Quang Binh Police seize 350kg of dog meat

The traffic police division of the central Qu?ng Binh Province's police department yesterday seized a passenger car that was transporting 350kg of dog meat of unclear origins.

According to available information, a patrol group of the provincial police department asked a suspicious passenger car to stop for inspection at about 2am, while patrolling a section of Highway 1A in Sen Thuy Commune in Le Thuy District.

The patrol team found five Styrofoam boxes, containing 40 frozen dogs and weighing more than 350kg, in the cargo compartment of the vehicle.

However, driver Phan Ng?c Minh (born in 1983 in Nhon Hung Commune in Binh Ð?nh's An Nhon District) could not produce valid papers as well as animal quarantine certificates for his goods.

Soon after that, the traffic police division submitted a report and handed over the seized goods to the police department for investigation as per the law.

Hoi An to celebrate 8 millionth tourist

Chua Cau Bridge in Hoi An.

Hoi An will celebrate the arrival of the 8 millionth tourist to visit the old quarter at the Japanese-style Chua Cau Bridge since 1995, on Thursday.

The city's culture and sports centre said gifts will be given to lucky tourists at the event.

The old town started selling package tickets for tourists to visit the old street in 1995.

Hoi An hosted 1.2 million foreign visitors in the old quarter in 2015, a 39 per cent increase in comparison to 2014.

Ha Noi to honour outstanding young people

Ha Noi's HCM Communist Youth Union will honour 10 outstanding junior citizens for their good performance and contribution to the city last year.

The people who have been selected for the honour are under 35, have a good sense of morality and discipline and work or study with will.

They are active in a wide range of fields, such as study, scientific research, production and business and national security and defence, besides culture and art, sports and community social activities.

The youngest of the city's outstanding junior citizens of 2015 is nine-year-Hoang Gia Linh from Nghia Tan Primary School. Linh is a dance sport athlete, who has won several awards in previous years.

The oldest citizen to be honoured is singer Thai Thuy Linh, who is vice-director of the National Voluntary Centre and head of Trai tim hong (Pink Heart) Charity Group, which is well known for bringing music programmes to patients, particular children, in hospitals.

Da Nang-Bangkok flight launched for Tet travellers

Vietravel company will launch its chartered flight between Da Nang and Bangkok, Thailand during Tet (lunar New Year) from February.

The company said the chartered flight will use the 180-seat Airbus A321 to carry tourists from February 2-21.

It has offered a package tour at VND6.9 million (US$307) per person.

Last year, Viettravel also introduced a chartered flight connecting Da Nang and Bangkok.

Singer strips in snowy Sa Pa

Some northern provinces have been heavily affected by frosty temperatures and snowfall over the past few days.

Following a trend of checking in with snow on Facebook, a music video clip recorded while it was snowing in Sa Pa, Lao Cai Province, went viral on the Internet last weekend.

A young man walks towards the camera singing the popular song Anh Khong Doi Qua (I Don't Ask for Gifts Back). Snow covers his walking path, but he does not wear any footwear.

He removes his clothes and accessories one by one until he's down to his underwear, at which point the song ends. Some locals expressed their surprise and admiration that the man could brave the bitter cold and snow in below zero-degree C weather. Others were annoyed and left negative comments.

The video clip drew attention, but it was found to be recorded in 2013 when Sa Pa witnessed thick snow.

At any rate, the man took advantage of the recent snowfall in order to earn his 15 minutes of fame.

How is the weather today?

A group of four thieves were caught trying to sneak into a flower garden in Trau Quy in Ha Noi's Gia Lam District in order to steal about 2,400 lily flowers.

The thieves told the police that they only took action after watching the weather forecast. If it was rainy, their group planned to catch the bus from central Thanh Hoa Province, their hometown, to Ha Noi, in hopes of being concealed by the darkness.

In fact, the weather forecast in Viet Nam is not always accurate. One can assume that the men failed to do the deed several times due to falsely predicted weather. How hard the task is!

Quang Binh forms more new-style rural areas

Authorities in central Quang Binh province has recognised two more new-style rural communes under the national target programme on building new-style rural areas, initiated by the Government in 2010.

