10 days after Doksuri strikes Quang Binh, flooding continues

The flooding triggered by the Doksuri storm that swept through the central region of Việt Nam 10 days ago continued to isolate a community in a remote area of Quảng Bình Province.

Flooding continues in Ón Village in Quảng Bình Province after 10 days Doksuri Storm swept through the locality. 

According to Trần Xuân Tư, head of Ón Village in the province’s mountainous Minh Hóa District, 600 residents of the village have been isolated after Doksuri hit the province.

The village is situated in a valley, and the rainwater has submerged the village’s entrance road, which is some 3.5m under the water now.

Tư said the flooding began nine days ago, and it is expected to continue in the next five days. The locals are using boats to travel across the village, he added.

The only food stock available in the village is the four tonnes of rice supplied by a nearby border guard unit before the storm arrived.

Military forces have travelled to the village in boats to help the locals harvest rice during the flooding. Đoàn Ngọc Lâm, the district’s party secretary, has pledged close monitoring of the village situation and promised to supply saplings to the locals to help them recover their plantation after the floodwater recedes.

In the adjacent Quảng Trị Province, the rise in water levels in the swollen Đắkrông Stream prevented 44 primary school students from attending class.

Nguyễn Thị Vui, teacher at a sub-unit of Tà Rụt Primary School, said some 44 of the 77 students lived on the opposite bank of the stream.

Vui said these students could not reach the school when the stream’s water level was high. When the water level receded slightly, they had to take off their clothes and wade across to keep them dry at school.

Some others were taken to the school by their parents, who had to wade across the stream. The school is located in a mountainous area, which has a complicated topography; thus it is divided into sub-units that are separated from each other.

Hồ Văn Nhiếp, chairman of Tà Rụt Commune, said a bridge construction project had been planned, but no actual work had been done. "The students face the threat of being swept away if there is a sudden rise in the water level of the stream," he said.

Da Nang ready for APEC Economic Leaders’ Week

The central coastal city of Da Nang has basically completed all necessary facilities serving the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders’ Week and related meetings to be held in the city from November 6-11.

The event, which is a highlight of the APEC Year 2017 in Vietnam, is expected to welcome leaders from 21 member economies.

At a recent working session with officials from municipal departments, agencies and People’s Committees of districts and communes on September 23, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Huynh Duc Tho requested thorough preparation for the Week. 

Meanwhile, at the ninth meeting of the APEC 2017 National Committee in Hanoi on September 20, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said the Party and State leaders are very keen on how the preparations have been done.

He said the preparations must be quickened with more efficiency to ensure the optimal success of the Week.

Hosting APEC 2017 is a focus of Vietnam’s external activities this year as well as the country’s strategy to integrate more intensively and extensively into the world.

About 4,000 foreign and local correspondents are expected to cover the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week and related meetings.

Established in 1989, APEC comprises 21 economies, including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the US, and Vietnam.

Vietnamese media lauded for role in wildlife protection

The Vietnamese media was lauded for playing an important role in promoting the protection of threatened wildlife, heard a seminar held in Hà Nội on Friday to reveal how media houses can incorporate social responsibility into their work and contribute to combatting wildlife crime.

Participants to the World Rhino Day seminar organised by TRAFFIC and Intelligentmedia agreed that a behavioural change was a useful approach to reduce the demand for illegal wildlife products in Việt Nam.

“More than ever before, the media plays an important role in creating and shaping public opinion on topical global issues, such as illegal wildlife trafficking,” said Madelon Willemsen, head of TRAFFIC’s Việt Nam office. 

“The Vietnamese media plays a critical role in shaping moral values around the consumption and illegal trade of threatened species and in describing what responsible Vietnamese citizens must do to protect threatened wildlife worldwide."

Vice Director of the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)’s Centre for SMEs Promotion, Lê Thị Thu Thủy, said that TRAFFIC and VCCI are creating a culture of zero-tolerance towards wildlife trafficking in the business world by engaging Vietnamese businesses, which will lead their peers in fighting wildlife crime.

“Together with other organisations and the media, VCCI wants to foster a movement where a growing team of key opinion leaders have established a responsible corporate culture by taking a strong stance against the consumption of rhino horn and other endangered species,” Thủy said.

Bùi Ngọc Mạnh from the Central Committee for Publicity and Education (CCPE), said the body prioritised encouraging public servants, media practitioners and Vietnamese citizens to change their behaviour and adopt a zero tolerance towards wildlife crime and illegal wildlife consumption.

Over the last decade, Việt Nam has regularly been identified as a transit country and consumer market for endangered wildlife products, such as rhino horn and elephant ivory. The on-going demand continues to drive wildlife poaching and trafficking, selling, buying and consumption of illegal wildlife products such as rhino horn. 

Visitors dazzled by cultural activities in Yen Bai

Visitors to the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai have been dazzled by various cultural activities within the framework of the Muong Lo Culture-Tourism Week and a festival to explore terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai district which kicked off on September 23.

The opening ceremony featured street art performances introducing custom and traditional clothes of ethnic groups in the locality, with the most impressive being a mass performance of Xoe folk dance by nearly 800 people. 

On this occasion, Han Khuong singing of the Thai ethnic group in Nghia Lo town was recognised as national intangible cultural heritage. 

During the Muong Lo Culture-Tourism week, there will be marches, a culinary competition and community-based tourism activities, among others. 

Meanwhile, a paragliding festival in Khau Pha mountain pass in Mu Cang Chai district is expected to give holiday-makers amazing experiences. 

Over the past time, Nghia Lo, Mu Cang Chai and other western districts of Yen Bai have joined hands in tourism development, forming one of the four key tourism areas in the province. 

Mu Cang Chai served an average of about 30,000 visitors each year before and the figure was 45,000 in 2016.

In May, a paragliding festival was also held in Khau Pha, with 100 paragliders as part of the Yen Bai Tourism Year in response to the 2017 National Tourism Year.

The events will last until September 29.

Painted film about Van Gogh to be screened in VN

The world’s first fully painted film, reflecting the life and career of Vincent Van Gogh, will be screened in Vietnam on October 6.

Loving Vincent explores the painter’s life and work by bringing to life some of his paintings to tell his story. Husband-and-wife team Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman innovated a filmmaking technique that combined traditional film shooting with painting.

 

Famous paintings Starry Night, Cafe Terrace at Night, Sunflowers, Wheatfield with Crows and his self-portraits inspired the film and, through the new technique, became its setting.

Director Kobiela said 125 painters, selected through an audition process, painted over 65,000 film frames on 1,000 canvases.

“We shot the film with actors, and literally painted over it frame by frame,” Kobiela said on the film’s website.

