Dak Lak: Children with disabilities helped integrate into community

Around 1,100–1,900 children in five districts of the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak are benefited from a project of early childhood intervention and education for children with disabilities every year, according to the provincial Department of Education and Training.

The project funded by the Netherlands–Vietnam Medical Committee is carried out in Prong Pak, Cu M’gar, Krong Bong, Lak and Buon Ma Thuat city.

Since 1999, the committee has provided the Dac Lak education sector with 4.1 billion VND (192,000 USD) to raise the public awareness, improve professional capacity for benefitted units, strengthen management capacity, provide facilities and teaching tools, and support vocational training activities for children with disabilities.

Thanks to the project, a number of managers and teachers in charge of caring those children were given training, and public awareness of education for disabled children was raised, helping detect children with disabilities at early age and provide early intervention for them.

There are about 3,000 children with disabilities aged between 1 and 16 years old in Dak Lak province. Of them, 2,000 are detected at early age and have access to education.

Regional committee presents gifts to Lai Chau people

A delegation of officials from the Steering Committee for Northwestern Region visited and presented gifts to policy beneficiaries and poor households in difficult communes in Sin Ho border district, northern Lai Chau province, on December 27.

Deputy head of the committee Truong Xuan Cu Cu, who led the delegation, encouraged the local people to overcome their difficulties, and expressed his belief that they will gain a better life by changing from old farming habits to new ones that apply advanced technologies.

Sin Ho is a mountainous district where is mainly populated by ethnic minority people, such as Mong, Thai and Dao groups, with low living condition and educational level.

Insurance cover to reach 67.9 million people in 2015

As many as 64.2 million people nationwide were covered by social and health insurance in 2014, up 3.7 percent over a year ago, reported the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) during a press conference on December 26.

Insurance premium revenue also rose, estimated to reach 193.8 trillion VND (9.1 billion USD), a rise of 17.8 percent year on year, equivalent to 100.25 percent of the plan set by the Government, according to the VSS.

However, the VSS managers pointed out that in spite of an increase in the participant number, the figures remained low. Social insurance cover accounted for 20 percent of the workforce while health insurance reached only 71 percent of the population.

Many employers have yet strictly observed the Social Insurance Law, evading paying premium for their employees. Localities were unwilling to pay premiums on time.

As of November 31, the amount of unpaid premiums hit 11.114 billion VND (522.3 million USD), accounting for 6.24 percent of the sum required to be collected, up 455.3 billion VND or 4.3 percent year on year, revealed the VSS.

The company declared that in 2015, the sector will work harder to raise the number of people covered by social and health insurance to 67.85 million and collect 202.94 trillion VND (9.53 billion USD) in premiums.

The sector will coordinate closely with other ministries, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and social-politic organisations to better monitor social and health insurance policies in localities, while stepping up administrative reform to cut premium payment duration to 49.5 hours per year by the end of 2015.-

Forestation project helps Soc Trang ease climate change impacts

A mangrove forest project in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang’s coastal areas has helped improve the environment and preserve the biodiversity.

Jointly implemented by the Soc Trang Red Cross society, the Vietnam Red Cross’s southern office and sponsored by the UK Premier Oil Company in Tran De district, the project was carried out in the two phases. It aimed to prevent erosion and other negative impacts triggered by climate change in Trung Binh commune, Tran De district.

As many as 25 ha of mangrove forests was planted along coastal areas during the 2011-2013 period, preventing soil erosion caused by rising sea levels , heard a conference in Soc Trang on December 26.

In the second phase of the project (2013-2014), the provincial Red Cross coordinated with the Forest Management Department and the People’s Committee of Tran De district to plant additional 20ha of mangrove forests.

According to Nguyen Thu Huong, Chairwoman of the provincial Red Cross , the project contributed to improving the living condition for local people because it helped mitigate impacts of natural disasters, such as flood tide, storm, and whirlwind.

The project also aid to create sustainable livelihood and jobs for local residents, she said.

In 2015, the project will be expanded to other coastal communes in the district, targeting of growing mangroves on 20 hectares.-

Vietnam steps up early ARV treatment for HIV patients

Vietnam’s health sector will spread the antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to cover early-stage HIV carriers, raising the number of the benefited to 105,000 in 2015.

The news was unveiled at a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on December 26.

