Hanoi: Waste treatment plants to be operational in 2015

A number of waste treatment plants in Hanoi’s outlying districts of Dan Phuong, Phu Xuyen, My Duc, Ba Vi and Soc Son are expected to be operational this year.

Notably, the 73ha Nam Son Waste Treatment Complex (Phase II) in Soc Son district will be put into operation in April.

According to Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Vu Hong Khanh, the city will discharge an estimated 8,500 tonnes of solid waste a day by 2020 and 11,300 tonnes by 2030.

To treat the waste, the city authorities have zoned off areas for solid waste treatment by 2030. Under the Prime Minister-approved planning, Hanoi will have 17 waste treatment plants by 2030, including eight expanded and nine newly-built ones.

There are currently nine enterprises collecting and processing household waste in the city. Most of the waste is treated using several methods such as burying and burning.

Around 5,400 tonnes of waste are discharged each day in Hanoi.

Rail discounts given to worthy passengers

Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, war invalids, dioxin victims, former revolutionary fighters and the disabled can now avail various discounts while purchasing railway tickets, as per a government decree passed today.

The railway discounts will vary from 30 to 90 per cent, depending on who is buying the ticket.

Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, former revolutionary fighters are entitled to a 90 per cent discount, while war invalids, dioxin victims and the disabled will be entitled to a 30 per cent discount.

A maximum of two children, aged below six, may also ride the train free of charge.

Thieves empty HCM City ATM machine

Thieves broke into an Agribank ATM in District 12, HCM City yesterday and stole VND1 billion (US$48,000), according to police.

Bank workers noticed the ATM had been damaged and contacted the police. Security cameras revealed footage of heavy smoke billowing from the machine at around three o'clock in the morning.

Police are hunting down the suspects.

Two-day-old cured of rare heart disorder

The Hue Central Hospital in Thua Thien Hue Province diagnosed and rescued a two-day-old boy suffering a rare heart condition after being hospitalised on February 14.

The baby was born at Da Nang Obstetrics Hospital in the neighbouring province with difficulty in breathing and his body was darkening in colour.

After transfer to Hue Central Hospital, he was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries, a rare condition which requires urgent surgery to put the arteries in the right positions.

Nguyen Tat Dung, the physician who performed the anesthesia for the baby, said that the survival rate for babies found with the condition upon delivery was just 20 to 30 per 100,000 cases.

By Tuesday afternoon, 10 days into intensive care, the boy had recovered and could be fed milk, said Asso.Prof. Dang The Uyen, head of the hospital's ward for cardiovascular anesthesia.

Parking lots raise prices over the holiday season

During the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, parking lots at tourism and relic sites in Ha Noi dramatically hiked their parking fees by from three to five times the government regulated prices, leaving many visitors feeling cheated.

A correspondent of the online newspaper Dan tri's reported that parking lots at the Tay Ho Temple in the Quang An ward had parking fees of VND10,000 per motorbike but the regulated prices of the municipal People's Committee is VND3,000.

The prices for automobile parking were VND70,000, almost three times the regulated price of VND25,000.

To avoid suspicious visitors, motorbike guards did not use the parking ticket forms released by the Ha Noi People's Committee; they made their own parking tickets marked up with their higher prices.

Tran Thi Mai, 52, a resident in Cau Giay District, said that when she questioned the vehicle guards about the prices they told her that if she didn't want to pay she could park her bike wherever she wanted, just not in their lots.

"I did not want to quarrel with them, so I had to agree," she said.

Similarly, at the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu), the prices for automobile parking was VND50,000.

In HCM City, illegally hiked parking fees were managed well, said local authorities.

Trinh Phuong Thai, director of the Public Services Company under the Voluntary Youth Benefit Service Co Ltd, said that the company set up nearly 70 parking lots in the city with 900 guards.

All of the lots put up price signs in accord with the municipal People's Committee's price.

Le Truong Hai Hieu, deputy chairman of the District 1 People's Committee, said that on February 16 the district set up an inspection team to

check more than 20 parking lots in the area. Five parking lots were found with raised prices of VND10,000 for motorbikes and were fined. 

Ministries work to ensure traffic safety during spring festivals

The National Committee for Traffic Safety and local ministries must take drastic measures to ensure traffic safety and order during spring festivals.

The Ministry of Public Security is to strictly handle traffic law violations including speeding, driving in the wrong lane, and driving under the influence of alcohol.