“This is a very laborious and time-consuming process. It has taken us four years to develop the technique, and it took us over two years with a team of 125 painters working at studios in the Polish cities of Gdansk and Wroclaw, and a studio in Athens to complete the film.”

The filmmakers said they made the film not to set any records, but because they believe only Van Gogh’s paintings can truly tell his story.

“We were inspired by the saying ‘we cannot speak other than by our paintings,’ written by Vincent van Gogh in a letter the week before his death,” said Kobiela.

Loving Vincent won the top prize at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France in June. The film’s journey began almost ten years ago when Kobiela set out to make an animated short about Van Gogh.

“I was 30 when I first came up with the idea to do this project, around the same age Vincent was when he started to paint,” Kobiela said on Animation Magazine. “More than his paintings, which I do love, it was the example of how Vincent lived that inspired me. I have battled with depression all my life, and I was inspired by how strong he was in picking himself up from similarly terrible life setbacks as a young man, and finding through art, a way to bring beauty to the world.”

Welchman, who is based in Poland and has produced several well-received animated projects such as the Oscar-winning short Peter & the Wolf (2006) and The Flying Machine (2011), says he became absolutely obsessed with Van Gogh’s enigmatic life and phenomenal achievements.

They invited painters from around the world to audition for the film.

MVP Pictures Company bought the copyright and organised the film Loving Vincent premiere in Vietnam on October 6. The film opens sooner here than in the UK (October 13), according to Vu Hai Dang, distribution manager of the company.

Dang said the company was impressed by the film during its crowd-funding effort held in 2014.

“It’s really a daring and inspirational project,” said Dang. “We are impressed by the talent and effort of the crew. The film is a masterpiece about the masterpieces left by Van Gogh. That’s the reason why we try to introduce the independent film in Vietnam.”

MVP Pictures is the distributor of independent films like Chef, A Monster Calls and Light Between The Oceans.

Dang said the company wants to present Vietnamese audience with good independent films beside commercial entertainment films.

“Independent films distributed in Vietnam haven’t enjoyed large audiences like in other countries in the region,” said he.

Vietnamese audiences often enjoy independent films at film festivals or via the Internet. Dang expects that in the near future artistic films like Loving Vincent will attract larger audiences.

“Clean Up the World 2017” campaign focuses on rural environment

More than 1,000 people engaged in activities in the northern province of Hoa Binh on September 23 in response to the “Clean Up the World 2017” campaign, which focuses on waste management for sustainable rural environment.

Deputy Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan said rural environmental pollution has resulted in social and economic losses, directly impacted local life, and influenced rural landscapes. The rate of people with diseases linked with rural pollution is on an upward trend, especially in polluted production areas or areas near pollution sources.

Some pressing rural pollution issues include weak waste collection and treatment, mismanagement of plant protection packages and chemicals, pollution in craft villages, and rural communities’ limited access to clean water, he noted.

He added it is necessary to perfect policies and regulations relevant to rural environment, strengthen the environmental protection force at all levels, mobilise funding for the work, and increase technological and technical solutions.

Vice Chairman of the Hoa Binh provincial People’s Committee Bui Van Khanh said Hoa Binh has made considerable strides in managing environmental protection and improving public awareness, particularly among young people.

While tree planting and environmental cleanup are held regularly, various activities also take place every year to mark the World Environment Day and the International Day for Biological Diversity. Notably, events in response to the “Clean Up the World” campaign have also been organised annually and attracted widespread support of local people, he said.

As part of the campaign, activities aside from cleanup were also held in Hoa Binh to encourage locals to reduce outdoor burning, sort waste at source, make use of rice straw, and reduce, reuse and recycle wastes.

Vietnamese movie screened at ASEAN Film Festival in Canada

The Embassy of Vietnam in Canada introduced  the movie “Yellow flowers on the green grass” at the ongoing ASEAN Film Festival 2017 in Ottawa.

Based on the novel by best-selling author Nguyen Nhat Anh, the Vietnamese movie is set in the mid-1980s in a small village, telling the story of two young brothers who share everything, but compete for the affection of the same girl.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Nguyen Duc Hoa said like its name, the movie brings the audiences some peace of mind and carefree childhood.

The film was listed among the top 10 outstanding cultural events in Vietnam and won the Bong Sen Vang (Golden Lotus) prize at the 19th Vietnam Film Festival in 2015.

It was the only representative of Vietnam at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival – part of the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, and bagged the best film award at the second Silk Road International Film Festival and the Golden Kite at the Vietnam Film Festival 2015.

Hong Kong and Amsterdam-based Fortissimo Films, which handled international sales for the film, introduced the film at the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival. 

The film was also screened at the American Film Market in Los Angeles in November 2015 and most recently in Japan on August 19, 2017.

The ASEAN Film Festival 2017, which is running from September 12-26, aims to give an insight into land, people and culture of ASEAN and Southeast Asian countries to Canadian people, thus increasing their friendship, cooperation and connectivity.

Other movies from ASEAN countries are screened at the event such as “Yasmine” (Brunei), “Laskar Pelangi/The Rainbow Troops” (Indonesia), “Kayan Beauties” (Myanmar), “Ruteri Gunung Ledang – A Legendary Love Story (Malaysia), “Sonata” (the Philippines), and “The Teacher’s Diary” (Thailand).

Vietnam-China border friendship cultural house inaugurated in Lai Chau

The Vietnam-China Border Friendship Cultural House was inaugurated in Po To hamlet, Huoi Luong commune, Phong Tho district, the northern province of Lai Chau on September 23. 

The house demonstrates the friendship and cooperation between Vietnamese and Chinese defence ministries as well as people of Po To hamlet and Gejie hamlet of China, contributing to solidarity between the two countries, for a common border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development. 

The inaugural ceremony forms part of the ongoing fourth Vietnam-China border defence friendship exchange programme.

Po To and Gejie hamlets established the twin relationship in 2014 in a bid to enhance their neighbourliness and support in production and daily life, while joining hands in protecting the common border line. 

At a conference held on the same day, the two sides reviewed their collaboration over the past time and agreed on measures to deepen the relationship in the time ahead.

Gao Hai, head of Gejie, said over the past time, the two hamlets have regularly organised cultural activities and friendship exchanges, and partnered in environmental protection. 

The same day, delegates to the programme witnessed a joint exercise on anti-terrorism between border guards of Lai Chau province and China’s Mengzi area.

HCM City appreciates RoK-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group

Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Tat Thanh Cang has hailed the wholehearted support given by the Republic of Korea (RoK) – Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group to the two countries’ cooperation, helping foster relations between his city and the RoK.

Meeting with the group’s Chairman Kim Hack Yong on September 24, Cang said the cooperation potential between HCM City and Korean localities and businesses remains large, especially in the spheres that caught HCM City’s interest and are the RoK’s strengths like electricity-electronics, auto mechanics, hi-tech agriculture and support industries.