The recognition of Quang Thanh and Quang Trach communes bring the total localities realising new-style rural criteria in Quang Binh to 30 or almost 22 percent of the total 141 local communes.

In recent years, Quang Binh has mobilised all resources to help build these areas, with local community alone contributing over 450 billion VND (20.25 million USD).

Currently, an average commune fulfils 12.2 criteria of the programme, while 70 communes have realised the income criterion, and 76 communes ensure the rate of labourers with regular jobs.

The national target programme on building new-style rural areas, initiated by the Government in 2010, sets 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics, and defence, aiming to modernise rural areas.

The criteria cover the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacities, environmental protection, and the promotion of cultural values.

The country aims to have 50 percent of all communes nationwide meeting all the requirements by the end of 2020.

As many as 1,526 communes and 15 districts nationwide completed all 19 criteria designed for being recognised as new-style rural areas, according to reports at a conference to review the UN Joint Project to support the programme (UNJP/VIE/051/UNJ) in early January.

Thanks to the programme, average per capita income in rural areas increased 1.9 times compared to 2010 and the rate of communes completing the set criteria is on the rise.

Ca Mau : 150 billion VND invested to build sea dykes

About 16 kilometres of sea embankment in the western coast of the southernmost province of Ca Mau will be built at an initial estimated capital of over 150 billion VND (6.7 million USD).

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the local sea dyke system has been severely degraded by erosion, including the sections in Khanh Tien commune in U Minh district and from Vam Da Bac to Vam Kinh Moi in Khanh Binh Tay commune of Tran Van Thoi district.

Department Deputy Director To Quoc Nam said sea dyke erosion has proved its effectiveness in protecting coastal areas from serious breakouts and recovering protective forests.

However, insufficient funding and severe weather caused difficulties with sea dyke construction prior to the annual typhoon season, he added.

Over the past few years, the province has built over 18 km of its eastern and western dyke systems, with a view to protecting local forests and communities.

Ca Mau province, surrounded by sea on three sides, is being threatened by saltwater intrusion under the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels. Local sea dykes have become seriously degraded.

A report released by the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment revealed that saltwater has intruded on close to 10,000 hectares of agricultural land in the province.

Health Ministry works to curb contaminated food

The Vietnam Food Administration under the Health Ministry set food poisoning among its priorities to tackle in 2016.

According to head of the department Nguyen Thanh Phong, investment will be channelled to boost the capacity of the human resources and equipment deployed in detecting and addressing contaminated products.

The agency is applying e-governance technology and implementing the ASEAN’s single-window mechanism.

Special inspections on food safety are set to be piloted in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and awareness-raising campaigns will continue taking place.

In 2015, Vietnam recorded 171 food poisoning cases, affecting nearly 5,000 people and killing 23 people, a slight decrease of 22 cases compared to 2014. The number of cases occurring in households were well controlled, while the figures for factory and school canteens have followed a downward trend.

A total of 42 cities and provinces nationwide have their own food testing labs; laboratories in 15 other localities are under construction.

The Hai Van Tunnel will remain open 24 hours per day before and after Tet 2016, the Lunar New Year, according to the tunnel management board.

The board has said the tunnel will be open 24 hours per day before the Lunar New Year, from January 24 through February 7, and afterwards from February 12 until 22.

During the Lunar New Year, from February 8 to 11, the tunnel will be closed for cleaning from 3am to 4am.

The 6.3-km-long Hai Van Tunnel, the longest tunnel in Southeast Asia, is located on National Highway 1 between Thua Thien Hue province and Da Nang City in the center of Viet Nam.

The tunnel officially opened for traffic on June 5, 2005.

It is normally closed one hour per day for cleaning.

Major investment required to renovate Highway 1

The Viet Nam Road Administration has asked the Ministry of Transportation for permission to fix damaged sections of National Highway 1 with a total investment of more than VND11,000 billion (US$495 million).

The government has not approved any of the proposals to fix several parts of the highway in the last few years, even though the damaged sections are in urban areas and play a pivotal role in connecting the north to the south, a leader of the administration said.

