Vietnam marks World Milk Day with slew of events

Many activities were undertaken in Việt Nam to mark World Milk Day on June 1, which was selected by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations in 2001 to celebrate the importance contributions made by the dairy sector to sustainability, economic development, livelihoods and nutrition.

The activities focused on nutritional education for children to improve their height and health for the next generation, especially in rural areas.

On May 27 around 900 students of Bình Khánh Primary School in HCM City’s Cần Giờ District received 3,600 free glasses of milk.

Đặng Thái Bình, principal of the school, said donating milk is very useful for the school’s students because a large number are malnourished and stunting is very high.

Many of them are children from poor and near-poor families, he said.

The school’s teachers were also trained in nutrition education, he added.

Three thousand glasses of milk were also provided to children attending Bay Vào Thế Giới (Fly into the World), a programme held in HCM City’s District 1 on May 28 by Mathnasium Việt Nam, which runs centres to teach maths to children.

Another 40,000 glasses of milk were provided to students of 20 schools built nationwide under the Đèn Đom Đóm programme by FrieslandCampina Việt Nam since 2012.

The activities, carried out by FrieslandCampina, are a part of its campaign called Drinking Milk- Exercising-Healthy, which has been expanded this year.

The development and growth of a child is affected greatly by its daily diet, nutrition and exercise, according to the company.

Quang Ninh to host int’l conference on sexual health

The ninth Asia Pacific conference on reproductive and sexual health and rights (APCRSHP) will be held from November 27-30 in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

The Vietnam Public Health Association (VPHA) announced the information at a press conference on June 2 in Hanoi, adding that it is the first time Vietnam host the biggest forum on reproductive and sexual health in the Asia – Pacific region.

Young people will gather in the first day of the conference themed “Leave no one behind! Justice in sexual and reproductive health”.

The days after, representatives will discuss issues, such as overcoming social, cultural and regional barriers; towards an economic order, strengthening the justice system, making good quality education and advancing justice and equality in sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

The event is expected to welcome 1,500 representatives from over 40 countries and organisations, of whom some 200 researchers will be speakers.

The conference will be the biggest sexual and reproductive health and rights dialogue to be viewed at different angles like culture, religious policy, healthcare system and education, said Dr. Le Vu Anh, President of VPHA.

He added that as a host, Vietnam will introduce five typical solution models for sexual and reproductive health at the event.

The conference will offer an opportunity for Vietnam’s health sector to introduce its achievement and exchange experience with other countries in region and the world, according to a representative of the country’s health ministry.

Initiated by civil society organisations in 2001, the biennial APCRSHP has been held in the Philippines (twice), Thailand, India, Malaysia, China, Indonesia and Myanmar. 

Deputy PM Dam urges reduction of hospital overcrowding in Ho Chi Minh City

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam worked with leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to discuss solutions to reduce high-level hospital overcrowding as well as improve the quality of medical facilities.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy PM Dam appreciated the trial of health stations in Ho Chi Minh City as well as urged the managers to draw lessons and experience from this model.

He asked relevant agencies to continue to invest more in infrastructure, equipment and human resources to meet the requirements of caring for people’s health.

The Deputy PM called for more investors to promote their investment in the development of medical facilities towards the non-profit model.

The trial of health facilities should ensure the proper function and tasks as well as service of medical facilities at the grass-roots level, added Deputy PM Dam.

The City’s healthcare sector should create favourable conditons for medical facilities at the grass-roots level to create dossiers in managing and monitoring the health of all local people, noted the Deputy PM.

Two overpasses near Tan Son Nhat airport ready this month

Two overpasses at Truong Son Intersection and Nguyen Thai Son-Nguyen Kiem Roundabout can be partly opened to traffic late this month, helping ease chronic traffic congestion in Tan Son Nhat International Airport area.

Work on the Y-shaped concrete overpass at Truong Son Intersection is being sped up so that it can be in place two months ahead of schedule, according to Urban Traffic Management No.1 under the HCMC Department of Transport.

Its first bridge beams have just been installed after nearly four months of construction.