The southern city of Vietnam pledges the best possible conditions for Korean firms to seek cooperation chances and do long-term investment and business, thus benefiting both sides, he noted.

Kim appreciated municipal authorities’ assistance to Korean companies and citizens in HCM City, adding that he will exert every effort to support the Vietnamese people in the RoK so as to enhance the two people’s friendship.

Valuing local potential and dynamic development, he affirmed that the RoK – Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group will step up activities to introduce and connect Korean businesses with HCM City ones. It is also ready to share experience in hi-tech agriculture and sustainable industrial development.

The RoK – Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group was set up in the RoK in May 1993. Meanwhile, the Vietnam – RoK Parliamentary Friendship Group was established in Vietnam two years later.

Hip replacement results improve in Vietnam

Highly skilled doctors in Vietnam using advanced prostheses and techniques have improved the quality and success rate of hip replacement surgery to a level as high as that of other countries.

Dr Tang Ha Nam Anh, head of the trauma and orthopedics department at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, told Vietnam News that techniques for hip replacement had been developed in the country for the last 10 to 15 years.

Many new advanced hip replacement prostheses are being used for serious intertrochanteric fractures, a break in the upper quarter of the femur bone, Anh said.

The patients with these prostheses, most of whom are elderly, are able to get out of bed after one day after surgery. “Two days later, they can walk,” he said.

With existing traditional hip replacement prostheses, patients with the same kind of fracture often have to repeat the operation within a year because of a loosened prosthesis, according to Anh.

“A second surgery is dangerous for these patients because of their age and they suffer from other diseases, which raises the risk of dying during surgery,” he added.

Femur and intertrochanteric fractures are common among seniors because of osteoporosis.

The fractures leave patients with prolonged immobilisation or inactivity, which can reduce function, including loss of motion of the lower joint extremities and muscle atrophy.

Prolonged bed rest can also lead to ulcers on the body, which can cause serious infections that could lead to death.

In addition, prolonged immobilisation causes other complications such as pulmonary embolisms from deep vein thrombosis.

Anh said these fractures often occurred among women because they get osteoporosis earlier than men.

Dr Pham The Hien of the trauma and orthopedics department at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital said that every week at least one or two patients had hip replacement surgery at the department.

Last month, the department used a new advanced hip replacement prosthesis for a 75-year-old patient from HCM City who had a serious intertrochanteric fracture due to a fall.

Anh said that many hospitals in the country, including district-level hospitals in HCM City, perform hip replacement surgeries.

In February, HCM City’s District 11 Hospital performed its first hip replacement operation on a 98-year-old patient with a broken hip bone from Binh Thuan province.

Doctors at District 11 Hospital, Thu Duc Hospital and District 2 Hospital are trained by city- or central-level hospital experts.

Many training centres, including Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital and HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, provide instruction in hip replacement surgery for local doctors to raise their qualifications.

The training has improved the level of effectiveness, Anh said, adding that techniques used by the country’s doctors are the same as those applied in other countries.  

Moreover, the price for hip replacement surgery in Vietnam is cheaper than the same operation in many other countries, he added.

Over 100 pilots join paragliding festival in Yen Bai

A paragliding festival kicked off at Mu Cang Chai district’s Khau Pha mountain pass of the northwestern province of Yen Bai on September 23, drawing the participation of 111 domestic and foreign pilots.

The festival, themed “flying over ripening rice fields”, was part of the Muong Lo Culture Tourism Week, which was underway in Nghia Lo town of Yen Bai province until September 29.

The two-day festival aimed to honour the beauty of local terraced fields as well as encourage the protection of natural landscape and highlight the hard work of local people over the centuries to create the fields.

It is the biggest annual paragliding event of Vietnam, attracting thousands of people to Khau Pha pass, one of the longest mountain passes in Vietnam at more than 1,200 metres above sea level.

Vu Tien Duc, Chairman of Mu Cang Chai district People’s Committee, said the festival contributes greatly to promoting images of Vietnam’s terraced fields and specialties of the district.

Mu Cang Chai served an average of about 30,000 visitors each year before and the figure was 45,000 in 2016.

In May, a paragliding festival was also held in Khau Pha, with 100 paragliders participating in the event as part of the Yen Bai Tourism Year in response to the 2017 National Tourism Year.

50th anniversary of VN-US historical meeting in Bratislava marked

The Vietnam-US Society (VUS) under the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations held a seminar in Hanoi on September 22 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam-US historical gathering in Bratislava city of Czechoslovakia (now the Republic of Slovakia) (1967-2017).

Attending the event were former Vice President and former Foreign Minister of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Southern Vietnam Nguyen Thi Binh, former Prime Minister Nguyen Khanh, and artist George Burchett, son of well-known journalist Wilfred Burchett who has devoted much of his life to Vietnam. 

In his opening remark, VUS President Nguyen Tam Chien said the Bratislava meeting in September 1967 was regarded as a factor fostering the formation of the front of Americans supporting the Vietnamese people’s resistance war for independence.

It showed that the solidarity and support of progressive classes in the American society and the world people for Vietnam made a significant contribution to the glorious victory of the country in the war, he said.

Former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh said that the gathering affirmed the acknowledgement and respect of US people’s organisations for the vital role of the National Liberation Front for Southern Vietnam in efforts to end war and restore peace in Vietnam.

The Bratislava meeting drew representatives from anti-war and pro-peace people’s organisations in the US and people’s organisations from both northern and southern regions of Vietnam.

The 41-strong US delegation was headed by Delinger, Renis David and Tom Hayden while the delegation from North Vietnam was led by Nguyen Minh Vy, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Popularisation and Training, and Nguyen Thi Binh, Vice President of the Vietnam Women’s Union of the National Liberation Front for Southern Vietnam, took the South Vietnam delegation.

International dance festival wraps up in Ninh Binh

The International Dance Festival 2017 concluded in the northern province of Ninh Binh on September 22. 

The organising board presented 10 A prizes and 20 B prizes to outstanding dance performances, along with prizes to the best three dancers and the most excellent young artist. 

The week-long festival brought together 300 artists from 14 foreign countries including Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Colombia, Singapore, Egypt, Japan, Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, Russia and Malaysia. Host Vietnam sent 200 artists to the event.

The art troupes presented 80 well-prepared dance performances, helping audiences understand more about the cultures of participating countries and localities.

The dances will be also performed in other localities like Hanoi and Thanh Hoa province.

The festival was one of the biggest cultural events during the year which aimed to foster cooperation in culture and arts between Vietnam and other countries.

It also offered a chance for Vietnam to introduce the images of its land, people and culture to international friends.

