Biggest village entrance in Vietnam’s Nghe An Province inaugurated

Authorities in a village situated in the north-central Vietnamese province of Nghe An have recently opened the province’s biggest village entrance with total expenses estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Officials in Quynh Doi Commune, Quynh Luu District have finished the inauguration ceremony for a brand new entrance to the village, according to Ho Quang Tuan, chairman of the Quynh Doi People’s Committee.

The construction covers a total area of 3,000 square meters, with the highest point 14 meters tall and the widest point 22 meters across.

The village entrance consists of one main gate, 6.9 meters high and seven meters wide, and two smaller side doors.

From outside the village, the entrance reads ‘Quynh Doi Village’ while people standing inside the rural area see large text reading ‘Khai Co 1378,’ signifying the year the village was established.

The village entrance is also the gate to Quynh Doi Commune as the locality only comprises one village, Chairman Tuan explained, adding that this is considered the largest village entry in Nghe An.

“The total budget for the building of this entrance was recorded at nearly VND3 billion [$134,040], which was bankrolled by villagers working away from their hometown. Construction started about a year ago,” the chairman said.

Quynh Doi Commune, located three kilometers east of National Highway 1, is home to about 1,400 households and 5,000 people.

The per capita income of the locality in 2015 was VND30.5 million ($1,362.7) a year, higher than the average amount of Quynh Luu District.

Serving as more than just an entrance and exit, village gates in Vietnam were once considered a part of the defense against intruders in ancient times and have become a symbol of art and history in modern times.

First death caused by meningitis confirmed

The Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health yesterday confirmed the first death because of meningitis.

A 18 year old girl Do Thi Xuyen in the northern province of Hai Duong died of meningococcal disease, a contagious disease caused by the Neisseria meningitis bacterium.

Xuyen had slight fever and headache on Feb, 20th and she was taken to the province hospital for emergency after she fell down in toilet. In the hospital she was bleeding and immediately transferred to the Military Hospital 108.

The girl showed more serious symptoms of infection shock, respiratory failure and bleeding disorder.

Tests showed that she had a blood infection and meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis. She died on February 22 at Military Hospital 108.

Right after verifying the cause of her death, the province’s Center of Preventive Medicine sent its staffs to monitor her relatives and those who contacted her including her classmates and these people taking care of her in hospitals. The local government and school leaders were informed the death of meningitis, situation and the way of transmitting the disease.

Medical staffs from the Center of Preventive Medicine instructed her neighbors to practice personal hygiene and take measures for disease prevention, such as regular washing of hands with soap and cleaning of living areas.

Medical workers warned that anyone who has high fever, headache and runny nose should immediately visit the nearest hospital for examination.

Health experts said meningococcal disease is spread by person-to-person contact through respiratory droplets from infected victims. Symptoms include stiff neck, high fever and rashes all over the body. The disease is considered dangerous because the onset of symptoms is sudden and death can follow within hours.

Ha Noi to widen NH 21

The vice-chairman of Ha Noi people's committee has approved a project to upgrade and widen National Highway 21 that runs through the city.

The 29.5km road stretches from Son Tay to Xuan Mai towns.

The project will be implemented under a BOT (build-operate-transfer) model, with an estimated investment of nearly VND7.6 trillion (US$338.6 million).

The construction will be divided into two phases. The first phase in the 2016-18 period will see the construction of four 24m-wide lanes that will become operational in 2019.

The second phase will see the construction of six 44m-wide lanes from 2019 to 2022, which will open to traffic by 2023.

The designated speed limit will be 80km per hour.

The project will use about 34.7ha of land. It is expected to improve travel conditions on National Highway 21 and promote the effectiveness of Thang Long Avenue, National Highway 32, contributing to the development of society and the economy.

The investor will collect toll to recover its capital in 24 years and five months.

New technical standard for raw milk in June

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will soon issue a national technical standard for raw milk, an official said.