Meanwhile, the N-shaped steel overpass at Nguyen Thai Son-Nguyen Kiem Roundabout has had the first bridge beams installed.

Urban Traffic Management No.3 expected the first branch connecting Hoang Minh Giam and Nguyen Thai Son streets to be completed two months earlier than planned.

Work on its second branch linking Nguyen Kiem and Hoang Minh Giam streets starts early this month. It is scheduled for completion in September.

But work on the last branch from Nguyen Kiem to Nguyen Thai Son has been delayed by the longer-than-expected land compensation process for 30 affected households.

The project is slated for completion at the end of this year.

Another priority project is to construct two overpasses connecting Nguyen Van Cu Bridge and Vo Van Kiet Avenue. They may be opened to traffic later this month, reducing traffic congestion around the nearby intersection of Nguyen Van Cu and Tran Hung Dao streets.

Two branches of Nguyen Van Cu will be in place by June 30 while the riverside road section and other construction items will be done by August 30, according to the Saigon River Tunnel Management Center.

When the two exits are in place, they will directly link downtown districts 1 and 5 with districts 4, 7, and 8 to the south of the city.

Nha Nam joins Children’s Book Festival

Nha Nam Media and Publishing House will bring its new works to the Children’s Book Festival organized by Hanoi City’s Department of Information and Communication from June 1 to 7 at Hanoi book street on December 19 Street, adjacent to the Hanoi People’s Court and Ly Thuong Kiet Street in Hoan Kiem District.

As part of the festival, Nha Nam in collaboration with the French Cultural Center L’Espace and the book club Sach oi mo ra (Open Book) will hold a meeting on literature called “La Fontaine in the eyes of children” at 3 p.m. on June 3 at L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street in Hanoi.

During the festival, Nha Nam will bring young readers hundreds of new publications as well as promotional programs on the occasion of International Children’s Day (June 1).

The event will also feature two noteworthy books, namely “A handbook for children’s safety” and “A handbook to teach courtesy for kids” written by artist Vu Tuan Anh and his companions. The author will exchange with and give autographs on his books to fans at Nha Nam book stall at the book street from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on June 4.

Localities asked to be well prepared for coming rainy season

Many mountainous localities suffered heavy losses from natural disasters in 2006 due to their failure to take account of forecast, prevention, monitoring, risk assessment and communication work, according to an official of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control. 

Van Phu Chinh, head of the committee’s standing office, made the assessment at a meeting in Hanoi on June 1 that looked into natural disaster prevention and control in 18 mountainous provinces from the northern region to the central province of Ha Tinh.

He noted in 2016, the mountainous areas were affected by 24 strong cold spells, four storms and follow-up floods, along with whirlwinds and hailstorms. 

Up to 109 people were killed and went missing in these disasters while about 940 houses collapsed or washed away and 44,220 others were inundated, more than 134,000ha of rice and other crops were devastated. Natural calamities also killed 37,180 livestock and 127,530 poultry and damaged 56km of canals and ditches.

Material damage exceeded 5.8 trillion VND (255.4 million USD), Chinh said.

He blamed authorities at all levels, especially grass-roots level, for the problem, adding that their supervision activities are still lax. While there remain many obstacles in the resettlement of residents in vulnerable areas, the planning of residential areas has yet to take into account disaster risks. Communication activities to raise public awareness of flash floods in many mountainous provinces haven’t been effective.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang, who is a deputy head of the central steering committee, said human and property damage caused by natural disasters in mountainous provinces remains a challenge for many years and haven’t been settled thoroughly as expected.

Meanwhile, Director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Hoang Duc Cuong said the forecasting of natural disasters in mountainous areas, especially in the north, is flawed and hasn’t completely satisfied the growing demand in disaster prevention and control.

To minimise human and property losses, the localities should be well-prepared in terms of leadership, forces, means and materials, and logistics. They also have to appropriately exploit natural resources to ensure sustainable socio-economic development, he added. 

To respond to this year’s rainy season, the central steering committee ordered the provinces to review all residential areas and structures to locate flood- and landslide-prone areas while adamantly relocating households at risk. 

