Lu ancient capital. The area, dotted with forest, lime mountains, rivers, lakes and dams, covers 12,252 hectares.

Ninh Binh province welcomed over 7 million holidaymakers in 2017, up 8 percent against 2016, with over 6 million of whom visited the Trang An Landscape Complex.

Lai Chau pays much attention to needy people

A teacher and students at a school in Muong Te district, the northern province of Lai Chau.  

The northern province of Lai Chau has carried out a number of programmes to support disadvantaged people, especially those from border and ethnic minority areas.

Phong Tho district with 13 border communes plays a crucial role in the border defence. However, the life of people here is still difficult while infrastructure is very poor. 

Authorities have called on organisations and individuals to raise funds to support underprivileged residents. 

As a result, more than 4 billion VND has been raised to help upgrade and rebuild 500 houses for those in need.

According to Sin Van Su, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Lai Chau, the province has raised 3.7 billion VND (161,690 USD) at the provincial level and 1.8 billion VND (78,660 USD) at the district level to help poor people build houses, buy cows and develop production.

In 2017, the provincial Red Cross Society launched a Tet programme for the poor and Agent Orange/dioxin victims, collecting over 3.3 billion VND (144,210 USD) to buy more than 15,400 gift packages for them.

The local associations of farmers and women have also actively launched programmes to generate jobs for locals and reduce poverty.

EVN makes significant contributions to rural electrification

The Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) has made remarkable contributions to rural electrification after 10 years of implementing the Resolution on agriculture, farmers and rural areas issued at the seventh plenum of the 10th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Over the past decade, the EVN has provided electricity for production and daily use of nearly 2 million rural households through the upgrading and building of middle- and low-voltage transmission networks. 

The work was financed by official development assistance (ODA) loans worth about 2 billion USD from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the French Development Agency, the German Development Bank, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Besides, the group has spent over 5.5 trillion VND (240.9 million USD) carrying out projects to connect 369 communes with nearly 400,000 families in far-flung rural and border areas of Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Bac Kan, Nghe An, Lang Son, Khanh Hoa, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Hau Giang, Ca Mau, and Kien Giang to the national grid. 

EVN has invested in building power supply systems for island districts and communes to develop sea-based economy, protect the marine environment, and contribute to safeguarding the national sovereignty over seas and islands.

It has built overhead electricity lines and cross-sea submarine cable lines at total cost of over 6.1 trillion VND (267.1 million USD) to island districts such as Co To (Quang Ninh), Phu Quoc, Kien Hai (Kien Giang), and Ly Son (Quang Ngai) as well as many island communes across the country, supplying electricity for over 140,000 households.

By the end of 2017, EVN sold electricity to nearly 6,000 communes in rural areas with over 6.2 million households.

The company is also selling electricity around-the-clock for 11 out of the 12 island districts across the country, namely Van Don, Co To (Quang Ninh), Cat Hai, Bach Long Vi (Hai Phong), Con Co (Quang Tri), Ly Son (Quang Ngai), Phu Quy (Binh Thuan), Truong Sa (Khanh Hoa), Con Dao (Ba Ria – Vung Tau), and Phu Quoc and Kien Hai (Kien Giang).

The implementation of synchronous measures to improve the power supply system has brought a facelift to Vietnamese rural areas. The proportions of communes and households accessing to electricity has increased from 97 percent and 93.4 percent in 2007 to 99.98 percent and 98.83 percent in 2017, respectively.

Disaster-resistant houses to be built for Mekong Delta poor

Poor households in the Mekong Delta provinces of Ca Mau and Ben Tre will be provided with disaster-resilient houses funded by Tan Dai Hung Plastic JSC.

An agreement on the funding was signed between representatives from Tan Dai Hung, the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Urban Sewerage and Development One Member Limited Company – the constructor, the Directorate for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (DNDPC) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and officials from Ben Tre and Ca Mau. 