The Ministry of Public Heath’s Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control reported that there were 318 outpatient clinics nationwide as by August, 2014, giving ARV treatment to 88,600 patients, or 37 percent of total HIV victims alive.

Besides, up to 93 percent of the drug used for ARV treatment in Vietnam comes from foreign aid.

In 2015, the department will prioritise the treatment for those vulnerable to the virus such as sex workers, homosexuals, pregnant women and children aged below 5.

The treatment will also come to prisons, using advanced technologies in management.

As of this September, the nation recorded 220,000 cases of HIV infection and nearly 70,000 fatalities.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the ARV use, particularly in the early stage of the disease, can cause huge reduction in rates of death and suffering.

Since 2013, WHO has recommended the treatment in preventing HIV infection, particularly for pregnant women, young children, and populations exposed to HIV risk.

Binh Duong to build another wastewater treatment plant

A wastewater treatment station will be built in Thuan An town in southern Binh Duong province in a bid to improve the local water environment.

Document to implement the project was signed on December 25 between the Binh Duong Water Supply and Environment Co. Ltd (BIWASE) and a Japanese contractor.

The plant, which has a daily capacity of 17,000 cu.m will be constructed as part of the second phase of a JICA-funded project on improving the water environment in the southern areas of Binh Duong province.

BIWASE General Director Nguyen Van Thien said the second phase of the project with a total investment of nearly 6.4 trillion VND (304.7 million USD) aims to build a 350km long sewer system to collect wastewater in Thuan An town and a number of wards inThu Dau Mot city.

Domestic wastewater taken from residential areas is treated at the facility before discharging into the environment, to protect public health and the water resource in Sai Gon – Dong Nai river basin.

In the first phase of the project, a similar plant with a daily capacity of 17,560 cu.m was built at nearly 2 trillion VND (94.5 billion USD), benefiting 13,000 households in Thu Dau Mot city.

Minister urges localities to enhance drought prevention effort

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has stressed that drought prevention is an urgent task in the time ahead as severe and large-scale drought is forecast for 2015.

During his recent working session with the Directorate of Water Resources (DWR), the Departments of Cultivation and Animal Husbandry, Phat urged the agencies to make detailed plans to respond to the situation.

He asked the Department of Cultivation to assist drought-prone localities in planning the use of available water resources for farming, while the Department of Animal Husbandry must take measures to ensure food for cattle.

Drought has been occurring in a number of areas in the central region and the Central Highlands, according to Nguyen Van Tinh, DWR deputy director.

He said his agency has worked with Binh Dinh province, the hardest-hit locality, to map out a detailed response plan for next year.

The National Hydrometeorology Forecasting Centre reported that water shortage is likely to occur in many localities, especially those along the central coast in the coming dry season, with negative impacts on the 2014-15 Winter-Spring and the 2015 Summer-Autumn crops.

Co-creation workshops to be held in 4 regions

The leader board of the Innovation Partnership Programme (IPP) is set to organize co-creation workshops in four regions in 2015 to help develop innovative education in Vietnam.

Qualifying participants may be private companies, government owned companies, government agencies, universities, research institutions and non-profit non-government organizations.

The first round of co-creation workshops is planned for January, 2015 in the four cities of Hanoi (January, 7), Ho Chi Minh City (January, 9), Can Tho (January, 12) and Danang (January, 14).

The second round is scheduled for February and March, 2015.

The IPP is an Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme financed jointly by the Governments of Vietnam and Finland, aiming to boost sustainable economic growth in Vietnam through the increased production and export of innovative products and services.

Ho Chi Minh City may collect annual road fees from motorcyclists early 2015

Ho Chi Minh City authorities expect to begin collecting an annual road maintenance fee of up to VND150,000 (US$7) frommotorcyclists early next year.

The city is now the only locality in Vietnam to have yet to levy the fee on motorbike riders.

The city People’s Committee has sent a proposal to the local People’s Council asking the latter to consider and approve the collection of such a fee from motorcyclists as of January 1, 2015.

The proposal is expected to be discussed at the 17th session of the People’s Council that is slated for December 30.

According to that plan, the fee will be collected pursuant to Government Decree 18/2012 dated March 13, 2012 on the establishment, management, and use of the Road Maintenance Fund.