Cao Duc Phat, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said at a meeting with TH True Milk Corporation in Ha Noi on Tuesday that he had asked the Department of Livestock Production to submit a national technical standard for raw milk for approval by June this year.

Phat said the issuance of the standard will not facilitate the school milk programme but also promote domestic dairy production.

The school milk programme is meaningful as it helps in improving and enhancing Vietnamese children's stature and intelligence.

The agriculture ministry will co-ordinate with the Ministry of Health and relevant agencies in issuing mechanisms to push up the programme with a pilot programme in Nghe An Province and then expanding to other provinces and cities.

At the meeting, participants addressed obstacles relating to mechanism and financial resource for school milk programme implementation and proposed solutions to push up the programme.

Thai Huong, chairwoman of TH True Milk Group, suggested that it was necessary to make clear the difference between the concept of sterilised fresh milk and reconstituted milk. This would not only benefit consumers a lot and improve the stature of Vietnamese children in the future but also create favourable conditions for enterprises when investing in the agricultural sector in general and the dairy industry in particular.

Nguyen Quang Thao, head of Food Security and Hygienic Department, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, urged the Ministry of Health to clarify the concepts so that consumers can choose the right products.

Japan engineering firm eyes int’l hospital construction in Danang

Japan engineering giant JGC proposed building an international hospital specializing in neurosurgery in central Danang City at a working session with municipal leaders on February 24.

JGC representatives said the new 50-bed hospital to be quipped with modern facilities will be able to meet the locals’ demand for healthcare check-ups and neurosurgery treatment.

They also underlined the high feasibility of the project as a similar project is underway in Cambodia.

Chairman of the City People’s Committee Huynh Duc Tho agreed with the JGC proposal and urged relevant agencies to work together with JGC on the project.

Tho said he hoped Danang will have a new private-public medical centre aiming to improve the quality of local healthcare services.

Child helmet use increases 11 percent

The helmet use rate of children in Vietnam increased 11 percent from 36 percent in March 2014 to 47 percent in December last year, as heard in the year-end review of the National Child Helmet Action Plan on February 24.

The review conference was organised in Hanoi by the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC), National Traffic Police (C67), the Ministry of Education and Training, and the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to preventing road injuries and fatalities in low and middle-income countries.

According to the NTSC, in 2015, more than 11,800 violations of the helmet wearing code were fined 1 billion VND (44,690 USD), and nearly 320 motorbikes and motor-bicycles were seized.

Last year, the number of road accidents involving children aged 6-11 decreased 39.4 percent compared to the same period in 2014, the committee announced.

The conference was a platform for delegates from the government agencies to discuss key results and share their experience after one year of the action plan’s implementation.

They also proposed ways to develop the plan for the upcoming period between 2016 and 2020.

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training Nguyen Hiep Thong urged for more involvement by parents in increasing the number of children wearing helmets. Parents should remind their children to routinely use helmets, as they would ask them to brush their teeth daily, he said.

The National Child Helmet Action Plan was launched in January 2015 to increase the rate of children wearing motorcycle helmets through improving police enforcement, school-based education and public campaigns.

The NTSC also initiated a campaign to provide free standard helmets for children and impoverished people nationwide in May last year. After six months, about 20 organisations and businesses had donated 100,000 helmets, worth 21 billion VND (938,500 USD), to the campaign.

Japanese cherry trees take root in Da Nang

The central city of Da Nang received 100 cherry trees as a gift from the Japan Sakura (cherry blossom) Exchange Association on February 24, the Quan doi Nhan dan (People’s Army) daily reported.

Fifty cherry blossom branches will also be delivered to Da Nang on a direct flight from Japan’s Narita city on April 8, one day ahead of the first-ever cherry blossom festival in the Vietnamese city.

The two-day festival aims to tighten relations between Da Nang and Japan.

This year, Da Nang is set to build a Vietnam – Japan exchange centre and open two high-end hotels invested by Japanese entrepreneurs.