Under the agreement, Tan Dai Hung will donate 12 billion VND to build 40 houses of this kind for disadvantaged people in the two localities.  

The company’s move is in response to DNDPC’s programme to call for support from enterprises and the community for building disaster-resistant houses for poor families living in natural disasters and flood-prone areas nationwide. 

According to Hoang Duc Thao, General Director of the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Urban Sewerage and Development One Member Limited Company, his firm will use super-light non-ferrous concrete building technology in the construction of these houses. 

At the signing ceremony, DNDPC General Director Tran Quang Hoai asked the beneficiary localities’ officials to closely work with the donor and constructor to well perform the project. 

He hoped that there will be more enterprises joining hands to support poor households in areas vulnerable to natural disasters in the coming time.

Vietcombank becomes bronze sponsor for Hue Festival 2018

Ly Hoang Vu, Director of Vietcombank’s Hue branch at the signing ceremony (Photo: baocongthuong.com.vn)

The Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) will provide 1 billion VND (44,000 USD) for the Ao Dai (traditional long dress) festival held under the framework of the Hue Festival 2018, becoming the bronze sponsor for the event.

The signing between the Hue Festival organising board and the bank took place in Hue city, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on April 20.

Ly Hoang Vu, Director of Vietcombank’s Hue branch, said that Hue Festival is a significant cultural event and the bank has accompanied the festival for many years with total sponsored capital of 15 billion VND (660,000 USD).

In addition, the bank has engaged in a line-up of social security activities in the province, he added.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Dung, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the Hue Festival organising board, noted that the locality is calling for the engagement of different economic sectors in organising the event. 

To date, there are over 20 sponsors for the Hue Festival 2018 with total funding of 22 billion VND (968,000 USD), he stressed.

Themed “Cultural heritage with integration and development – Hue one destination, five world heritages”, the Hue Festival 2018 is expected to draw international art troupes from France,  the Republic of Korea, the UK, Mongolia, Japan, Thailand, Russia, Belgium and China.

A wide range of activities will be held as part of the event including a Buddhism cultural programme, a national festival of “Hat Van” or “Chau Van” (a traditional art form that combines singing and dancing), a music show featuring songs of late musician Trinh Cong Son, a scientific festival, an international trade fair, a cuisine fair and a poem festival.

Hue, which was the imperial capital of Vietnam for hundreds of years, is home to five heritages recognised by UNESCO, namely the Hue ancient citadel relic complex – a World Cultural Heritage site; Nha Nhac (Hue royal court music)- an intangible cultural heritage item; Nguyen Dynasty’s wood blocks – a documentary heritage item; Nguyen Dynasty’s Chau ban (royal administrative documents) – part of the Asia-Pacific Register of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme; and literature on Hue royal architecture - a documentary heritage.

Master plan to preserve Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in Bac Giang

Part of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in Bac Giang province (Photo: dulich.bacgiang.gov.vn)

The northern province of Bac Giang is going to make a master plan on the preservation and promotion of the values of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, a special national relic site.

The planning task, recently approved by the Prime Minister, includes researching, surveying and assessing the relic site’s situation; specifying priority issues, along with viewpoints and short- and long-term targets of the relic site master plan; and making orientations for the preservation and promotion of the site’s values.

The planning aims to specify all historical, architectural and artistic values of the pagoda, helping to further clarify the historical and cultural values of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist sect. It will make directions for preserving relics, intangible cultural heritage, the historical and cultural space attached to the relic site and local landscapes, and the surrounding area so as to turn Vinh Nghiem Pagoda into a cultural and religious centre of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist sect.

It is also set to connect Vinh Nghiem Pagoda with other historical and cultural relic sites and scenic landscapes of Bac Giang province, especially the Yen Tu relic complex, to create a diverse cultural tourism product.