It said they must devise flood response plans and pay special attention to communication methods to ensure all residents will be updated with disaster information. Rescue staff and vehicles also need to be geared up in case of emergencies. 

Gia Lai ensures settlement for 3,000 nomad ethnic households

Nearly 3,000 ethnic minority households have been resettled in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai thanks to the province’s efforts to complete more than 100 resettlement projects during 2013-2016.

Over 52 billion VND (2.3 million USD) was splashed out on ten concentrated resettlement projects for more than 660 ethnic minority families. The money was used to level 24 hectares of land, reclaim 29 hectares of production land, construct 13,000 kilometres of road, ten electricity facilities and 21 water facilities and erect six community houses and seven classrooms.

With efficient infrastructure and a production zone, H’Lang village in Chu R Cam commune, Krong Pa district is a standout resettlement area helping alleviate poverty among ethnic minorities. The village was established in 2012 with total investment of 11 billion VND (484,000 USD).

Meanwhile, 94 alternative resettlement projects were carried out to benefit another 2,260 households. Nearly 60 billion VND (2.6 million USD) was spent to build 37 kilometres of roads, four water facilities, 12 community houses and four kindergartens. 

Ta Chi Khanh, Vice Chairman of the Krong Pa district People’s Committee, said that ten alternative resettlement areas were built for more than 270 households and two concentrated resettlement zones were completed for some 500 families in the district. 

The resettlement sites have adequate facilities for production, he said, adding that capital has been cut for some resettlement projects, posing challenges for the locality.

More than 123 billion VND (5.4 million USD) was allocated to Gia Lai province to implement resettlement projects during 2013-2016. 

According to the ethnicity board of the provincial People’s Council, resettlement projects are significant to ensure a stable life for minorities. Upgrades of infrastructure together with high-tech economic models have helped tackle poverty in the province.

However, the board also stated drawbacks when carrying out the projects, with financial support lacking and disbursement of that support slow.

Italy’s Republic Day marked in Hanoi

The Vietnam – Italy Friendship Association organised a friendship exchange in Hanoi on June 1 to celebrate Italy’s 71st Republic Day (June 2, 1946 - 2017).

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the association Nguyen Van Nam lauded Italy’s development and contributions to world peace and cooperation in the past 71 years, particularly as a founding and key member of the EU and a responsible member of the UN and many other multi-lateral organisations. 

He said his association is proud to help strengthen the friendship between the two countries. He also praised the Hanoi University’s Faculty of Italian Studies, which is emerging as an Italian language and culture centre in Vietnam.

Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Cecilia Piccioni said Vietnam and Italy are enjoying a fruitful period of their relationship, with cooperation opportunities opening up in defence and security.

She said students, researchers and artists are ideal ambassadors of each nation.

Quang Tri honours US invention prize winner

High school student Pham Huy from Quang Tri province has won third prize in the robotics and intelligent machine category for a prosthetic arm designed for the disabled at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2017 in the US. He was honoured at a ceremony held in the locality by the provincial Department of Education and Training

With a prosthetic arm designed for people with disabilities, Pham Huy’s work was one of the eight selected to attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2017 held in the US, eventualy winning third prize at the prestigious science competition.

The arm is operated based on a sensor system in the shoe and the joint between the calf and the food. The movement of four toes directs four buttons in the toe box which orders the bending and stretching of five fingers. The movement sensor helps direct the rotation of the hand and the arm.

The robotic arm uses 3D printing technology for its outer part.

Earlier this year, Huy’s invention won first prize at 2016-2017 national science and technology competition in the northern region and was nominated for the international contest in the US.

Hoi An Community Eco Market to promote Environment Day

The ancient town of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam will host a Hoi An Community Eco Market on June 4, showcasing the talents of local creatives, cooks and philanthropists.

The event’s organisers said the market aims to promote World Environment Day and showcase ethically made and sustainable homemade food and drink products, clothing, jewellery, accessories, art, homeware and vintage and second hand goods.

All products for sale meet the Community Eco Market’s strict environmental policy, guaranteeing shoppers can purchase unique creations without straining their wallets or the earth’s resources, according to the organisers.