Under the decree, users of motorized vehicles were supposed to pay a road maintenance fee, which was intended to feed the fund, from June 1, 2012, but the government later delayed the fee collection until January 1, 2013, given that people were facing difficulties in their daily lives due to the troubled economy then.

However, while all other localities have set out their own fee rates and collected the fees since 2013, Ho Chi Minh City has continued to postpone its fee collection to spare residents any further burdens.

In August this year, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport recommended the city administration to collect the fee from motorbike riders from January 1, 2015, with the highest annual rate amounting to VND150,000 ($7) per motorbike.

According to the department’s fee collection plan, riders of motorbikes with engines of up to 100 cubic centimeters (cc) will have to pay VND50,000 ($2.33) per annum and those riding bikes with 100-175 cc engines will be liable for a higher rate, VND120,000 ($5.61) per year.

As for bikes with engines of over 175 cc, the fee rate will be VND150,000 ($7) per year. No fee will be imposed on electric bicycles, according to the plan.

The people’s committees of wards, communes, and towns are tasked with instructing motorbike owners to fill out fee declaration forms for motorbike use, the plan says.

Based on such declarations, competent agencies will collect the fees and grant fee receipts to the payers, the department said in the plan.

In its proposal to the People’s Council, the People’s Committee suggested that the fee not be imposed on motorbikes of students from schools based in the city, of people in recognized poor families, of people who contributed to the Vietnamese revolutions and their relatives.    

By late 2013, the number of motorbikes subject to the fee was more than 3 million, according to statistics from the city’s districts.

The total amount of fees to be collected may reach VND300 billion ($14.02 million) per year, the city’s transport department said.

Regarding the above fee collection plan, Nguyen Huy Hoang, chairman of the People’s Committee of Ward 12, Go Vap District, told Tuoi Tre(Youth) newspaper that there should be more time for grassroots authorities to make preparations.

“The ward has yet to receive any instructions from competent agencies in relation to the fee collection. There should be more time for arranging staff and training them,” Hoang said.

Dr. Pham Xuan Mai, from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, said that the situation of motorbike use in the city is very complicated.

There are many cases in which the users of motorbikes are not their owners, or ownership transfer has yet to be made between bike buyers and sellers.

There are also instances in which vehicles have been registered in other localities but are being used in the city, Dr. Mai said.

“Under such circumstances, will the fees be collected from the owners or the users?” he asked.

There should have time for vehicle buyers and sellers to transfer ownership so the fee can be collected from vehicle owners, he suggested.

Meanwhile, Lam Thieu Quan, a member of the municipal People’s Council, said that if it is hardly feasible to execute the plan, the fee should not be collected.

Quan added that it would be better for the city not to collect the fee from motorbike riders or delay the collection until all necessary regulations, such as those stipulating the penalties on people who fail to pay the charge, are made available.

Le Van Trung, director of the Department of Transport of the central city of Da Nang told Tuoi Tre on Thursday that the fee collection in the city in 2013 met only 19 percent of the set target.

Trung attributed the situation to many vehicle owners evading the fee while there are no regulations on sanctions for them.

Similarly, the fee revenues in many other localities last year were also lower – or even much lower – than their expectations, such as Binh Duong, Quang Binh, Can Tho and Hanoi, where their ratios of revenue to target were 80 percent, 50 percent, 45 percent and 20 percent, according to the Ho Chi Minh City transport department.

Night class dramatically improves literacy in commune

A night class for ethnic minority people in Dak Nong Province has successfully helped eliminate illiteracy in Long Son Commune in Dak Nong Province.

The People's Committee of Long Son Commune wanted to reduce illiteracy in the area by letting hard working farmers have access to the chance to read and write.

The first class of 70 students was aged from 25 to 50. Most of the students were married, and there were many grandparents. Every student received free school supplies to use in the classes.

Teachers and People's Committee officers had to actively encourage people to attend the class because many felt they were too old to learn to read and write. But student numbers quickly rose as others learned how relatively easy and rewarding the lessons were.

"The first days are always difficult, not many people wanted to come to class in the evening, because they were afraid that they would waste their time," Le Thu Thao, a teacher of the class, said. "Eventually, after a lot of encouragement, more and more people were willing to try the class out."