HCM City’s hospitals to adopt financial autonomy

Public hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City will have to implement financial and managerial autonomy from October 1, but are facing many challenges in order to ensure successful operations according to the new model.

Financial autonomy is designed to help reduce State expenditures so that funds can be diverted to preventive medicine and targeted to community-care programmes. Reduced State spending will also allow the State to pay for more health insurance cards for the poor, including those near the poverty line and welfare recipients.

Although hospitals are expected to become a high-quality service industry and will no longer be overloaded if they have more funding, some hospitals worry about financial shortages if the model is widely applied.

The newly built Cu Chi Hospital in Cu Chi district on HCM City’s outskirts has a capacity of 300 beds but attracts far fewer patients due to a lack of high-skilled doctors that reduces confidence in the quality of care, according to hospital director Ho Hai Truong Giang. The hospital chiefly provides healthcare services for social welfare beneficiaries and families rendering great services to the revolution.

Giang said due to the lack of patients, the hospital’s total revenues are low. If autonomy is applied, the hospital’s State budget will be cut, preventing it from training staff and developing services and specialties to attract more patients, Giang warned. He also suggested that autonomy should be applied gradually to ensure a smooth transition from State funding to a market mechanism.

Other small district-level hospitals, such as hospitals in Can Gio and Nha Be districts, face the same problem.

Deputy Director of the HCM City Department of Health Tang Chi Thuong admitted that hospitals will initially face difficulties because they rely solely on the State budget.

Director of District 2 Hospital Tran Van Khanh said some hospitals of lower quality and prestige that do not attract enough patients will face many difficulties when they implement full financial autonomy, making it harder for them to improve. He advised hospitals to balance their spending and collection and carefully calculate costs to ensure efficiency and avoid unnecessary spending.

The District 2 Hospital is among 10 public hospitals chosen to pilot the autonomy mechanism from 2016. The hospital invested in improving infrastructure and purchasing equipment as well as in developing more specialty departments and using complex techniques to attract patients, according to Khanh. Additionally, to satisfy patients, the hospital has also focused on administrative reform and improving medical workers’ attitudes towards patients, he said.

Sharing the same view, deputy director of the municipal health department Thuong said medical staff need to consider patients as customers to provide the best service in order to bring in money. “If hospitals do not treat patients well, they will not come back,” he said.

The health department will strictly supervise public hospitals after implementing autonomy, he said.  

Eighty two hospitals have been granted autonomy since the city began implementing this policy in 2006, he said. Ten managed to mobilise all the revenues they need to operate while the remaining are able to fund themselves in part.-

Da Nang ensures best conditions for APEC Economic Leaders’ Week

Chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee Huynh Duc Tho has asked departments and localities to make thorough preparation for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, which is scheduled to take place in the city in November.

He made the request at a working session with officials from municipal departments, agencies and People’s Committees of districts and communes on September 23. 

Tho required that local police crack down on crimes while local authorities must ensure clean environment and urban order.

He ordered the Departments of Natural Resources and Environment, Construction, and Transport to tighten management of environment, construction and transport, particularly land clearance and implementation of key projects.

Regarding the city’s socio-economic performance in January-September, the municipal People’s Committee reported that the GDP growth was estimated at 7.9 percent and export turnover was valued at nearly 1.1 billion USD, a year-on-year rise of 11.8 percent.

Local industrial parks attracted 34 investment projects worth about 783 billion VND (34.4 million USD). Additionally, the province granted licences to 73 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth nearly 62 million USD.

The city welcomed over 5.1 million tourists in the first nine months of this year.

Indian navy ships visit Hai Phong city

Two navy ships INS SATPURA and INS KADMATT of India docked at Hai Phong Port on September 23 for a five-day trip to the northern city of Hai Phong.

The two vessels, with total 65 officers and 580 crew members on board, are led by Colonel Rahul Shankar.

The visit is being made on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-India diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership. It aims to bolster cooperation, friendship, mutual understanding and trust between the two countries’ armies and navies.

During the visit, the guests are scheduled to pay courtesy visits to the municipal People’s Committee and the High Command of Vietnam People’s Navy. 

They will also hold joint exercises with the Vietnam People’s Navy on marine formations and participate in sport activities with the host naval force.-

National student film making contest presents awards

An awarding ceremony for the 11th national student film making contest was held in Hanoi on September 22 by the Ministry of Education and Training, and the Japanese embassy in Vietnam. 

The contest was initiated by Japan-Vietnam Special Ambassador Sugi Ryotaro in 2007 with the aim to nurture young people’s dreams and ambitions.

The first prize belonged to a group of students from Phan Chu Trinh junior high school in Hanoi with the film “Thay Toi” (My teacher).

The second prize went to the team from Nguyen Van Troi senior high school in Nha Trang city, the south central province of Khanh Hoa with the film “Duong Em Di” (My Road).

The third prize went to the team from Giang Vo junior high school in Hanoi with the film “Am nhac Tu Trai tim” (Music from hearts).

The prize winning groups will be invited to Japan to join the International Film Making Competition for Asian children, scheduled to open on November 25 in Kitami, Hokkaido prefecture. 

The national contest, the 11th of its kind, received 21 films by junior and senior high school students from nationwide.

Nearly 132,000 Gia Lai households escape poverty

Nearly 132,000 households in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai have escaped poverty thanks to State preferential loans over the past 15 years. 

Specifically, 13 State preferential credit programmes in support of housing, production and job creation reached over 140,000 people with a total outstanding loan of 3.7 trillion VND (160.8 million USD). As a result, jobs were offered to over 23,000 workers while more than 57,000 students could access school education and more than 10,000 poor households received housing loans. 

The rate of poor households in the locality is expected to fall from 24 percent in 2011 to below 17 percent during 2016-2020. 

Le Van Chi, Director of the provincial Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) branch, said the lender will prioritise giving loans to ethnic minority groups in remote and mountainous areas and mobilise capital from the State and local budget for those living in makeshift or dilapidated houses. 

The province also granted certificates of merit to 20 units and 30 individuals of the VBSP branch in recognition of their efforts in poverty reduction.

Fourth Book Fair opens in Hanoi

This year’s book fair themed "Books and Start-ups" opened at Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Hanoi, on September 22, drawing a crowd of visitors.

The event, the fourth of its kind, features 155 stalls of 32 book companies, publishing houses and distributors nationwide. The fair introduces books on different fields, and foreign books.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Ngo Van Quy said the book fair aims to send a message of the importance of books and knowledge for those who want to have successful start-ups.

Apart from creating a reading culture space with exchanges, seminars and book introduction, the organising board spends a space on “book and start-ups”, displaying books on start-ups, innovative products, guidance on how to approach start-up funds, Quy added.