They warned visitors to bring reusable bags or purchase an eco-friendly cloth bag at the market to ensure the market is single-use plastic free.

The proceeds from the event will be donated to Education for Nature Vietnam, an organisation which investigates wildlife crimes in Vietnam.

The market will open from 9am to 1pm at the Green Shoot International School at 414/7 Cua Dai Road. 

Czech President to pay State visit to Vietnam

President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman will pay a State-level visit to Vietnam from June 6-8.

The visit will be made at the invitation of President Tran Dai Quang, the Foreign Ministry announced on June 1.

HCM City leader hosts Slovak Deputy Prime Minister

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong has called on Slovak and Vietnamese businesses to step up their cooperation in such areas as chemical industry, electric equipment, food industry and tourism. 

HCM City is willing to create the best possible conditions for Slovak firms to run long-term business in the locality, the official told visiting Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Robert Kaliňák on June 1. 

Phong said Robert Kaliňák’s visit contributes to enhancing the fruitful time-honoured cooperation between Slovakia and Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City as well. 

He called on the Slovak Government to continue facilitating the Vietnamese’s integration into the Slovak society as well as their role of bridging the two countries. 

Robert Kaliňák said he was impressed by achievements Vietnam has recorded over the past time, saying with a lot of similarities, the two countries can support each other in national construction and development. 

The long-standing cooperation and friendship should be demonstrated through specific, effective economic projects and programmes, he said. 

Slovakia stands ready to cooperate with Vietnam, including HCM City, in fields like machinery and tourism in order to turn the two sides’ potential into practical projects, thus contributing to tightening the bilateral ties.

Quang Tri celebrates World Oceans Day with exhibition on islands

The central province of Quang Tri marked World Oceans Day (June 8) on Cua Tung beach with the opening of a mobile exhibition on historical and legal evidence affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

The exhibits include a large number of maps, documents and photos of different periods, which were collected by international and domestic researchers.

The materials demonstrate Vietnam’s continuous exercise of sovereignty over and safeguarding of the archipelagos, rejecting China’s distorted versions of history.

The same day, the province held a meeting in response to the World Oceans Day and the Vietnam Sea and Islands Week 2017.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of Quang Tri People’s Committee Ha Sy Dong said the Vietnam sea and islands week, themed “for future of next generations”, sends out an appeal for communal efforts in protecting the marine environment.

During the week, local authorities and agencies will hold communications campaigns on policies and laws on sea and islands, and the role and potential of sea and islands in national development.

Thua Thien – Hue spends 5 billion VND to aid fishermen

The central province of Thua Thien – Hue has released a decision to allocate more than 4.96 billion VND to assist fishermen in offshore fishing.

Accordingly, Phu Vang district will receive over 4.2 billion VND (184,800) and Phu Dien 762 million VND (33,528 USD) to help local fishermen buy fuel for fishing trips, communications devices, and ship insurance.

Meanwhile, under the Government’s Decree 67/2014/ND-CP on policies for fisheries development, the province in the past two years have provided preferential loans worth 177.49 billion VND (7.8 million USD) for the upgrade and building of 40 fishing vessels.

In Phu Vang alone, 29 boat owners have gained approval for their applications seeking concessional loans for building and upgrading fishing boats under the decree.

Can Tho prepares for APEC week on food security

The Mekong city of Can Tho has finalised a coordination plan on the hosting of the APEC week on food security and high-level dialogue on food security and sustainable agriculture development in response to climate change.

Addressing a meeting on June 1, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Dao Anh Dung asked the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to complete the plan to launch it in early June.

He also stressed the need to strengthen communications and ensure security and safety for the event, while promoting the economic and tourism potential and strengths of the city.

Within the framework of the events, about 14 workshops and conferences as well as bilateral meetings between leaders of Can Tho and ministers of some APEC members will take place from August 18-25.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will chair two major events, the APEC Week on Food Security and high-level dialogue on food security and sustainable agriculture development in response to climate change on August 21-25.

The events are good chances for Can Tho to introduce the nation and people of Vietnam and Can Tho in particular to foreign friends.