It will also launch a boat tour from Da Nang Bay through the Co Co River to Hoi An in neighbouring Quang Nam province, retracing the two countries’ old trade route.

Dry weather raises fire alert across nation

Prolonged dry weather has raised the risk of forest fires to extremely high levels across the country, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department for Forest Protection.

Fire risks are especially high in the central region, the Central Highlands and southern provinces, which have seen little rainfall over recent months.

According to the department, the highest fire risks were in the provinces of Lam Dong, Tay Ninh, Khanh Khoa, Gia Lai, Dong Nai, An Giang, Binh Phuoc, Ba Ria Vung Tau, Ca Mau, Long An and Ninh Thuan.

The agency urged localities to implement preventive measures and be prepared to tackle forest fires by using on-site resources to ensure minimum damage.

Localities also need to increase patrols of the forests while instructing local residents to cultivate them in a safe manner.

Hanoi leader welcomes Mormon Church representatives

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung hosted a reception for a delegation from the US’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) led by President Gary E. Stevenson in Hanoi on February 24.

The host affirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State as well as the municipal authorities always facilitate operation and development of all religions.

He attributed Hanoi’s increasing development to contributions of religious followers, including those from the Church.

Chung said he hopes Stevenson, with his prestige, will continue to guide the followers of the Church to practice their religious activities in accordance with Vietnam’s policies and law, contributing to the city’s development.

For his part, Stevenson said that this is the first time he has visited Vietnam, sharing his impression of Hanoi’s beauty.

He said the Mormon Church is an international religious organisation and its followers are always directed to become good citizens and abide by policies of their local communities.

Established in the US in the early 19th century, the Mormon Church was introduced in Vietnam in 1962. However, in 1975 it suspended its operation in the country for 20 years. Since resuming its activities in 1995, it has gathered a large number of followers, mostly in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Project to upgrade infrastructure in Mekong Delta localities

The Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region held a meeting on February 24 with leaders of Can Tho city and An Giang and Kien Giang provinces to step up the implementation of a project on building infrastructure serving agricultural restructuring in the Long Xuyen Quadrangle.

The Long Xuyen Quadrangle, which contains the three localities, has a total farming land area of around 350,000 hectares, accounting for one fourth of the Mekong Delta’s total area.

Irrigation works have greatly benefited the region in controlling floods and saltwater intrusion for years. However, they are poorly maintained and not suitable for the current conditions of a decrease in floods and severe drought and saline intrusion.

Nguyen Phong Quang, permanent deputy head of the Steering Committee, said that the project is of significance as it can help cope with floods and saltwater intrusion, as well as develop the transport system and agricultural production in the context of international economic integration.

The Government assigned the Steering Committee and Can Tho, An Giang and Kien Giang to promptly work on the project to submit it to relevant ministries and agencies on March 10.

RoK-funded vocational training centre inaugurated in Hanoi

The Hyundai Motor Group from the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) on February 24 inaugurated a automobile engineering and construction workshop inside the Hanoi Industrial Vocational College .

The workshop is part of the Hyundai-Koica Dream Center project worth nearly 40 billion VND (1.77 million USD), which aims to provide vocational training for disadvantaged youths in Hanoi.

With a total investment capital of 12 billion VND (530,000 USD) funded by the Hyundai Motor Group, the facility is equipped with modern gears to provide students with professional knowledge and help them become high-quality workers.

After finishing vocational training courses, students will have opportunities to work in Hyundai’s factories in Vietnam and the RoK.

The Hyundai-Koica Dream Center, funded by the Hyundai Motor Group and Hyundai E&C, demonstrates the commitment to social responsibility of enterprises and groups in Vietnam.

Hanoi grows more Japan-presented cherries

Beautiful Japanese cherry trees were planted at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics in Hanoi on February 24.

The trees were presented by the Japan – Vietnam Friendship Association’s chapter in the Chukyo region of Japan.