A 38-0year-old student said, "Ever since the class was opened, I and my neighbours have gone to class. "Now, I know how to read and write, and I can finally apply for a driver's license."

A women in the commune wasn't support by her husband to go to class, but she still went. When she came home knowing how to read and write, her husband's attitude changed.

The illiteracy rate in Long Son Commune was highest in Dak Mil District, where one in eight people are illiterate and 94 percent of its citizens are from ethnic minorities, who think education is a luxury unaffordable for poor people struggling to survive.

Kim Dong Primary School has just launched its next intake of students and hopes to build on its adult literacy success.

Application for universities to be conducted online in HCMC

The Enrolment Council of Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCMC) planed that students can apply for the university entrance examination via its website, said the council on December 24 at a meeting with its member universities.

Head of VNU-HCMC’s Academic Affairs Department Dr. Nguyen Quoc Chinh said that the Ministry of Education and Training had assigned the university to hold one of the groups of the national high school exit examination. It is scheduled that around 45,000-50,000 candidates will sit in the group.

VNU-HCMC’s university members including Poly-Technique University, University of Natural Sciences and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City  will organize an examination for 12,000 students while the International University, Law-Environment University  will be responsible for holding an examination for 6,000 candidates; IT university and Medicine college will also hold an exam for  6,000 contestants.

It is scheduled that the online network will operate in March, 2015. Each candidate has three choices and they can change their choices to July 15, 2015. Some schools have proposed  that students could register their choice on paper because many students in rural areas do not know how to use internet.

Only good conduct students with average marks of three years in high school up to 6.5 can enroll into universities (with four year studying) and 6.0 into colleges ( with three year studying).

Outbreaks of bird flu reported in Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Quang Ngai

The Department of Animal Health declared an epidemic of the H5N1 avian flu in poultry in three communes of the Mekong delta provinces of Vinh Long, Tra Vinh and the H5N6 avian flu on flocks of quail in Tinh Ha Commune in the central province of Quang Ngai’s Son Tinh District.

Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long yesterday sent an urgent dispatch to chairpersons of people’s committees nationwide asking to step up efforts to prevent bird flu and diseases in upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays when weather is conductive to outbreak of flu disease.

As per the dispatch, the deputy health minister ordered local administrations to implement proper measures preventing winter disease, especially flu A/H5N1 and flu A/H5N6.

Local governments should coordinate with health sector and animal health department to manage food safety and poisoning. They should conduct inspection of food safety and hygiene as well as issue harsh penalties on violators.

Health workers must work around the clock during holidays to control the urgent cases and provide timely treatment to patients.

The Health Ministry also proposed departments of agriculture and rural development to enhance supervision in a bid to early detect outbreaks of diseases and bird flu to stop spreading. Related agencies should liaise to tighten control of sales and transportation of diseased poultry out of the affected communes.

Gov’t not permits resumption of collapsed hydropower project yet

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has not permitted to resume construction at Da Dang-Da Chomo hydropower plant after a tunnel collapse accident in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong on December 16.

In a written announcement from the Government Office, he tasked the Ministry of Construction to work with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Lam Dong province People’s Committee to inspect and determine the reason of the accident which trapped 12 workers for nearly four days.

They should specify responsibilities of the project’s investor, designer, supervisor and constructor and spell out measures and conditions for the investor if it wants to continue construction, he required.

The Ministry of Construction should synthesize the above matters in a report and send it to the Prime Minister before authorized agencies permit to restart building the plant.

Besides the ministry of Construction should instruct and guide relevant agencies from central to local levels to comply with safety regulations while building tunnels and other underground works to prevent similar accidents from occurring.

Deputy PM Hai instructed the Lam Dong People’s Committee to make clear responsibilities of relevant departments for the collapsed tunnel at Da Dang hydropower and report to the Prime Minister.

Besides, he instructed the National Steering Committee for Search and Rescue to cooperate with relevant organs to estimate rescue operation in the tunnel collapse and proposed authorized agencies to commend and reward rescuers for their efforts.

The committee is also instructed to propose the purchase of necessary equipment for rescue operations in similar accidents.

On December 25, the Ministry of Construction has proposed in writing the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and provincial and city people’s committees to inspect the construction of small and medium hydropower projects, especially those that are building tunnel items in complicated geological conditions and have long progressed.