On the occasion, the Can Tho Centre for Trade Promotion-Investment and Exhibition will hold a safe farm produce fair from August 20-24 with about 300 booths to boost trade on the products.

Denmark helps clear leftover ordnance in Thua Thien-Hue

The People’s Committee of central Thua Thien-Hue province and the Danish Demining Group (DDG) signed a memorandum understanding on a project to minimize risks of ordnance left by the war in the province on June 1.

The project is funded by the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam and the A.P Moller Support Foundation of Denmark with a total sum of about 1.2 million USD.

The project will cover ten communes of A Luoi district and other prioritized areas as suggested by the provincial People’s Committee.

It will survey bomb and mine pollution in the communes and launch activities to handle ordnance there. In addition to that, it will make further surveys to define and classify areas with ordnance, and assess post-demining impacts.

The project will also help enhance capacity in information management and connecting plans of action in the province.

The MoU also allows DDG and Thua Thien Hue to set up cooperative relations to settle leftover explosives from the war, contributing to improving safety to locals and socio-economic development in affected communities through the humanitarian mine action programme.

Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Phuong thanked the Japan Embassy in Vietnam, the A.P Moller Support Foundation and the DDG for helping the province overcome the war aftermaths.

He expressed his hope that activities of the project will be implemented effectively, benefiting localities’ people and socio-economic development.

Workshop talks energy transition in connection with social equity

The Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) and the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) foundation co-organized a workshop on energy transition in connection with social equity in Hanoi on June 1.

The event is part of the FES’s comparative study on energy transition and social equity targeting eight Asian countries, including Vietnam.

Deputy Director of the CIEM Nguyen Thi Tue Anh said apart from hydropower, renewable energy is little used in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the utilization of fossil fuels to develop industrial sectors and transport is increasing rapidly.

Vietnam has built a number of programmes and policies to cope with climate change and develop the energy sector, she said, noting that energy transition could ensure social equity by increasing quality of energy services for everyone, generating jobs, modernizing industry, improving economic efficiency and growth, enhancing environmental quality, and mitigating climate change.

Experts suggested Vietnam developing a new long-term energy vision to enhance the capacity of accessing energy and improve the efficiency of energy in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and striving toward using 100 percent of renewable energy.

It is necessary to invest in energy storage capacity and the electricity grid, experts said, also stressing the need to enhance technical and financial transparency of State groups in the field of energy to ensure fair competition, raise productivity and benefit consumers more.

Besides joining policy dialogues on energy development, Vietnam should devise fiscal policies and regulations to promote the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency, especially in remote and ethnic minority areas and labour-intensive sectors, as well as among women and low income earners.

Creating playgrounds in urban area

It would seem that children’s playgrounds are a ‘luxury’ in big cities, when all available areas are used either for trading or parking. But through their efforts, the Think Playgrounds group has called upon the community to create playgrounds, bringing joy to children. Since beginning operations 2 years ago, the group has built 60 playgrounds in many regions across the country.

In the first few days of June, a new 300 metres square playground has been opened in Chuong Duong ward, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi, with many games such as climbing system and swings. Nguyen Thanh Thuy in Phuc Tan Street, Hoan Kiem district, said “the playground is not very wide, but to us this is a very precious thing. For a long time, urban kids have lacked the space in which to play. During the summer vacation, their parents have to work and can’t always take them out. With the aim of helping children to stay away from social evils, many families have "detained" their children in the house, forcing them to make friends with television and play video games all day. With the playground, we worry much less". The playground at Lane 1, Vong Ha street, Chuong Duong ward is the result of a month of construction by the Think Playgrounds group’s members, with the financial support of the HealthBridge Foundation of Canada and the help of the local government.

In large cities, the construction of children's playgrounds has not been properly addressed. Specifically, at some wards in Dong Da and Hoan Kiem districts, the population has risen by tens of thousands, but public spaces only cover several hundred square meters. The city is currently building more flower gardens and parks. However, the distance from home to the flower garden or the park is a barrier and not every child has a chance to go and enjoy them. With young kids, the playgrounds in residential areas are most accessible, but these playgrounds are always used for a variety of purposes, from sales and parking to badminton or adult football.