Director General of the Academy Ta Ngoc Tan said the cherry is not only the symbol of Japan but also of friendship between the country and peace-loving friends around the world, including Vietnam.

He added that many Vietnamese people love Japanese cherries as they love Japanese culture and its people.

The presence of this tree at the academy illustrates the friendship and all-around cooperation between the two countries and peoples, he said.

Consul at the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam Jimbo Satoshi said he hopes the cultivation of Japanese cherries in Vietnam will help to develop friendly bilateral relations.

President of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association’s chapter in Chukyo region Maeda Toshimichi said the Japanese project to grow cherries in Vietnam has been on-going since 2012, and so far around 2,500 trees have been presented to the Southeast Asian country.

Hanoi keen to expand methadone treatment for addicts

Hanoi aims to provide methadone treatment for 8,500 drug addicts across the city in 2016.

Other targets include getting nearly 800 addicts under compulsory drug detoxification, with more than half of them new to treatment, and about 2,800 others will voluntarily undergo drug detoxification at local centres or their home.

Vocational training will be provided for hundreds of post-detoxification addicts, while staff at all levels will receive training to expand their capacity.

The city also plans to mobilise different resources for the work, while strengthening its monitoring and supervision of the implementation and management of drug detoxification.

Relevant bodies and sectors will promote communication campaigns to raise public awareness of drug addiction and the detoxification process.

Hanoi is home to approximately 16,000 drug addicts. The locality has encouraged addicts to join the local voluntary drug detoxification centres and use methadone treatment.

The methadone treatment programme was initially piloted in Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City in 2008 and then expanded to a national scale.

After a 12-month treatment course, the percentage of patients at a high risk of depression drops to 15 percent from 80 percent. Many gain weight and see their physical and mental health stabilise. Meanwhile, the crime rate amongst drug users sinks to 1.3 percent from 40.8 percent, according to the Ministry of Health.

The medication has saved over 1 trillion VND (47.6 million USD) per year for 13,000 addicts in 11 cities and provinces, as a drug user may spend 230,000 VND (10 USD) on heroin a day, meaning nearly 84 million VND (4,000 USD) a year.

Fatherland Front leader fosters safe agricultural production

A cross-sector delegation led by President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Nguyen Thien Nhan on February 23 visited the northern province of Ha Nam to encourage safe agricultural production.

During a field trip to several agricultural production models with high safety ratings, the VFF President stressed the need for the agricultural sector to apply advanced technology in production to boost its exports.

Provincial Party Committee Secretary Mai Tien Dung highlighted the significant role of clean agricultural development in building new-style rural areas.

The locality has taken numerous efforts to facilitate agricultural development, with a focus on clean agricultural production and environmental protection for public health, Dung said.

According to Dung, thousands of households have engaged in safe agricultural production while growing mushrooms, raising dairy cows and feeding animals.

Additionally, the province has put investment into building a safe pig supply market in Boi Cau, Binh Luc district, providing nearly 4,000 pigs per day for nearby areas, including Hanoi.

Land and tax incentives have been offered in a bid to draw foreign investors, particularly those from Japan.

They are expected to invest in key agricultural production areas, involving local residents in the production chain and providing safe products for export and local consumption, Dung added.

VFF President Nhan hailed local efforts to involve all people in building the new-style rural areas and producing safe agricultural products.

He urged the locality to develop brand names for local agricultural products and strengthen its supervision of the local products’ quality in a bid to win consumers’ trust.

Communication work should be enhanced to raise awareness about safe food and agricultural products among farmers and consumers, he said.

Gifts come to disadvantaged children

Chief Representative of the UN Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in Vietnam Youssouf Abdel Jelil visited Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin victims in the central city of Da Nang on February 23.

He said the UN agency will continue to meet with the victims and support the AO/Dioxin victims’ association in Da Nang.

Association Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Hien said Da Nang is now home to more than 5,000 children exposed to the toxic chemical, 1,400 of whom were born deformed.

