More than 10m cigarette packs seized

More than 10 million cigarette packets were confiscated and VND21 billion (US$932,000), collected as fines, was added to the State budget in 2015. — Photo vnexpress.net

More than 10 million cigarette packets were confiscated and VND21 billion (US$932,000), collected as fines, was added to the State budget in 2015.

This was announced at a review meeting held by the national steering board on smuggling, fake goods and commercial cheating prevention (steering board 398) yesterday in HCM City.

The number of cases involving smuggling of cigarettes this year decreased 30 per cent compared with last year, Chairman of Viet Nam Tobacco Association Vu Van Cuong said.

The size and number of cigarette smuggling cases as well as the number of people involved fell compared with last year, while the number of cigarette packets seized was more than 10 billion in 2015, a 19 per cent increase compared with previous years, steering board 398's report said.

200,000 Pentaxim vaccine doses arrive next week

About 200,000 doses of Pentaxim vaccine, selling in the serviced vaccination programme, will arrive in Viet Nam in the coming days, the Drug Administration of Viet Nam (DAVN) announced.

The vaccine, manufactured Sanofi Pasteur S.A., is expected to ease the shortage of serviced vaccine in Viet Nam over the past months due to a global short supply.

The DAVN said that 160,000 doses of the five-in-one vaccine will arrive in the country no later than next week while the remaining will come in February next year.

To date, samples from the first imported vaccine batch have passed testing by the National Institute for Verification of Vaccine and Biological Products. The vaccine will be distributed by importers to preventive medicine centres and serviced vaccination stations by the end of this month.

In a document released yesterday, the DAVN asked provincial health departments to direct its preventive medicine centres to strictly obey regulations on vaccine price and the immunisation process.

The health ministry will announce a list of preventive medicine centres and serviced vaccination stations nationwide to help provinces and cities better manage distribution.

Provinces and cities are requested to tighten inspection and supervision with an aim to avoid the use of disqualified and fake vaccines in localities.

Thai Binh province police arrest criminals making ID cards

Police in Thai Binh province yesterday arrested a group of criminals who made false identity cards and sold them throughout the province.

Police also seized several tools and documents related to their illegal activities, as well as a K54 gun, several bullets, and two bayonets, which were seized while searching the houses of the criminals.

Previously, on November 3, the Immigration Bureau of the police department in Thai Binh province had discovered the identity card of a person named Tran Thi Then, which appeared to be false. The Bureau then cooperated with the police to collect all documents that the woman had used in ordering the identity card and to begin an investigation.

They then discovered that the woman's real name was Tran Thi Thu, born in 1982, who lived in Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province. She admitted that her false identity card was made with the help of a ring from Nghe An province who specialise in making false identity cards at a cost of VND20 million.

The police later arrested Dinh Hong Quan, 55 years old, and Tran Thi Bo, 61 years old, both living in Nghe An province. Further investigations are underway.

Train derailed after colliding truck

A train was derailed after colliding a truck in Ha Noi's Thuong Tin District early this morning.

The accident happened at 3.25am when the train NA2 travelling from Vinh City to Ha Noi hit the truck carrying stones. The truck driver, who came from the northern province of Hoa Binh, was said to carelessly pass the railway when the train was nearby. He was seriously injured and hospitalised into the nearby Agriculture Hospital.

The collision made the train's head out of the railway some 7 metres and deformed. One carriage was derailed while four parts of the railway was destroyed.

Two 100-tonne cranes served rescue work.

Local authority is investigating the accident.

Major fire destroys two houses

A major fire broke out early today at house number 29 on Nguyen Khanh Street, in Cau Giay District's Yen Hoa Ward lat night.

The blaze spread to house number 31 on the same street and burned down both houses.

The fire broke out at midnight in the M4U coffee shop, 29 Nguyen Khang. It then spread and reached Karaoke Royal, 31 Nguyen Khang and nearby houses.

No deaths were reported in the incident, but the fire destroyed the furniture of both houses.