Chu Kim Duc and Nguyen Tieu Quoc Dat, two members of the Think Playgrounds group, have long entertained the idea of creating spaces for children in the city. However the idea was only gradually turning into reality until they met Judith Hansen, a 70-year-old American visitor who holds a deep love for Vietnam. She has since helped the young people to create a playground, providing financial support. These young people formed the Think Playgrounds group.

‘Think Playgrounds’ formed their first playground for children of migrant workers or peddlers, who call the alluvial ground along the Hong River their home. The playground, which cost over VND10 million was open to the elation of the kids and their parents alike, who could now rest assured that their children would steer clear from perilous ‘water games’ in the river. As was the hope of the two founding members Kim Duc and Quoc Dat, the success of this playground has "awakened" the minds of many people.

Such a shortage of outdoor play areas has left urban kids growing increasingly dependent on digital devices for leisurely activities, resulting in their imbalanced mental and physical growth as well as creating other issues. Acutely aware of such problems, many communities have sought to "reclaim" public space. However, the group members have encountered immense hurdles ‘reclaiming’ public land from illegal occupants, who generally would not return the plots to public use. Undaunted, these young people sought out help from local authorities and residents in the specific neighborhoods to talk the illegal occupants into giving the plots back to the public, for the group to build playgrounds on.

Speaking about the activities of the group, Nguyen Tri Quoc Dat shared that the group operates under the social enterprise model, using revenue from the sale of playground designs to agencies, in order to maintain an income for the team members and raise funds to build the playground. The playground in the street is a bridge between social organisations, benefactors and communities who need to build a playground. Some organisations and businesses have made a great contribution in building their playgrounds, including HealthBridge, ACCD, or Hoang Vu enterprise. In addition, the group usually makes use of recycled materials and self-design and construction to ensure safety and sustainability.

After more than three years of operation, the group has 11 members and has coordinated with other agencies and social organisations to successfully build 40 playgrounds in Hanoi. Not only in Hanoi, the group has also coordinated with social organisations and other volunteer groups to build more than 20 playgrounds in various localities, including remote and mountainous areas such as Ha Giang or Ly Son Island (Quang Ngai). Some playgrounds cost up to VND65 million, as with the new playground inaugurated in Chuong Duong ward. Through their activities, these young people have shown great effort and have managed to change public perceptions concerning the need for child entertainment.

Hospitals in HCMC review kidney dialysis process

After the medical incident killed seven dialysis patients in the northern province of Hoa Binh, health authority in Ho Chi Minh City asked hospitals to review the process.

As per the department of Health’s document to facilities, medical staffs at the artificial kidney department in hospitals must follow the Ministry of Health’s guideline on dialysis process to ensure patients’ safety. 

Deputy Head of the municipal Department of Health Dr. Tang Chi Thuong said that medical institutions providing kidney dialysis services are requested to review their technical process, examine patients’ health condition, clean and test all their equipment in accordance with instructions from the health ministry on kidney dialysis to avoid medical complications.

After seven out of 18 kidney patients receiving dialysis at Hoa Binh Province General Hospital died of suspected anaphylactic shock and ten of them were sent to Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital for further treatment, hospitals in HCMC have reviewed dialysis techniques and process.

Dr. Luong Hoang Liem of a hospital in Thu Duc District said that the hospital has checked all dialysis process on 130 patients and 10 other patients in its satellite infirmary in Binh Chieu Ward. However, the hospital transferred dialysis patients in the satellite hospital to Thu Duc Hospital five days ago for patients’ safety.

Nephrology and dialysis medical experts said that anaphylactic shock complication is likely to happen in dialysis patients with low rate. Importantly, medical workers must early detect and provide timely treatment. Prior to the incident, a patient’s heart with kidney failure stopped beating on dialysis process in Hoa Binh Hospital. 

Loan level for students lifted

The Prime Minister decided to lift the loan for a student to VND1.5 million a month.  

The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies said that from June 15, 2017, the maximum loan for a student will be VND1.5 million a month as per the circular 751.