Although these sections originally met national standards for four-lane roads, over time, the movement of heavy traffic cracked the road surface and created large pot holes.

The damage could make the roads less safe for drivers and reduce their traffic capacity.

Meanwhile, the cost of fixing and improving these parts of Route 1 has exceeded the amount of capital budgeted by the Central Road Management Fund.

The administration has asked for permission to renovate these sections with a total investment of VND11,007 billion ($495,3 million).

The investment capital for this project will be taken from the surplus funds of the expansion projects for National Highway 1 and the road crossing Tay Nguyen on the Ho Chi Minh Highway.

According to the administration, more than 500km along the Highway 1 will be improved, of which, 188,1km will be upgraded and 312,5km will be fixed and smoothened.

Donations solicited for kids with heart disease

US organisation Giving It Back to Kids and the VinaCapital Fund will sponsor a charity drive for 33 underprivileged children with heart disease in the city.

The sponsors will provide VND733 million (US$32,600) in funds for the charity event.

The central city, having approved the programme, said funds raised at the event would go towards fees for surgery and treatment for the underprivileged children living in the city this year.

According to Da Nang Association to Support Poor and Disadvantaged Women and Children, 200 children in the city have been diagnosed with congenital heart disease, but only 62 received free surgeries via a donation of VND 3 billion ($133,000).

The Giving It Back to Kids organisation, established in 2002, is home to 90 children, aged 3–18, from homeless or underprivileged backgrounds in Da Nang.

It has also provided $3.2 million for charitable programmes that help single mothers and girls, covering the costs of eye, heart and orthopaedic surgery for children and donating wheelchairs to people with disabilities.

Police arrest 4 drug traffickers, 24 users

Police in the capital city have arrested four people from the Northern provinces for selling the drug Ecstasy, and 24 others for consuming it, in Ha Dong District.

The four men aged between 20 and 29 from provinces of Phu Tho, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoc and Bac Giang, were arrested along with 24 others, both males and females from Ha Noi, who were under the influence of drugs, while they were dancing to loud music in a room of the Thien Son Lau bar.

Police also seized 29 packets of various drugs including Ecstasy and heroin along with numerous accessories related to the use and trade of drugs such as computers, cell phones and drug containers.

Most of those arrested tested positive for drugs. Some of them confessed they had paid about VND250,000 per hour for hiring the Karaoke room to consume the drugs overnight.

The 60sq.m bar was owned by Nguyen Van Loi, 42, from Ha Dong Distric's Duong Noi ward, who had been names in the police blacklist with three convictions.

Police said they spent a lot of time searching for evidence of the bar's criminal activities, particularly of the owner, who is also an ex-convict.

Col. Nguyen Hong Ky, Head of the Investigation Office of the Ha Noi Police said his team raided the bar soon after receiving information from local residents on the illegal activities being conducted there.

Ky said the police acted immediately under authorisation from the city's police chief.

Gov't to ensure a happy Tet for poor

The Party and State will do their best to ensure a sufficient Tet for every Vietnamese person, especially poor people and those who have rendered great service to the nation, said Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen.

The official spoke on the ‘People Ask, Minister Answers' television programme on VTV1 on Sunday about Government policies on bonuses for workers as Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches.

Viet Nam's GDP growth for the year 2015 is higher than that of previous years with its stable industrial production value and stable workers' wages so many employers will give higher new year bonuses for Tet. Over 80 per cent of enterprises across the country are reported to have offered bonuses to their workers while the rest have yet to plan Tet bonuses.

The Lunar New Year festival bonus is expected to increase 15.7 per cent from last year, averaging VND5.7 million (USVND5,678,170) per worker, she said.

When asked why the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs doesn't have a regulation on providing Tet bonuses for workers, Chuyen said, "Bonuses for employees during the Lunar New Year was not included in the Labour Code."

The terms of a bonus is decided by employers and it was stated in their labour contracts. The bonus terms will be declared after talks with the trade union. Many labour contracts do not state bonuses because a lot of enterprises are incapable of offering them.

Chuyen said enterprises should give a bonus to their workers.

Bonuses were considered great encouragement for workers and that would make them faithful to their employers, she said.

Because the majority of employees have low income, they want to have a bonus especially for Tet so they can take care of their families.

Due to financial difficulties, some enterprises had to give the new year bonus to their employees with products from their own enterprises. However, it was regarded as an encouragement not a bonus, she said.

The government has asked local authorities to ensure a warm and cosy Tet for people who made significant contributions to the national revolutionary cause and poor households.

Under a decision signed by the President on January 1, the beneficiaries, including Vietnamese heroic mothers, war invalids, and fallen soldiers' family members as well as those exposed to toxic chemicals during war, will receive gift packages, each worth between VND200,000 (USVND178,840) and VND400,000 (USVND397,919).

Meanwhile, low-come households will benefit from rice or financial assistance contingent on their specific circumstances, Chuyen said.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs asked localities to prepare a list of eligible beneficiaries and mobilise businesses and private donors to join in this effort.

The ministry has so far received requests to grant 12,000 tonnes of rice to nearly 815,000 households in 11 cities and provinces, she said.

Localities that are provided rice aid for Tet must conduct regular inspections to ensure fair distribution and the distribution must be finished five days before the Lunar New Year, Chuyen said.

HCM City stops road repairs during Tet

Road excavation construction of utility projects will stop from January 27 to February 15, according to the HCM City Department of Transport.

It also asked the excavation team to clean and restore the road surface by February 1.

Clean streets will create more advantages for business and entertainment activities of residents during Tet (Lunar New Year).

According to the department, there were 60 works under construction in the city by the end of 2015.

The department has issued a list of parking lots to serve people who participate in festivities during Tet including Tao Dan Flower Festival, Nguyen Hue Flower Street Festival, and flowers markets at September 23, Gia Dinh and Le Van Tam parks, which will begin from February 1.

There will be parking lots to be set up on 25 streets downtown, such as Ham Nghi, Pasteur, Ton Duc Thang and Le Thanh Ton streets, for 1,380 autos and 3,900 motorbikes.

In addition, parking lots of 12 buildings in District 1, including Kumho Asiana Plaza, Saigon Centre and Sunwah Tower, as well as areas in city parks, will be used during Tet.

Ngo Hai Duong, head of the department's Transport Management and Operation Centre, said district authorities were responsible for checking and fining impromptu parking lots, which collect high fees.

"People should come to parking lots on the official list. They will charge affordable fees," Duong said.

This year, the city's People's Committee will spend VND135 million (USVND136,365,500) to give 1,000 bus tickets to workers at export processing zones and industrial parks.

The workers who do not return to their hometowns will have an opportunity to enjoy the Tet in the city.

Old couple stabbed to death at home

A couple in their sixties who owned a well-known coffee processing company in the Mekong Delta were found dead at home on Sunday with multiple stab wounds and their necks slashed.

Luong Van Dau, 67, and his wife Vo Thi Nam, 63, owners of Huu Khanh coffee processing company in Cai Lay town, Tien Giang Province, were found dead by a relative in their bedroom on the second floor of their villa.

The relative, a nephew, went looking for them when a neighbour arrived since the couple had not joined the latter for a morning gardening chore they had planned.

The police said they are investigating the cause of death.

Dak Lak: Over 85.5 percent of rural residents access clean water

Hygienic water has been supplied for over 85.5 percent of rural population in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, helping increase local life quality, according to the provincial People’s Committee.

The province is striving to provide 100 percent of rural residents with access to water meeting national standard, at a volume of 60 litres per capita per day by 2020.

To achieve the target, the province is conducting survey to evaluate water reserves and quality and local demands while prioritising investment in building water facility for regions with polluted water sources or facing water shortage such as mountainous and border areas.

The province is to set fresh water prices in line with economic conditions and traditional practices in each locality, while ensuring sufficient funding for water facility’s frequent repairs. In addition, the province also gives preferential power prices for water supply plants, slashes natural resource fees for untreated water while meting out punishment to any violations of rules on rural water supplying activities.

Currently, the locality has 133 centralised water supply systems and 10,000 wells providing clean water for the residents.-

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