The Ha Noi fire prevention force sent 10 fire trucks and more than 60 firefighters to the scene of the fire.

While two people ran out of the coffee shop and escaped the fire, the firefighters rescued seven people from house numbers 25, 28 and 29. The fire was extinguished three hours later.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Heavy trucks avoid national highway over high toll

Heavy container trucks are travelling through Van Lam District of Hung Yen Province, instead of National Highway 5, after the road management unit doubled the road toll earlier this month.

Nguyen Van Dieu, head of fee collection station number one on National Highway 5, said since the beginning of this month, 2,000 to 3,000 container trucks were travelling daily on local roads in Van Lam District to avoid paying the high toll, causing a loss of VND85 million (US$3,800) per day.

Before December, 15,000 to 16,000 container trucks were going through this fee collection station. However, this number fell sharply after the Ha Noi-Hai Phong Expressway opened to traffic, and after some drivers started using other roads to avoid paying the toll.

"We have informed the local authorities and police about the situation, and have asked them to punish those trucks that are avoiding payment of the toll and are damaging local roads," Dieu said.

Some truck drivers have even shared the map of local roads on social networks to help others avoid paying the tax. A few drivers said they might be fined by the police several times, but by avoiding the toll, they were saving up to VND160,000 each time.

Pham Ngoc Thao, vice-director of the department of transport of Hung Yen Province, told a reporter of VnExpress that trucks that avoided paying the toll have seriously damaged many roads (where trucks weighing more than six tonnes were prohibited), caused severe traffic jams and affecting the lives of local inhabitants. However, he said he has not yet thought of other efficient solutions to cope with this situation.

According to a decree of the finance ministry, from December 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016, the toll for a truck with less than 12 seats and a two- tonne lorry is VND30,000 per trip. The tax on trucks weighing more than 18 tonnes is VND160,000. After March 31, 2016, the tax will be raised to VND45,000 and VND200,000, respectively.

Intel awards 109 scholarships to technical female students

Intel Products Vietnam and the Higher Engineering Education Alliance Program (HEEAP), led by Arizona State University, on December 18 awarded 109 scholarships to female students from technical universities and colleges worth a total value of more than VND708 million ($32,200).

This is an annual scholarship programme under HEEAP’s framework. During 2012-2015, there were 436 scholarships awarded making of $128,800 for girls from 14 engineering universities and colleges.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ho Uyen – Public Affairs director of Intel Products Vietnam, said that promoting educational opportunities for girls and capacity building for women was one of the core elements of Intel's education programme and social corporate responsibilities.

“With the desire of improving the percentage of female students in technical field in Vietnam, we are committed to extending this scholarship programme from 2015 to 2017 through HEEAP, to bring more opportunities for girls in their technical career path,” Uyen said.

Singaporean online gambling mastermind nabbed in Vietnam

Four suspects, including one Singaporean man, have been captured for being involved in a large-scale online gambling operation in Vietnam, with bets amounting to millions of US dollars.

Singaporean man Wong Boon Leong, 36, also called Lawrence, was nabbed by police officers for leading a gambling ring in the Dafabet network.

Police conducted a search at the suspect’s residence in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, and confiscated several documents, invoices of banking transactions along with hi-tech equipment and devices.

Three other Vietnamese in the city’s Go Vap District and District 7 were also captured, two for organizing gambling and the other for illegal betting.

Lawrence entered Vietnam in 2013 to organize an online gambling ring that ran multiple sites, including casino games and sports betting, according to police officers.

The operation was well-organized and included bank account hoarders, advertisers, market developers and others.

The online gambling site is called Dafabet, whose server is based in the Philippines, and is presented in different languages including Vietnamese.

The group marketed its services by having its employees hang banners and hand gifts with the Dafabet logo on key chains and lighters in many cafés, restaurants and beer clubs in the country.

Another division of the organization was in charge of opening bank accounts to carry out payments and transactions, as well as to wire money into Lawrence’s account.

Initial investigations show that thousands of people in Vietnam have participated in the activity and trillions of dong (VND1 trillion = US$44.35 million) have been accumulated, with the exact amount yet to be verified.