The rate increased by VND250,000 a student  for a month compared to the old level taking effect on January 9, 2016.

The PM asked the Ministry of Investment and Planning to balance and pour capital to the bank as per the law. The bank is responsible for providing loan and recovering the debts.

Exhibition on Paracel, Spratly archipelagos in Quảng Trị

An exhibition showcasing evidence that affirms Việt Nam’s sovereignty over Hoàng Sa (Paracel) and Trường Sa (Spratly) archipelagos opened on June 1 in Quảng Trị Province’s Cửa Tùng Town.

The exhibition, held to celebrate 2017 Việt Nam Seas and Islands Week, displays historical and legal evidence in the form of maps, documents and pictures, collected in Việt Nam and other countries.

“The Việt Nam Seas and Islands Week themed, For Our Future, has significant meaning. It  conveys the message to people to join hands to protect the marine environment, to be aware of their responsibility in cleaning beaches and seas, and to not sacrifice the marine environment for economic gain,” said Deputy Chairman of Quảng Trị province’s People’s Committee, Hà Sỹ Đồng.

“Seas and islands have an especially significant role in the cause of country’s establishment and protection as well as in the socio-economic, security, defence development strategy of the country. Therefore, for generations, Vietnamese people have been united together to protect the country,” said Đồng.

It is also important to do awareness campaigns about the role, importance and potential of the seas and islands of Việt Nam in terms of protecting the nation, Đồng added.

The exhibition, which opens till Sunday, displays historical evidence that affirms Việt Nam’s sovereignty, which will help other countries, including China, form a deeper understanding of Việt Nam’s history as well as the legitimate desire of Vietnamese people to protecting their territory and sovereignty.

On the occasion, the central province asked all localities and their authorities to continue promulgating Việt Nam’s policy, stance and law on its seas and islands; and to strengthen communications regarding the historical and legal evidence that affirms its sovereignty over Hoàng Sa (Paracel) and Trường Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

Vasco offers discounted airfares for university exam candidates

Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO), subsidiary of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines Corporation, has launched a promotional campaign for all candidates taking the university entrance examination 2017, the company said on June 1.

Under the programme, VASCO has offered candidates a 40 per cent discount on round-trip fares on all flight routes from June 2 to 20.

Each candidate will get one discounted round-trip ticket. When purchasing tickets, candidates must present their identity card or their student card, together with the exam notification paper and exam admit card, to buy air tickets at discounted rates.

VASCO has been officially authorised by the Vietnam Airlines Corporation to operate flights on HCM City-Cà Mau, HCM City-Rạch Giá, HCM City-Côn Đảo and Côn Đảo-Cần Thơ-Phú Quốc routes, as well as Hà Nội-Điện Biên, Hà Nội-Đồng Hới, Hà Nội-Vinh and Vinh-Đà Nẵng routes.

Southern fruit festival opens

The southern fruit festival, the 13th of its kind, opened in Ho Chi Minh City on June 1, attracting visitors from far and wide. 

Opening the event was a parade show with the participation of hundreds of artists and tens of carriages decorated with giant and striking fruits, and a fashion show “Vietnam – Endless Beauty” featuring typical cultures of the north, the central and the south. 

Attracting crowds was a floating market where more than 40 boats sell 150 kinds of fruits such as guava, rambutan, durian, strawberry, custard apple, grapefruit and palm fruit, among others, at 20-30 percent off market prices. 

Additionally, visitors could contemplate fruit creations by artisans during a fruit decoration art competition. 

Throughout the festival lasting August 30, a number of activities will be held, including the ninth contest on southern delicious and safe fruits, the Asia food festival and folk games. 

The organising board will partner with 40 hotels of four to five stars to offer fruit parties to guests and broadcast a video clip popularising the festival to visitors at home and abroad. 

Speaking at the event, Director of the municipal Tourism Department Bui Ta Hoang Vu said the event is expected to promote tourism and develop signature tourist products in the city. 

The festival is a joint effort among the municipal Tourism Department, Suoi Tien Cultural Theme Park and relevant departments and agencies.

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