The Ministry of Transport is to tighten the management of transport business activities at railway stations, car depots, and ports, while working with localities to address cases reported by local residents through hotlines in a timely fashion.

The Ministry of Information and Communication directed press agencies to enhance communications campaigns designed to reduce traffic accidents and popularise traffic regulations.

Traffic police forces will focus on key highways, especially those in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City , and enact measures to regulate traffic flows and ease congestion.

Local Departments of Transport and the festival organisation boards were asked to increase the frequency of bus and coach services for festival attendees.

The National Committee for Traffic Safety will send inspection teams to examine localities with an increasing number of fatal traffic accidents.

From December 16, 2014 to February 15, 2015, the country reported 4,115 traffic accidents, leaving 1,567 dead and 3,771 injured.

The figures represent an annual decline of 14.7 percent in traffic incidents, 13.81 percent in the number of fatalities, and 20.46 percent in the number of injured.

During the nine-day Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, as many as 536 traffic accidents occurred nationwide, killing 317 people and injuring 509 others.

Trees planted on Truong Sa archipelago

Residents and soldiers in Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelagos planted 100 trees on February 23 (the fifth day of Lunar New Year).

The event was one of many annual activities during the festive season, Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper reported.

Pham Van Hoa, Chairman of Truong Sa Town's People's Committee under Khanh Hoa province's Truong Sa district, said most of the trees could survive harsh weather.

Local residents have also planted thousands of new trees on the islands after a campaign was launched by the local authorities.-

 HCMC to complete traffic projects this year

Ho Chi Minh City is scheduled to start building new traffic projects and complete a number of others in 2015.

They include a Y-shaped flyover project at Go Vap crossroads that will be built this year. The main section of the overpass will begin from Nguyen Oanh and end in Nguyen Kiem Street. An additional section will run from Pham Ngu Lao Street to Nguyen Oanh.

The 6-12m wide flyover project will break ground in March and complete within six months to open for traffic on the National Day, September 2. Total investment capital is estimated at VND405.7 billion (US$19.07 million) with VND247 billion to come from the city’s budget. It is expected reduce traffic jam in the area during rush hours.

A tunnel project is also planned at An Suong crossroads in District 12. The twin tunnel connecting Truong Chinh Street up to Highway 22 will have a total investment capital of VND448 billion (US$20.06 million) from the city’s budget.

A road project linking Ba Chiem Bridge and Hiep Phuoc Industrial Zone in Nha Be District has also been scheduled. It will permit vehicles to travel at 80 kilometers an hour.

The 2.16 kilometer road will include Sa Sap Bridge, which has broken ground and is expected to be built by April before the Reunification Day and May Day holidays. Other items will start construction this year. Total investment capital for the project will be VND412 billion (US$19.36 million). Of these construction costs will occupy VND313 billion.

Another VND65 billion (US$3.05 million) project to upgrade 1.65km of Highway 50 has begun in January and is scheduled to complete by the second quarter. It will be broadened up to 15 kilometers in width along with drainage system.

In addition, the city have planned other projects to build Kenh Lo Bridge in Nha Be District, upgrade Highway 1A in Binh Chanh District, tarmac Nguyen Van Linh Street, broaden Road 10 in Binh Chanh and Binh Tan District.

Tay Ninh provides buildings to local Cao Dai Church

Authorities in southern Tay Ninh province handed down the decision made by the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee to deliver three facilities to the Cao Dai Tay Ninh Church in Hoa Thanh district on February 25.

The facilities include the Tay Ninh Hospital of Traditional Medicine (20,000 square metres), the provincial oriental Chinese Medicine Association building (5,000 square metres) and the provincial Culture Hall for Children (56,000 square metres).

Monsignor Thuong Tam Thanh, Head of the Sacerdotal Council of the Cao Dai Tay Ninh Church, said they will manage, maintain and upgrade the facilities to serve the faith practice and develop spiritual tourism.

Previously, the locality donated other facilities to the Church for charitable and religious activities.-

Annual blood donation festival to be launched

The Xuan Hong (Red Spring) Blood Donation Festival 2015 will be held at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on March 8.

Nguyen Anh Tri, Director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, highlighted the drive at a voluntary blood donation festival on February 24 to kick-start the annual event nationwide.

He expressed his hope that the initiative will get warm response from agencies and individuals to save more lives.