Police officers have spent over a year monitoring the operation before putting a stop to the illegal activity.

They also revealed that they have gathered all information related to the gamblers’ identities, the amount of money used, time, place and methods of their transactions.

Other suspects who are involved in the crime will also be summoned to support the investigation, they added.

This is the first illegal gambling operation caught by police organized and run by a foreigner, officers said.

HCM City to tighten controls on food safety, prices ahead of Tet

Authorities of HCMC will intensify controls on food safety and prices in the lead up to the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday (Tet).

Speaking at a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade on Tuesday, HCMC vice chairman Le Van Khoa said the city will adopt a slew of measures to ensure food safety and hygiene and launch more inspections in a bid to prevent substandard food products and counterfeit products.

According to Khoa, HCMC’s supplies of food, fruits and vegetables can meet around 20% of demand, so the city has to buy the rest from other localities. To ensure stable food supply and prices, the city government will boost the implementation of the price stabilization program with an aim to cover 20-30% of total goods supplies in the city as well as a supply-demand matching program for goods retailers, distributors and suppliers in the city and provinces.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said the supply-demand matching program helps diversify food sources for the city and provide safe products for consumers.

Khoa said the supply-demand matching program provides more goods for consumers in HCMC and creates favorable conditions for farmers in other provinces to find stable outlets.

Statistics show that up to now 90% of goods at supermarkets and commercial centers in the city come from domestic suppliers.

Hai noted that the city should better control prices of products and services, particularly in the transport and tourism sectors, to ward off overcharges and illegal surcharges.

The HCMC Department of Industry and Trade estimated goods supplies for the upcoming Tet would increase by 15-20% compared to last Tet. Total value of goods for the biggest holiday in Vietnam is put at VND16.2 trillion, up nearly 3% over the same period last year.

90% of tangled telecom cables to disappear in city

The city government has set a target of undergrounding 90% of telecom cables in 24 districts by 2025.

The city will prioritize removing tangled overhead telecom cables in districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, Phu Nhuan, Binh Thanh, Tan Binh, Tan Phu and Go Vap to ensure safety for pedestrians and improve the cityscape, according to a plan for the 2016-2017 period submitted to the city government by the Department of Information and Communications.

In the period, the city plans to implement 65 underground telecom cable and 73 underground power cable installation projects with a total length of over 225 kilometers.

From 2013 to 2015, 228 kilometers of telecom cables have been undergrounded, mainly in the downtown area, administrative and trade centers and along the main streets linking the suburbs and the inner city.

Currently, Viettel Mobile, HCMC Telecom, SCTV and FPT Telecom are working on underground telecom cable works in the city. Meanwhile, underground electricity cable projects are being carried out by HCMC Power Corporation (EVN HCMC).

Chemicals present in smuggled cigarettes

Mr. Vu Van Cuong, Chairman of the Vietnam Tobacco Association, told a conference on smuggling, transporting, and illegally trading cigarettes that large amounts of Coumarin, a fragrant organic chemical compound in the benzopyrone chemical class, has been found in smuggled cigarette packs bearing the Jet and Hero brand names. Coumarin can cause infertility and has a major effect on human health.

Criminals involved in smuggling cigarettes are aggressive, daring, and cover their tracks, he said. They even fight back when authorities pursue and arrest them.

Figures show that from October 2014 to October 2015 authorities identified 10,000 cases of smuggling, transporting and illegally trading cigarettes. There were a total of 60,000 violators, with 10.3 million packs seized. Prosecutions were made in 179 cases with 263 defendants, with penalties totaling more than VND21 billion ($930,000).

Most cases were found in Ho Chi Minh City and Long An, Tay Ninh, and An Giang in the Mekong Delta.

Deputy Minister of Finance Vu Thi Mai told the conference that smuggled cigarettes are being sold openly in restaurants, bars, and corner stores and control has proven difficult as anti-smuggling forces are inadequate and weak. Price is the major factor in their popularity.