The same day, an association that sponsors poor patients in the southwestern region on February 23 presented gift packages to needy people in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

Deputy head of the permanent Steering Committee for the region Nguyen Phong Quang said the association has helped low-income families build more than 400 houses and financed heart surgeries for hundreds of underprivileged children.

In 2016, the association will continue with these charitable activities, and call upon sponsors to deliver free milk to malnourished children and assist poor students financially.

Dutch experts help Mekong Delta be resilient to climate change

Experienced Dutch specialists are joining their Vietnamese peers at a two-day conference in Can Tho city to outline solutions and build plans to adapt the Mekong Delta to climate change.

At the function that began on February 23, they are set to give an insight into the Mekong Delta Plan (MDP) and the Netherlands’s experience, discuss ways to apply those experience in the Mekong Delta and make recommendations on dealing with related issues.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Chu Pham Ngoc Hien said the Mekong Delta is currently feeling the force of climate change, along with the impact of dam building and unsustainable water use in the upper Mekong River.

He cited saltwater intrusion as an example. Saltwater has affected almost 700,000 ha of the Delta’s 1.7 million ha of farmland.

If the sea level rises by one metre and Vietnam lacks proper responsive solutions, 40 percent of the Mekong Delta’s area will be flooded by the end of this century, directly affecting nearly 55 percent of the region’s population, he noted.

The Mekong Delta Plan (MDP) was designed within the strategic partnership on climate change response and water management between the Vietnamese and Dutch Governments. It focuses on climate change adaptation, enhancement of the Mekong Delta’s resilience and promotion of local residents’ livelihoods.

Hien said the Netherlands is experienced in coping with climate change, and learning from such expertise is important to making development plans for the Mekong Delta.

Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Catharina Nienke Trooster underlined the close cooperation between Vietnam and her country in climate change response and water management. Deltas with great biodiversity have significant influence on agricultural production countries like Vietnam. The Netherlands’s experience in preventing land from sinking into the sea is applicable to the Southeast Asian nation, she added.-

NA deputies debate Law on Pharmacy

Discussions on whether the national health sector should continue to issue permanent pharmaceutical practice certificates for pharmacists or renew the certificates every five years warmed up the National Assembly Standing Committee's session yesterday on a draft amendment to the Law on Pharmacy.

The administrative procedures would be burdensome if pharmacists had to go to administrative agencies to get their certificates extended every five years, said Deputy Nguyen Van Hien, chairman of the National Assembly (NA)'s Justice Committee.

"I think permanent pharmaceutical practice certificates are more suitable," he said. "If it's worried about pharmacists' qualifications, the health sector could conduct periodic tests."

NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung added that it would be unwise to complicate the process by making pharmacists reapply, since the country was working on simplifying administrative procedures.

However, Hung ordered the health sector to conduct more inspections on the quality of drugs and drug stores to ensure customers have access to the best quality medication possible.

In the meantime, NA Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu said the Ministry of Health – the agency to compile the draft amendment – needed to provide the deputies more detailed information on the strengths and weaknesses of the two options.

Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong said the question would be submitted to the National Assembly's upcoming session for a final decision.

Deputies also debated a draft resolution on the structure and function of the NA's Ombudsman Committee, a body under the NA Standing Committee that works to protect citizens' rights and resolve civil complaints.

The draft resolution would establish a new department under the Ombudsman Committee to help the committee in processing papers.

Deputy Phan Trung Ly, head of the NA Law Committee, said many in his committee disagreed with the proposal.

"This doesn't fit with our current policy of staff downsizing," he said.

Deputy Nguyen Van Hien, chairman of the NA Justice Committee, said the reasoning behind the establishment was unconvincing.

Concluding the session, NA Vice Chairperson Uong Chu Luu said the NA Standing Committee disapproved of the proposal.

Urethral stricture most often goes untreated in Viet Nam

Urethral stricture is a common disease in Viet Nam that affects mainly men, often after motorbike accidents.