The event will run until September 26.

President urges further support from int’l Red Cross societies

President Tran Dai Quang has asked the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (IRIC) to continue providing support for member organisations in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam. 

The support is especially necessary in the fields of community-based disaster management, response to emergency cases and climate change and Red Cross network development, he said during a reception in Hanoi on September 22 for delegates attending the 14th annual Southeast Asia Red Cross-Red Crescent Leadership Meeting held in Hanoi from September 21-22. 

Hailing the outcomes of the meeting, the President expressed his belief that the Southeast Asia Red Cross – Red Crescent Movement will continue reaping greater successes, contributing to building a united and strong ASEAN Community. 

He hailed the movement for making important strides over the past years, especially in the building of a safe and highly resilient community. 

The host wished that Red Cross and Red Crescent societies of regional countries, the IFRC and IRIC would contribute to building ASEAN Community in the three key pillars of Political-Security Community, Economic Community and Socio-Cultural Community. 

He took the occasion to thank the delegates for raising fund for victims of storm Doksuri in Vietnam’s central region.

Director of IFRC-Asia Pacific Xavier Castellanos, for his part, lauded the VRCS for its increasingly involvement in humanitarian and charity work. 

He affirmed that the IRFC-Asia Pacific always pays attention to developing the role of member countries, including those in Southeast Asia. 

The guest committed support to the VRCS and thanked the Vietnamese President for supporting the IFRC, IRIC and relevant societies in Southeast Asia in his capacity as VRCS Honorary President.

Ha Giang province calls for stronger support from foreign NGOs

The Ha Giang provincial administration and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) held a conference in Hanoi on September 22 in an effort to beef up cooperation between the northernmost locality and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Addressing the event, VUFO Secretary-General and Vice President Don Tuan Phong thanked foreign NGOs for their contributions and practical support to the development of Vietnam, including mountainous provinces, for many years.

He pledged VUFO will keep close coordination with and the best possible conditions for foreign NGOs to carry out programmes and projects for the sake of Vietnam’s sustainable development.

From 2004 through 2016, Ha Giang benefited from 98 programmes and projects with 19 million USD disbursed by 57 foreign NGOs. Major contributors like Plan, Caritas, ActionAid Vietnam, Vision Care, Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation have helped the province develop socio-economic infrastructure, health care, culture, education, agriculture, forestry, and manpower training, among others.

Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Ha Thi Minh Hanh stressed that foreign NGOs’ projects have helped Ha Giang create jobs, eliminate poverty, prevent diseases, reduce gender inequality and climate change, protect the environment, and promote sustainable development.

She asked foreign NGOs and international organisations to continue and expand their programmes and projects in Ha Giang. She also called on them to choose the province to carry out programmes in health care, education, social issues settlement, poverty eradication, gender equality promotion, environmental protection, natural disaster prevention, and traditional culture preservation.

Hanh affirmed that local authorities and sectors will simplify administrative procedures, ensure security and order, and provide favourable conditions for foreign NGOs.

At the conference, NGO representatives shared experience and submitted proposals relating to project implementation in the province.

The provincial People’s Committee and the NGOs also inked cooperation agreements on the execution of programmes and projects in Ha Giang.

Vietnam, RoK further friendship relations

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) always wants the best environment for the community of Republic of Korea (RoK) citizens in Vietnam, said VUFO Secretary General and Vice President Don Tuan Phong.

He made the statement at a reception on September 22 for a RoK parliamentary delegation, led by Kim Hack Yong, Chairman of the RoK-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group.

Phong highlighted that the RoK has an important position in the external policy of the Vietnamese Party and Government and thanked the RoK Government for creating favourable conditions for some 150,000 Vietnamese nationals living and working in the country.

He added that the RoK association in Hanoi and northern region will operate under the auspices of the VUFO.

For his part, Kim Hack Yong thanked the Vietnamese Government for supporting the RoK community and committed to do his utmost to ensure a favourable environment for Vietnamese people in the RoK.

He asked VUFO leaders to assist RoK enterprises in seeking investment opportunities in Vietnam.-

Social media campaign marks World Rhino Day

A social media campaign, Rhino Vegan Challenge, was launched on Friday in HCM City on World Rhino Day on September 22 to improve public awareness of rhino protection.

CHANGE, a HCM City-based NGO, which includes programmes on wildlife protection, is cooperating with WildAid, whose mission is to end illegal wildlife trade, and the African Wildlife Foundation, to launch the campaign.

It is estimated that more than 1,000 rhinos are killed for their horns each year, according to a CHANGE press release.

Việt Nam and China are the main markets for rhino horns from South Africa and other African countries. The population of the animals, which are found only in Africa and Asia, has declined by 95 per cent in the last 40 years. Only 25,000 are left, around 70 per cent of them in South Africa.

The US Consulate General on Thursday organised a public event to call for more public attention to the importance of combatting trade of illegal wildlife products, including rhino horns.

The event, “Rhinos – Rights to Growing, Noes to Poaching,” includes a photo exhibition, screening of short films, and two panel discussions with the participation of Vietnamese celebrity singer Hồng Nhung, high school students, and representatives of non-governmental organizations engaged in wildlife protection.

Eight youth rhino ambassadors chosen by the Wilderness Foundation Africa (WFA) from international high schools in HCM City, who recently returned from a field trip to South Africa, attended the event.

The event’s guests shared their stories and efforts on rhino protection, and what else needs to be done to change common attitudes in Việt Nam that rhino horns can cure cancer and critical diseases. These myths are believed to have played a significant role in leading the animal to near extinction.

Speaking at the event, US Consul General Mary Tarnowka, said: “The protection of wildlife including rhinos requires the efforts of all people ranging from law enforcement to non-profit organizations and ordinary citizens. We believe that educating and informing young people, like the students who are present here today, can affect positive change and ensure the preservation of magnificent species.”

World Rhino Day was first announced by the World Wildlife Fund-South Africa in 2010 and has grown into an international success in the following years. World Rhino Day has since engaged and united NGOs, zoos, organisations, businesses, and concerned individuals in diverse activities to save the species from extinction.

Three ill fishermen saved at sea

Three fishermen from Hà Tĩnh Province were rescued at sea after passing out while working in their vessel’s cold storage room on  Saturday.

The Đà Nẵng-based Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre No 2 confirmed to Việt Nam News that the three – Nguyễn Văn Tân, 36, Nguyễn Tiến Đường, 41 and Nguyễn Lợi, 29, from Hà Tĩnh and Nghệ An Province fainted when the boat was 125 miles off the coast of Đà Nẵng.

A rescue ship located the fishing boat and brought the victims to hospital for treatment.