Authorities scratching heads over sanction for man behind mermaid story in Vietnam

Authorities in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam have admitted it is not easy to specify what breach of law has taken place when a local man made up a story about a mermaid caught by fishermen and circulated it online last week.

Pham Dac Hau was summoned by internal security police on Wednesday after he was identified as the administrator of the quangnamonline.vn, now inaccessible, and the writer of the false story, which had gone viral since it was published on Sunday.

Pham Hong Quang, director of the provincial Department of Information and Communications, said on Thursday his agency is “still trying to figure out” how to penalize Hau, who already confessed to having founded the erstwhile quangnamonline.com.vn website.

“Hau admitted his wrongdoing and had removed both the article and the website,” a department inspector told newswire VnExpress. “He said the made-up story was only created for fun.”

VnExpress also quoted a police source as saying that it is difficult to accuse the mobile phone repairman of any violations to determine a punishment.

“The website was his personal page so he did not have to seek a permit to run it,” the source said.

“We have reviewed many legal documents, none of which regulate such a situation so we are very confused.”

On Sunday, Hau posted a new article on his website, saying that Quang Nam fishermen had caught a 48kg mermaid, who they had found “occasionally enjoys sunbathing on nearby rocks,” with anesthetics and fishing nets.

The false story even came with a photo, showing what looked like a mermaid inside a green fishing net, with the writer claiming that she was also admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment, “pending studies by U.S. scientists.”

The article also quoted one of the fishermen as saying that a Japanese moneybag had asked to pay US$1 million to buy the legendary aquatic creature, but the offer was rejected.

Weird as it might be, the story was still shared on Facebook by many, who apparently believed that the legendary creature did exist in their country.

Hau later told police that he had used a photo from a wedding album of a couple in Hanoi and made up the mermaid story to “create some fun.”

The wedding album was produced as a story of an adventurer who rescues a mermaid when she is stuck in fishing nets, and later marries her.

Da Nang officials fine 2 stores that refuse to serve Vietnamese

Authorities in the central city of Da Nang have imposed fines on two service facilities that had enacted a no-entry policy for Vietnamese customers, and only received Chinese and South Korean shoppers.

No Vietnamese customers have been allowed to enter the for-Chinese-only H.A natural rubber showroom in Cam Le District, while the Sao Dai Han souvenir shop in Son Tra District has refused to receive local guests too, opening only to South Korean buyers.

The no-Vietnamese-entry policy of the two stores was reported by local media on Tuesday, and the city’s market watchdog immediately inspected them in the afternoon.

The showroom was found selling bedding accessories imported from China without quality certification and the required sub-labels in Vietnamese, which earned the owner a VND15.5 million (US$692) civil fine.

At the Sao Dai Han shop, market surveillance officers discovered many imported products on sale without the Vietnamese sub-labels.

The souvenir shop was fined VND10 million ($446) for these violations.

The H.A showroom was inaugurated on December 5 this year, and mostly sells Chinese products, according to the storekeeper.

The showroom signed deals with several tour organizers that will bring Chinese tourists there for shopping, he told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday.

But he denied allegations that Vietnamese people are not allowed to shop there.

“Of course we also serve Vietnamese consumers,” he said. “But we have to prioritize the Chinese tourist groups so the local individual shoppers have to wait.”

While the shopkeeper asserted that there could be more than ten groups of Chinese tourists visiting the showroom on a daily basis, it does not sound logical for people to travel from China to Vietnam only to buy what they can purchase at home.

The companies that run the showroom and the souvenir shop said after being fined on Wednesday that they would scrap the no-Vietnamese-entry policy and open their doors to any customers, according to newswire Infonet.

Food Administration warns customers not to drink beverage bottles containing strange objects

Head of the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA) Nguyen Thanh Phong yesterday warned customers not to drink beverage bottles containing strange objects.

He was quoted as saying at a press conference on plan of food safety mission on Lunar New Year and upcoming festive season on December 22 in Hanoi.