A 28-year-old male patient from the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, for example, was diagnosed with acute urinary retention after a traffic accident.

He was hospitalised at Binh Dan Hospital's Urology Ward for treatment and his surgery was performed yesterday to remove the diseased section and rebuild the urethra.

Dr Do Lenh Hung, the ward's head, said that traffic accidents were one of the main causes of urethral stricture in Viet Nam.

On average, the ward admits at least four or five patients with the problem each week.

Many of the patients are not aware of the disease, Hung said, adding that they also do not know where to go to get the best diagnosis and treatment.

Hung said that men in particular were reluctant to go to hospital for examination if they have problems with urination.

"The ward admits many patients with the disease who have had failed surgeries. This causes difficulties in treatment if they are brought to the ward for surgery again," he said.

If patients get the correct diagnosis and treatment, the rate of success is very high, up to 98-100 per cent, according to Hung.

For instance, the disease BXO is a skin disease which can cause severe pan-urethral stricture, but several hospitals only cut the skin covering the head of the penis. This is an incomplete treatment and is difficult to treat at a later date.

Hung said that sexually transmitted infections and procedures that place a tube into the urethra could also cause urethral stricture.

Communication about urethral stricture was necessary to improve awareness in the community, he said, adding that the hospital's ward planned to organise workshops to provide free counselling and treatment to residents with the disorder.

The ward would also continue to work with doctors at University of California in the US to open training workshops in advanced techniques for its doctors and others at hospitals in Viet Nam, including HCM City.

If patients with the disease received the right treatment, their quality of life would improve, Hung said and adding that the urethral stricture can not recur easily.

He said that many patients who are diagnosed after being involved in traffic accidents were of working age.

"A catheter is attached to the patient for a long period, sometimes for more than 10 years," he said.

Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Tam, head of the urology ward at Xuyen A General Hospital, added that because of this high recurrence rate, hospitals without doctors with the professional expertise and equipment for treatment of urethral strictures were reluctant to admit such patients.

According to him, kidney and bladder complications could occur if urethral stricture was not treated properly.

Patients, especially the elderly, often mistake the symptoms simply to aging and do not visit the doctor, Tam said.

"Anyone can get the disease," he said.

Hung said that people who have disorders related to urination should go to a hospital with a urology ward, where there are experts who are well trained in this field. They could offer the right diagnosis and treatment.

Investment proposed to upgrade NH 12B

The project management board of the Ho Chi Minh Road has asked the transport ministry for approval to invest more than VND1,178 billion (US$52.6 million) to upgrade the National Highway 12B (NH 12B).

The approval is for two stretches of the highway which extend from Tam Diep to Nho Quan.

The investment capital is taken from the remaining amount of government bonds from the improvement projects for National Highway 1A (NH 1A) and the Tâay Nguyen stretch of NH 12B.

NH 12B, which connects NH 1A and the Ho Chi Minh Road, serves to rescue people from floods during the monsoon season, as well as preventing fires in Cuc Phuong national forest and ensuring national security of the north-western areas, Duong Ho Minh, vice president of the board said.

However, as the number of vehicles on NH 1A and the Ho Chi Minh Road constantly increases, several stretches of NH 12B are not capable of accommodating their traffic movement since the highway is only 5 metres to 5.5 metres wide with major damage to the surface.

"Upgrading NH 12B will reduce traffic congestion and make greater ease of movement for vehicles on NH 1A and the Ho Chi Minh road, especially during the annual festive season," Minh said.

The two stretches of NH 12B, which need upgrading, have a total length of 35 kilometres (km).

The first stretch (Tam Diep – Nho Quan) extends from Km0+000 (in the intersection with NH 1A) to Km30+640 (on the boundary between Ninh Binh and Hoa Binh).

The second stretch extends from Km26+500 to Km29+800 of NH 12B.

The stretches will be upgraded to level 3 of urban roads with a width of 7 metres, capable of accommodating vehicles running at speeds between 60km/h and 80km/h.

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