Any violation must be strictly handled as per regulations. Inspection results must be reported to the ministry before February 15 next year.

Outstanding Hanoi enterprises honoured

Fourteen outstanding enterprises operating in Hanoi were presented with the Labour Order and Government's Certificate of Merit at an exchange programme entitled 'Enterprise Night 2014' at the Hanoi Opera House on December 25.

The programme was jointly held by the Hanoi Association of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Hanoi Television in the presence of National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.

The event, which brought together more than 600 enterprises in Hanoi, aimed to commend enterprises for their excellent achievements in 2014, and was also a chance for enterprises to share experiences and seek business opportunities.

As part of the event, attendees had talks and exchanges with representatives from State management agencies, economic experts and prestigious speakers, on the Vietnamese economy, the prospects in 2015 as well as the challenges and opportunities of the upcoming participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Also at the event, nearly 200 other enterprises were presented with Certificates of Merit from the Hanoi People's Committee in recognition of their achievements and contributions to the national development.

VND137.8 billion raised to support AO/Dioxin victims in 2014

The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) mobilised VND137.8 billion (over US$6.44 million) from domestic and international individuals and organisations to support victims of AO/Dioxin around the country in 2014.

The statistic was released at the second conference of the VAVA’s third Central Committee held on December 25 in Hanoi.

Over 2014, the association has overcome difficulties, actively promoted its activities and developed its branches in 61 provinces and cities directly under the central authority, including 84% at the district level and 66% of commune level.

The association effectively implemented its programme to help victims and their families, including building care and rehabilitation centres, as well as vocational training centre.

The association gave many suggestions on the Party’s and State’s regulations and policies relating to people infected with toxic chemicals used by the US military during the war in Vietnam.

At the conference, the delegates elected a new Vice Chairman, bringing the number of members of the VAVA Central Committee to 104.

Icy dip for Hanoi's nude swimmers

Hanoi's nude swimmers are plunging into the Red River, despite the icy winter temperatures, because they believe it to be healthy and invigorating.

For years, many male swimmers have been attracted to the officially sanctioned nude beach on Red River. To them, nude swimming is not only a way to relax but a way of life. The beach is crowded in summer, but continues to attract devotees in winter as temperatures in Hanoi drop to around 9C.

The usual swimming time is around 3pm. The swimmers light a fire before diving in, because the water is cold and they need to quickly raise their core temperatures to avoid hypothermia. Nude cold water swimming has attracted fans of all ages, so much so that they have established a club called "Red River".

Nguyen Kim, an 81-year-old from Hoan Kiem District, said he visits the beach every day. "My health was not so good when I retired. But I saw many people go to this beach to swim and exercise so I followed, and quickly felt much better.

"It has become my hobby. I feel something is amiss if I don't swim each day," Kim said.

Another swimmer said he was a regular at the beach for five years, in all weather.

"Even though it's cold, I always feel relaxed and lighter after each swim. That's why no matter how cold it is, I and other club members still take a swim every day," he said.

Vo Tuong Khoa, deputy director of Vietnam Sport Hospital, said river bathing in winter is not for everyone. Young men in good health who exercise can cope with the cold temperatures, but older people, especially those with high blood pressure or arthritis, should be careful and get medical advice before indulging in the icy sport.

Winding thread for a living

A lot of residents in the Mekong Delta provinces in the past left for HCMC to wind thread for a living. Some unoccupied areas in Vinh Loc in the city’s Binh Tan District turned out to be ideal places for them to do this job.

Since then, Vinh Loc has gradually become a place for winding thread in the city. Local folks there receive nylon thread from companies and turn it into reels of string which are then delivered back to companies for a fee.

Each household hires a land lot measuring five meters in width and 200-300 meters in length to do this job.

Every day, they get up at 3 a.m. and work hard until dusk with the help of thread winding machines. Besides, the job requires windless weather so that finished reels of string will not get twisted.

For large-sized thread, each household can make reels of string weighing up to 150-200 kilograms and 70-120 kilos for small-sized thread in exchange for VND4,000-8,000 per kilo.

A woman named Teo Em, who has done this job for nearly 10 years, says winding thread is even harder than being a factory worker but she does not want to quit it. Because Em has two small kids, she cannot leave them alone. Therefore, she thinks the job suits her because Em can earn money as well as take good care of her children.

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