HCM City organises programmes for children to enjoy Mid-autumn Festival

HCM City Youth Social Work Centre is organising entertainment programmes for children, especially disadvantaged kids on the outskirts of the city and the provinces of An Giang, Tây Ninh and Bình Phước to enjoy the Mid-autumn Festival which falls on October 4 this year.

The festival is annually held on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar.

In the programmes, traditional games and food stalls are set up for these children to enjoy.

The centre also is presenting more than 3,000 gifts and scholarships to children and those who have excellent school results but financial difficulties.

These programmes started last Saturday and will last until October 1. In HCM City, they were held in the outlying districts of Cần Giờ and Củ Chi last weekend.

Implement initiatives on climate change: Ambassador to Netherlands

Multilateral, regional and international deals and initiatives to counter global warming must be prioritised and implemented, said Ngô Thị Hòa, ambassador of Việt Nam to the Netherlands, on Thursday.

Speaking during a round table meeting on climate and security in the Netherlands, she stated that as a country that is directly affected by climate change, Việt Nam has actively contributed to programmes and action plans to tackle the issue.

Việt Nam will subsequently host an Asia-Europe meeting to jointly respond to climate change and achieve their sustainable development goals in the middle of 2018, to raise awareness and call for international co-operation and policy sharing between the Netherlands, the European Union, and Asian countries suffering from the effects of climate change.

The annual roundtable meeting, hosted by the Delft-based IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, attracted the participation of 60 delegates representing foreign diplomatic delegations, the Dutch ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Clingendael Academy, various research institutions and non-governmental organisations, and Dutch and international scholars.

The meeting aims to promote international co-operation and share strategies to address the challenges posed by climate change, including those related to natural resources, food security and migration, as well as the international response to climate change and the stability of countries that are vulnerable to global warming.

The meeting saw the participation of various countries and provided them with the opportunity to co-operate, maintain peace and strengthen the engagement of international agreements and initiatives.

While addressing the event, Professor Eddy Moors, rector of the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, said that climate and security are closely interrelated, and all countries require regional and international approaches to face its challenges.

He added that it is necessary to place the issues of climate and security on international agendas, so every nation and all individuals can have a better understanding and plan effective action to solve the problem.

Other speakers from Clingendael Academy and the IHE Delft Institute also highlighted the relationship between climate change and cross-border migration with security in countries that are prone to rising sea levels, such as Bangladesh and Chad, as well as the issue of water scarcity and the potential solutions to remove salt in seawater and provide fresh water, to maintain stability in drought-hit areas.

They also discussed the role of water diplomacy in countries that share border on rivers, as well as conflicts caused by competition for water resources, and the necessity of promoting the international efforts to protect fauna and enhance the sustainability of nature reserves.

Michel van Winden, representative of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the Netherlands has attached great importance to its response to climate change and is ready to co-operate with other countries on this issue.

As a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since 2018, the Netherlands will include the issues of climate and security on the UN’s agenda, to promote international co-operation in this area, Winden added.

The participants were informed that the 23rd UN Climate Change Conference will take place in Germany in November while the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs will organise the Planetary Security Conference at the Hague in December.

Gov’t project trains domestic workers on skills, rights

“I have never seen a trained housemaid,” said Nguyễn Thanh Vân of Hoàn Kiếm District, who is seeking a nanny for her baby nephew. “I have asked almost everyone in my circle of acquaintances. They shared tips for choosing the ideal maid who can both care for the baby and help my sister-in-law with housework.”

Domestic work is stipulated as a professional job in the 2012 revised Labour Code. However, it is still facing serious challenges, including lack of vocational training and insurance for workers.

There is no official data on the number of domestic workers in Việt Nam, but given the expanding middle class, the demand for domestic workers is clearly rising, especially in metropolitan areas.

A study conducted in 2011 by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) showed that 46 per cent of surveyed households in Hà Nội and HCM City hired domestic workers and this rate was more than twice the pre-2000 period.

Incomplete MoLISA data indicates that the number of domestic workers has risen from about 157,000 in 2008 to about 246,000 in 2016. In 2020, 350,000 people are forecast to be employed in this kind of work.

Vân is one of many Hanoians seeking domestic workers. Đỗ Vân Hương of Long Biên District says she needs housemaids for particular family events, such as the birth of a new baby or a relative’s illness. Bùi Việt Nga of Ba Đình District says she simply wants to spend her time doing things other than housework.

To satisfy employers’ diverse requirements, domestic workers must have sufficient skills to perform a variety of household services. According to a document detailing the qualifications of domestic workers, co-authored by the Research Centre for Gender, Family and Community Development (GFCD) and the National Institute for Vocational Education and Training (NIVT), responsibilities include cooking, cleaning, laundry, caring for children and old people, etc. Moreover, domestic workers are asked to practice communication skills.

However, most  housemaids cannot fulfil basic requirements of their job.

Ngô Thị Ngọc Anh, Director of GFCD, said that from 97 to 99 per cent of domestic workers are women, more than 90 per cent of them have never been trained. Most employers live in cities while employees usually come from the countryside. The differences in background sometimes result in disagreements on labour relations.

According to a 2015 Government decree, employers and domestic workers have to sign contracts stipulating that house helpers are entitled to at least 24 continuous hours off a week, 12 annual paid leave days and all public holidays. Employers also have to cover compulsory social and medical insurance for domestics and are not allowed to pay them less than the regional minimum wage.

However, both employers and domestic workers often neglect the contractual obligations.

For the past decade, Hương has found domestic helpers via acquaintances. But even the most diligent one stayed with her family only 15 months. “I didn’t want to change housemaids. However, they usually quit, making unbearable requests and threatening to quit over pay demands,” Hương said.  

She also has experience with professional housemaid agencies, but says they usually offer part time services with fixed contracts. Workers supplied by those agencies complete training courses and work mostly as cleaners.

The lack of a labour contract prevents domestic workers from enjoying social welfare, according to Mai Đức Thiện, head of the Legal Department under MoLISA. “In case of a labour dispute, it is difficult for authorities to investigate,” Thiện added.

To ensure the rights and benefits of domestic workers, several agencies have conducted training courses for them.

GFCD collaborated with the Hà Nội Women’s Union and Hà Nội Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (DoLISA) to launch a project called “Promoting the right of domestic workers to access social welfare and employment policies in Việt Nam between 2017 and 2021.”

The project is being implemented in different districts of Hà Nội such as Cầu Giấy, Thanh Xuân, Hai Bà Trưng, aiming to provide 1,500 domestic workers with some legal knowledge.

Additionally, the Hà Nội Employment Service Centre is conducting a market survey on domestic work to build suitable training courses and offer variable services. For now, the number of trained domestic workers cannot satisfy the current demand.