Following the public’s concern of beverage bottles containing white sediment which can easily be seen floating at the bottom of the bottles, Mr. Phong said that all beverage bottles must meet food safe standards and be certified by authorities; accordingly, when customers detect strange objects in the bottles or the beverage have strange smell, they should not drink it and report to food safety management agencies.

Upon some of Tan Hiep Phat-made herbal tea products were found to contain strange objects, Mr. Phong said that his administration has just received the Ca Mau food safety watchdog’s reports saying they had found more than many unopened bottles of Dr. Thanh herbal tea have sub standards.

Accordingly, the Administration asked the Ca Mau food safety watchdog and related agencies to investigate and trace back the origin of the low-quality products to report the administration to take as evidence for further penalties.

Mr. Phong frankly said that though his staffs and inter-department inspectors did not detect food safety violation when they paid an inspection to Tan Hiep Phat Company in April, 2015, it does not mean that the company’s products always safe.

As per the Administration’s plan on inspection of food safety in the Lunar New Year and upcoming festive season, 6 inspection teams will be set up to pay visit to food business and processing companies in 12 major cities and provinces from December 20, 2015 to March 25, 2016.

Hanoi sees increasing number of foreign visitors in 2015

The capital city Hanoi has welcomed around 3.4 million foreign visitors since the beginning of this year, an increase of 12% over the same period last year.

The information was announced by the Hanoi Tourism Association at a conference held on December 22 to review its operations in 2015.

The number of domestic tourists to the capital city reached 16.4 million, up 6% compared to the previous year.

The city has earned a total revenue of VND 55.5 billion (US$ 2.46 million) from tourism, surging 11.48% over the same period of 2014.

The positive outcomes are thanks to significant contributions by the Hanoi Tourism Association.

In 2015, the association contributed its voice to consult State agencies in promulgating sound policies and guidelines on reinvigorating the tourism industry, including the establishment of the Hanoi municipal Department of Tourism, and the granting of visa exemptions for tourists from a number of foreign countries.

The association also completed contents of a training programme on hotel operations and prepared lecturing staff for such courses.

In addition, it has been active in co-ordinating with local tourism associations across countries to conduct new tours for visitors.

Architects concerned over Hanoi Children's Palace's renovation

Several architects have voiced concerns over the renovation of the Hanoi Children's Palace, saying that the renovation might change original design which has historical and cultural value.

Hanoi Youth Union asked for permit to renovate the palace in 2009 after there were problems with the building’s electrics and the roof needed repairing. Hanoi People's Committee approved of a USD2 million plan to restore the building in 2012 and construction work started in mid-November this year.

Le Van Lan, deputy president of Hanoi Association of Architects, said he saw the new design and feared that 60 percent of the palace would be changed completely. According to Lan, there were a lot of unnecessary changes.

"Locals and foreign tourists appreciate the place not for its flashy appearance but for its historical and cultural values," he said.

Architect Pham Thanh Tung, head of Vietnam Association of Architects' Office, agreed and said the palace should be repaired and upgraded but its architecture must not be changed.

Hanoi Children's Palace was designed by Le Van Lan in 1974 and put into operation in 1976. Tung said, in the past, the land was playground for rich kids and after the palace was built, it was opened to children from all classes. Since then, the palace has shaped generations of talented artists. He went on to say that the palace's architecture had significant meaning during that time, showing a more modern design than the typical colonial or East Asian styles.

A representative of Hanoi Youth Union said they had a meeting with Le Van Lan but had refused to show the plans to him. They claimed they would have to go back to the authorities if changes are made to the designs, implying they were reluctant to do so. They gave a nominal promise to respect the original design, and claimed that despite the concerns over the substantial changes architects had expressed concerns about, Hanoi People's Committee had claimed to want to preserve the building's original features.

All passenger ships in Ha Long Bay to anchor in Tuan Chau Port

The Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee has decided to terminate the operation of the Bai Chay and Hon Gai Ports for Passenger Ships serving tours to Ha Long and Bai Tu Long Bays from January 1, 2016 and to move all the passenger ships and boats to the Tuan Chau Port.