The master plan will be the legal basis for the management and implementation of member projects on the relic site’s value preservation and promotion, and for the making of regulations and solutions on the site management.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, also called La or Duc La Pagoda, is 20 km southeast of Bac Giang City.

Built in the 11th century under the Ly Dynasty, the pagoda served as a training institution for Vietnamese monks during the Tran Dynasty (13th-14th centuries).

It has been considered the first Buddhism university of Vietnam and the place of origin of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist sect. It is also home to a collection of 3,050 carved woodblocks enlisted by UNESCO as World Documentary Heritage in the Memory of the World Programme in 2012.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda was recognised as a national historical – cultural relic site in 1964 and a special national relic site in 2015. Its festival, which is held annually from the 12th to 14th day of the second lunar month, was also named part of the national intangible cultural heritage in 2013.

Overseas Vietnamese to celebrate Hung Kings Temple Festival

Dancing in Deutschland: An art performance by overseas Vietnamese in Germany to celebrate the Hùng Kings Memorial Day 2017.

Various cultural activities will be held worldwide to celebrate the Hung Kings Memorial Day which falls on April 25 this year.

Among them are the implementation of a project titled “Vietnam Ancestral Global Day” and an ancestor worship ceremony to be held by the Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese (ALOV).

Other activities will include the Project Mobilisation Unit of Vietnam Ancestral Global Day (PMU-VAGD) which will be held in coordination with overseas Vietnamese associations in the Czech Republic, Russia, Hungary, and Germany.

The cultural events will include art performances and exhibitions of products from across Vietnam. Alongside this will be seminars and workshops about Vietnamese culture. The events are highly regarded by Vietnamese living, studying and working abroad, as they provide an opportunity to pay homage to their home country.

A report from the ALOV reveals that this is the first time “Vietnam Ancestral Global Day” has been celebrated simultaneously in many European countries following a shared format. The events will be modified slightly to suit the context of each Vietnamese community.

”Contributions to organisation and funding have been received from overseas Vietnamese associations in various countries,” the report said.

The ALOV and PMU-VAGD negotiated with the Mai Linh Group Corporation, alongside various local businesses, to contribute four statues of the Hung Kings, as well as 12 sets of ritual clothes, and trays of offerings to organisation committees abroad.

Vietnam Ancestral Global Day

The annual Hung Kings’ Temple Festival is usually celebrated by overseas Vietnamese communities in a similar fashion to back home. Ceremonies are often held with incense offerings and tributes to the nation’s ancestors.

That being said, as the events have in the past been held sporadically and without a centralised format, they generally attract little attention from overseas Vietnamese and international friends.

The spreading of Vietnamese culture, especially the spiritual ritual of the “Hung Kings’ worship rite” is not far-reaching. In 2012, the “Hung Kings’ worship rite” was recognised as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

“This makes it the one and only ritual in Vietnam to be recognised as world cultural heritage so far. The incorporation of the ‘Hung Kings’ worship rite’ in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity has contributed to heightening the importance of Vietnamese ancestor worship in countries and territories where overseas Vietnamese communities are living.”

“Thus, it encourages those communities to recognise cultural similarities and promote respect of cultural diversity,” the report said.

Since 2015, the Vietnam Ancestral Global Day Project has moved towards three key goals: To preserve and spread the Intangible Cultural Heritage “Hung Kings’ worship rite” abroad; to hold discussions, seminars and workshops to connect and promote intercultural exchange between Vietnamese and other cultures in the world; and to build a strategy to spread and advertise Vietnamese cultural (spiritual) values in the life of overseas Vietnamese, host countries and international friends, as well as in the virtual/media environment in a systematic, consistent, comprehensive and annual manner.

The non-profit socio-cultural project aims to bring public values to overseas Vietnamese all over the world. It is carried out at both community and international levels.

People with disabilities active for socio-economic activities

Nguyen Duc Lan Chairman of the Management Board and Director of Hanvico Humanitarian JSC at the 20th anniversary of Vietnam Day of Persons with Disabilities 

Nguyen Duc Lan, 54, a person with a physical disability, is running the Hanvico Humanitarian JSC Company, which produces blankets, pillows, bed sheets and mats for military forces done by many people with disabilities.

“I’m happy because my business can help the disadvantaged people, so that they can support their own lives, families, and contribute to society,” Lan told Vietnam News Agency.

Lan, Chairman of the Management Board and Director of Hanvico Humanitarian JSC joined many others people with disabilities to cheer the 20th anniversary of Vietnam Day of Persons with Disabilities (April 18, 1998-2018) in Hanoi on April 18.

Lan said his company generates billions of Vietnam dongs per year.

Hanoi-based Hanvico Humanitarian JSC is among thousands of businesses run by people with disabilities, and they have been making a significant contribution to the nation’s socio-economic development.

Nguyen Quoc Toan, a paralyzed man from northern Phu Tho province, did not attend school. He studied computer science himself with his able hands.

Toan set up NQT Company which generates around 6-7 billion VND per years. “I hire 10 employees and pay them around 6 million VND per month,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, a woman with a physical disability, from the central province of Quang Nam first ran a motorbike service shop and then turned it into a workshop, equipped with advanced machines and technology. 

Her workshop produces auto spare parts with 50 employees and my company contributes over 2 billion VND per year to the State budget.

An invalid soldier with 81 percent of disablement, Hoang Phi Thuong didn’t give up easily and accept a life relying on the government’s aid.

He set up the Hai Duong-based 27/7 War Invalid Construction, Tourism and Trade Enterprise. In 2017, his company earned 88 billion VND. Currently, it provides 150 full-time and 250 seasonal jobs, with monthly salary ranging between 3.5 – 12 million VND per person. 

“I plan to extend my business in 2018,” he said.

According to Hero of the Army Le Ma Luong, Chairman of the Association of Enterprises of the Vietnam War Invalids and Disabled Persons, there are more than 2,000 businesses run by war invalids and disabled persons across the nation.

Hero of the Army Le Ma Luong, Chairman of the Association of Enterprises of the Vietnam War Invalids and Disabled Persons (first L) (Source: VNA)

Nearly 700 of them are members of his association, and they are operating in all fields.

“Most of them have been joining in charity by providing financial assistance, vocational training and jobs opportunities for their peers because they know more than anyone the difficulties facing people with disabilities,” he said.

“The State and Government have issued numerous documents and policies to support this group. However, they still face numerous challenges in accessing public facilities, services, and technology.”

He said he hopes that with the nation’s socio-economic development, greater efforts jointly made by the government, organizations, and individual will be delivered to support people with disabilities, thus creating a favourable environment for them to work and engage well in communities.

Dang Quynh Mai, Chairperson of the Vietnam Federationon Disability (VFD) suggested the health sector make bigger investment in terms of equipment, facilities, as well as human resources to deliver better services to the group of vulnerable patients.

“The Party and State have built and promulgated many policies enabling organizations and individuals to support people with disabilities in exercising their rights and civic obligations. The issues concerning persons with disabilities are not only the purely social activities but also hold a political meaning,” she said.

Vietnam has nearly eight million people with disabilities.

According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, disabled people have to date operated close to 700 production establishments in Vietnam, creating more than 40,000 jobs with an average monthly income of between 5 and 7 million VND (220 – 308 USD)

This year marks the eighth year since Vietnam implemented the Law on Persons with Disabilities and the fourth year since the country adopted the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Law on Persons with Disabilities says people with disabilities have the right to participate in social activities on an equal basis, and to be provided with healthcare, functional rehabilitation, education, vocational training, employment, legal assistance, access to public facilities, means of transport, information technology and cultural , sports and other services fitting their forms and levels of disablement.

The purpose of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is to promote, protect and ensure equal and full access of people with disabilities to the basic rights and freedoms of all human beings.