Over the past 10 years, many lives have been saved by 6.4 million units of blood collected from donors.-

Localities urged to enhance disease prevention

The Ministry of Public Health has requested People’s Committees in provinces and cities across the country to intensify disease prevention efforts after the Lunar New Year (Tet) and during the 2015 festival season in response to a recent Government directive.

Local health departments were asked to enhance community surveillance of respiratory and airborne diseases, especially the flu from poultry to humans, measles, whooping cough and varicella and limit the spread of any occurrences.

Health examination and treatment centres must prepare to receive patients, provide emergency aid and treat, avoid shifting patients to higher-level medical units whenever possible, and set up isolation areas to limit contagion.

Localities will strengthen and expand national inoculation programmes, especially the measles-rubella and whooping cough vaccine.

Simultaneously, the departments of agriculture and rural development have been ordered to closely monitor the situation and eradicate any bird flu hotbeds, including reporting to the health sector to implement joint measures when necessary.

They will also enhance sanitation and decontamination to contain the spread of avian flu viruses.

Interdisciplinary task forces will work to inspect and manage disease prevention, vaccination and food safety in the coming time.

Binh Dinh to improve health care

An additional 551 hospital beds will become available in central Binh Dinh province within the first quarter of 2015.

The added facilities include 300 beds at a new treatment area of the provincial general hospital and 251 beds at a medical centre in Quy Nhon city.

This year, Binh Dinh has requested the Government investment in the construction of a 400-bed obstetric establishment and a 700-bed general hospital.

The province has also worked to improve treatment quality and implement a number of medical projects, including a project on health insurance for local residents.

Binh Dinh currently has 3,430 beds available, amounting to 22.2 beds per 10,000 locals.-

Free health check-ups for the poor

As many as 700 impoverished individuals, war veterans and orphans in two communes of the Phuc Tho district in Hanoi received free health check-ups thanks to a campaign from February 25-26.

The drive was jointly organized by the Labour Union of the Vietnam News Agency, the Vietnam Young Doctors’ Association, the Daham Voluntary Association of the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the Vietnam-Korea Friendship Association (VKFA).

Speaking at the campaign’s opening, Chairman of the VKFA Dang Hoang Can said bilateral ties between Vietnam and the RoK have strengthened across sectors, as have people-to-people exchange activities.

Cultural and social welfare activities of voluntary organizations have contributed significantly to the traditional friendship of the two nations, he added.

Secretary of Phuc Tho district’s Party Committee Ngo Duy Hieu said the programme reflects the close relationship between the people of Vietnam and the RoK.

The event is a regular activity of the Vietnam News Agency’s Labour Union to offer a helping hand to impoverished households and disadvantaged children.

Dak Lak takes measures to prevent forest fires in 2015

The Central Highlands province of Dak Lak has taken a host of measures to prevent forest fires as the dry season has arrived.

According to the province’s forest management department, its units and local governments have put in place emergency response plans and constructed fire preventive works such as fire-isolating roads, warning signs and fire watching towers.

Forest rangers are also on duty around the clock while working closely with local authorities to spread the message among local populations.

The province also cements more than 700 forest development units and forest protection squads. It also persuades ethnic minority households living close to forest to commit themselves to obeying forest protection regulations.

Dak Lak currently has 507,274 hectares of forest, of which 300,000 hectares are covered by highly flammable tree species such as Dipterocarpaceae and bamboo.

No forest fire has been recorded so far this year.-

Cao Dai Church holds exhibition on Supreme Being day

The Church of Cao Dai in the southern province of Tay Ninh on February 26 opened an exhibition on its origin, history of development and legends on the Supreme Being Grand Ritual day (the 8th day of the first month of the lunar year).

Monsignor Thuong Tam Thanh, Chief of the Cao Dai Tay Ninh Church’s Executive Council , expressed his thanks to the Party, the State and the local government for creating favourable conditions for the church to organise religious activities.

The dignitary took the occasion to introduce the content and significance of the 29 booths at the exhibition, which were run by 29 parishes from all over the country. He said the display demonstrates the followers’ heart to God and Goddess, promoting the morally right actions to contribute to building a life of prosperity and happiness.

The church, also called Dai Dao Tam Ky Pho Do (The Great Faith of the Third Universal Redemption) , was founded in 1924 in Tay Ninh and it has to date attracted millions of followers.

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