Nguyễn Tường Anh, Marketing director of the 88 domestic worker service company in Cầu Giấy District says she gets about 1,000 requests for workers a month but can only cope with 30 to 40 per cent.

The domestic work market is shifting from full-time worker to part-time worker requirements. Lê Văn Tiệp from the Hà Nội Centre for Women’s Development and Support says domestic workers need to be trained at vocational training schools. Domestic workers have stable incomes and contribute to society. Promoting domestic work can also help reduce unemployment and create job opportunities, especially for women from rural areas, she says.

Biên Hòa plans new drains on Highway 51

The Biên Hòa City People Committee of Đồng Nai Province plans to build a new drainage system to reduce flooding on Highway 51.

The 2km, VNĐ30 billion (US$1.3 million) system will be built along Châu Văn Lòng Street in Long Bình Tân Ward, running from the traffic intersection of the street and Highway 51 to Đồng Nai River.

Flooding regularly occurs on Highway 51 and Châu Văn Lòng Street after heavy rains, according to the People’s Committee.

The rains on September 5 and 14 flooded highways and nearby residential areas for seven hours, with the water level reported as high as one metre. Water entered houses and motorbikes stalled.

Local authorities also reported that when rains occur, water from the Biên Hòa Industrial Park 2 flows to the highway, causing flooding.

The existing drainage systems on the highway and nearby residential areas cannot handle large quantities of water from torrential rains within a short amount of time.

Conference on advances in cancer treatment

Nearly 400 Vietnamese and foreign experts discussed the treatment of cancers at the annual 21st Scientific Conference held in HCM City on Friday.

The conference, titled “Oncology Prevention and Treatment”, gathered 17 oncologists from Singapore’s National University Cancer Institute and National Cancer Centre, Japan’s Okayama Saiseikai General Hospital and Sapporo Digestive Disease Centre General Hospital, South Korea’s Samsung Medical Centre and Chungbuk National University, and the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia.

They discussed advances in systemic treatment of breast cancer, interventional endoscopy in pancreatic and biliary cancers, the use of advanced radiotherapy techniques in metastatic disease, and use of mobile physical examination vehicles for early detection of cancer.

It was a good opportunity to learn about advanced procedures and technologies for cancer treatment, said Major General Nguyễn Hồng Sơn, director of the Military Hospital 175 -- the conference organiser.

The event was held to mark the 5th anniversary of the hospital’s oncology centre.

HCM City programme improves hypertension control

Nearly 53,000 people in HCM City received free screening for blood pressure at more than 300 venues under the Communities for Healthy Hearts programme, according to the municipal Department of Health.

More than 20,500 people were diagnosed with hypertension and referred to public and private health facilities while 10,800 received treatment.

The programme was launched in September last year on a pilot basis in districts 8, 12, Gò Vấp, and Thủ Đức, covering a population of two million including a target population of 700,000 people aged 40 or more.

The three-year programme aims to improve blood pressure control among adults by increasing access to hypertension treatment regimes in a sustainable and scalable manner.

Around half the people at the free screening found to have hypertension are not even aware of their condition, Nguyễn Trí Dũng, director of the city Preventive Medicine Centre, said.

Many diagnosed with hypertension either do not start treatment or discontinue, he told a conference in the city on Wednesday.

The programme would be scaled up to improve hypertension screening and management, he said.

PATH, an international non-profit organisation, is working to engage local social enterprises to increase the number of access points for cardio-vascular health education and screening.

It is also collaborating with the public and private health sectors and communities to strengthen treatment and referral services.

The lessons from the programme will be independently evaluated to inform scale-up of hypertension control efforts.

In Việt Nam, hypertension, a major risk factor in causing cardiovascular diseases, leads to an estimated 91,000 deaths a year or a fifth of all mortalities.

A study by the Việt Nam National Heart Institute found that one quarter of the adult population has hypertension but fewer than half are aware of their condition and only 11 percent of cases are controlled.

Capital festival honours female ruler of long-ago

Every year at the end of July in the Lunar calendar, locals of the capital’s Tạm Thương Alley hold a festival to honour Queen Mother Ỷ Lan at the downtown Yên Thái Communal House.

Ỷ Lan (unknown-1117) was of common origin and rose to wield significant power.

Legend has it that King Lý Thánh Tông, at the age of 40, was not able to produce an heir. The royal family then visited numerous pagodas across the country to pray for a son. On their way back to the palace after one such visit, the king noticed Ỷ Lan, a common girl of Thổ Lỗi Village, now modern-day Gia Lâm District of Hà Nội.

The king was impressed with Ỷ Lan, who at the time paid no mind to the royal escort. Lý Thánh Tông decided to take her in as his concubine and also gave her title Lady Ỷ Lan, which literally means “one who leans on magnolia,” to remember the first moment when he saw her.

Lady Ỷ Lan went down in Vietnamese history as one of the few women to hold official political power. She served twice as regent: once during the reign of her husband Lý Thánh Tông when he was leading a military campaign in the south and another in the beginning of the reign of her son King Lý Nhân Tông.

On both occasions, Ỷ Lan was regarded as a wise ruler who was admired by the people. She was also largely credited as the one who started the early propagation of Buddhism in Việt Nam.

Ferries to Phu Quoc suspended due to bad weather

A tropical low pressure system is developing at sea south of Ca Mau and Kien Giang provinces, the National Hydrometeorological Center warned on September 23.

With heavy showers, strong winds and thunderstorms forecast for the next few days, ferries connecting the mainland to the resort island of Phu Quoc in southern Vietnam will be suspended.

Ferries are the main means of transport to the island, carrying about 200 tourists a day.

The suspension is for passengers' safety. Vessels would only resume transport when the weather calms down, the authorities said.

Full refunds will be available for affected passengers. 

The tourism season for Phu Quoc is from December to March. The island, home to many luxury resorts and serene beaches, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the south.

In the first nine months of this year, Phu Quoc has welcomed 2.8 million visitors, well exceeding the target of 1.8 million set at the beginning of this year.

Van Dung, a composer who devoted his whole career to Voice of Vietnam

Generations of reporters, editors, musicians, and technicians have contributed to the development of the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) over the past 72 years.

VOV composer Van Dung has written a number of songs, contributing greatly to Vietnam’s contemporary music. 

Van Dung graduated as a journalism major and initially worked in VOV’s Industry Department. Dung came to music by chance when he was asked to work as a music editor by composer Cam Phong.

He said, “I never thought I would become a composer. At that time, the Voice of Vietnam had the important task of informing and encouraging people involved in production and soldiers on the battlefields. I decided to write music to further that mission”.

Van Dung travelled to different parts of Vietnam seeking inspiration for his music. During a fact-finding tour to Vinh Linh in 1965, he wrote a marching song called “Liberation soldiers”. 