The Tuan Chau Port will also serve other foreign waterway vehicles and visitors to Cat Ba Island.

As of December 23, 120 businesses and tourism boat owners had signed contracts with Tuan Chau Group on anchoring, boarding and disembarking at Tuan Chau Port while moving nearly 300 vessels from the current operating ports to the new regulated port.

To serve all vessels effectively, Tuan Chau Group has improved transport infrastructure and navigation organisation with 44 luxury waiting facilities and offices providing power, safe water, Internet, fire protection, toilets, pipelines and piers for vessels and tourists.

Tuan Chau Port is the biggest modern artificial port in Vietnam with a total investment of VND10 trillion (US$440 million), comprising two terminals on 200ha area and serving around five million passengers a year.

Tourism sector prepares human resources for ASEAN integration

Vietnam’s tourism sector should take measures to ensure its human resources are prepared for the formation of the ASEAN Community that allows the free flow of labourers in the hospitality industry, an official said.

Tran Phu Cuong from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) said the tourism labour force needs to equip themselves with expertise, foreign language skills and other soft skills in order to compete with skilled and qualified workers from ASEAN member nations.

Domestic tourism training institutions should focus on enhancing the capacity of teaching staff while improving their curricula in order to meet the requirements of the Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs).

Additionally, they should also review their teaching methods and strengthen international cooperation to ensure more relevant and effective training

According to Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Head of VNAT, roughly 600 vocational training teachers, including hospitality teaching staff, have been sent to Australia for training.

Dr Nguyen Duc Tri from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics said the institution has fostered cooperation with universities from the Netherlands, France and Switzerland to learn from their training experience and improve the quality of teaching.

It has also applied a hands-on and internship training method to ensure more relevant training services.

The tourism sector has been developing a set of Vietnam Tourism Occupational Standards (VTOS) to ensure Vietnamese labourers are qualified to be employed by enterprises from ASEAN or even Europe.

According to Tran Hung Viet, General Director of Saigontourist, the VTOS has created opportunities for Vietnamese labourers to enter the international labour market.

Numerous Vietnamese labourers have worked as receptionists and in customer services at high end cruise ships and hotels run by international enterprises, Viet said.

However, the average quality of domestic tourism workforce remains low, with just 57 percent able to use foreign languages.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Once formed, the ASEAN Community will create a market of more than 600 million people with a combined GDP of more than 2 trillion USD.

Seas and islands showcased in Hai Phong

The Vietnam News Agency in collaboration with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the northern city of Hai Phong has organised the photo exhibition "Vietnam Seas and Islands – History, Potential and Development".

The event celebrates the 71st founding anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army, as well as the 26th All People's Defence Festival on December 22.

Nearly 100 photos, maps and valuable materials are displayed, including some official administrative papers from kings of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) that prove Vietnam's sovereignty over seas and islands, especially the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) islands.

The exhibition highlights the potential of Vietnamese marine resources in social and economic development, as well as the achievements of the army and people in the fields of politics, economics, culture, society, security and national defence.

In addition, it is also a message for officers, soldiers and civilians to have a deep awareness of the significance and importance of the national seas and islands, and to always maintain the spirit of protecting the country's sovereignty.

The exhibition runs until December 25 at the Hai Phong Fine Art Exhibition Centre.

Hanoi orphans receive New Year gifts from Azerbaijani Embassy

The Azerbaijani Embassy has presented New Year gifts to orphans in Hanoi, the Quan doi Nhan dan (People’s Army) daily reported.

Embassy staff visited the Birla Children’s Village in Cau Giay district and presented gifts, including toys and candy, to more than 130 orphans aged between 1 and 18.

Director of the village Chu Dinh Diep thanked the embassy and said its efforts were significant to the children.

The Azerbaijani Embassy has engaged in a number of charitable activities targeting less privileged children in Hanoi over the last couple of years.

Vietnam and Azerbaijan set up their diplomatic relationship in September 1992, and the embassy was opened in Hanoi in 2013.

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