After a visit to the Khe Sanh battlefield in 1968, Dung told a musical story about the brave female youth volunteers who helped clear roads to transport food, and weapons from the north to the southern battlefield. 

Musician Pham Tuyen, former Head of VOV’s Music Department, said, “Van Dung has been to many places in Vietnam, which brought different emotions and feelings to each song he wrote. His songs depicts many different people and many aspects of life, which has made them popular with listeners”.

During the war, Van Dung’s songs boosted people’s morale and inspired hope for victory of Vietnam’s revolution. His music also evokes a great love for the homeland. 

Musician Lan Cuong, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi Music Association, said, “Van Dung is a journalist, so his lyrics are beautiful and imaginative. For example, in the song “Flowers in Uncle Ho’s Garden”, Dung does not directly mention Ho Chi Minh’s contribution. Instead, he lets the colorful flowers in his garden represent Uncle Ho”.

During the resistance war, Dung’s music reflected the hardships, struggle, and sacrifice of the Vietnamese people. In peace time, his music now reflects the beauty of life. 

Many of Dung’s more recent songs are about spring and his love for his family and friends: “There were many beautiful songs written during the war, such as “The song of hope” by Van Ky and “The Eastern and Western Sides of the Truong Son Range” by Hoang Hiep from a poem of Pham Tien Duat. I was also impressed by “I sing on Truong Son peak” by Huy Du, and the romantic song “I travel along the country” by Vu Trong Hoi. The core value of those songs is humanity, in contrast to the brutal war”.

Van Dung’s contribution to music was acknowledged by the State with a second class Labor Medal and a State Award for Literature and Arts in 2001.

APEC senior officials recommend disaster response measures

The 11th APEC Senior Disaster Management Officials Forum (SDMOF 11) concluded on September 22 in central Nghe An province.

Participants agreed to submit major recommendations to APEC leaders on boosting inter-regional cooperation and technological innovation for more effective response to natural disasters and recovery.

Tran Quang Hoai, Director of the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said, “Information and communication has been accessible to remote and mountainous areas. We are applying technologies to mitigate disaster risks. The Authority is considering the use of social media like facebook to keep the people and the disaster management agencies informed of happenings in disaster-hit areas for timely assistance and rescue missions.”

During the the two-day forum, officials from the APEC member economies also shared expertise in developing high technology infrastructure system as well as the application of advanced technology and science in dealing with new normal disasters.

They proposed reforming information supply and alert methods, while stressing the important role of management agencies in directing disaster response and recovery.

They also issued a Joint Recommendation on Renovating Science and Technology Cooperation to deal with new normal disasters, with a focus on addressing landslides in coastal areas, supper storms and tsunami, which will be submitted to APEC leaders later this year.

Revolutionary songs retain a strong fanbase

Revolutionary songs are often played on medial channels during Vietnam’s major events. The music genre, which began soon after the 1945 August Revolution and advocated Vietnamese people’s staunch spirit during wars, is much loved by the public.

Emeritus artist Truc Linh, an actress and director living in Can Tho city, develops great passion for revolutionary music. Linh said revolutionary songs depict Vietnam’s history and inspire the responsibility of its people for defending national independence.  She often listens to such songs on VOV and particularly loves Trong Tan’s vocals.

“I’m so in love with Tan’s voice. He sings beautifully and is even good at ‘xam’ singing, a kind of folk music,” Linh said.

More and more pieces have been added to the revolutionary song collection. Songs in peacetime are about tribute to soldiers and Vietnam’s development, sea, and islands. Singer, songwriter, and journalist Quynh Hop is a notable name in this genre. Her songs about love for Vietnam’s sea are positively welcomed. 

Hop said love for the homeland is reflected from simple stories of daily life that many people can relate to. A songwriter is someone who can describe such stories with lyrics and melody.

“During wars, sacrifice was clearly seen and songs about sacrifice easily triggered sentiments in listeners.  But in peacetime, producing such touching songs require the artist to travel far to really see and feel. What makes a song successful is that its narrator is the representative of many real people. For example, my series of songs about sea and islands are inspired by a couple, of which one lives on the mainland and the other stationed in a remote area. That’s their sacrifice. Millions of soldiers can find them in my songs,” Hop told VOV.

In the bloom of trendy modern music, revolutionary music still retains its position in the heart of Vietnamese listeners - both those who lived through the wars’ hardships and young people.  

Vietnam offers super cheap train tickets through Christmas holiday

Vietnam Railways is offering tickets of up to US$4.40 on all train routes until late December and they will be delivered randomly.

The company said that 10,000 tickets of between VND10,000-100,000 (44 cents - US$4.40) will be on sale online and at train stations from September 26.

The tickets are applied for travel between October 1 and December 27 on all routes, and will be delivered randomly instead of on the first-come-first-serve basis.

The tickets are part of the efforts being made to restore the romance of train travel, which market share in the transport sector has shrunk from 30% in the 1930s to less than 2%.

Vietnam’s lawmakers passed amendments to the Railway Law in June, promising bigger infrastructure investment into the system, which still runs on the crash-prone one-meter gauge design and which is threatened by a large number of unmonitored crossings.

Some companies have also taken initiatives by offering first-class trips with restaurant cars like the five-star train service launched this year from Ho Chi Minh City to the coastal resort town of Nha Trang or from Hanoi to the northern highlands town of Sa Pa.

Ha Long Bay tourist boats grounded for lack of safety

The Ha Long City People’s Committee has requested the Quang Ninh Inland Waterway Port Authority suspended the permits of four tourist boats due to their lack of safety and surveillance equipment.

The request was unveiled Friday, September 22, for  the cruise ships Bai Tho 57 - QN 4868, Bai Tho 66 - QN 5666, Thanh Cong 28 - QN 2971 and Hai Anh 12 - QN 3119 and will go into effect September 25.

Installation of surveillance cameras is one of the requirements of the by Ha Long City People’s Committee that became effective August 3, 2017 to strengthen control and supervision of crew members, improve quality of services and the ensure safety for tourists.  

Swimmer Anh Vien breaks Asian Indoor and Martial Art Games’ record

Swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien won Vietnam the 7th gold medal at the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games by finishing the women’s 200-meter mixed relay in 2 minutes 9.78 seconds.

She was 2.89 seconds ahead of the runner-up and broke the Games’ record of 2 minutes 10.05 seconds Vien set in 2013.

“I competed in this tournament to prepare for the next year’s Asian Games. I hope I will qualify for the Olympic Games. I just tried my best at this competition and aim for a gold medal at the Asian Games,” Vien said.

By September 22, Vietnam was placed 7th in the medal tally with 7 golds  at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan.