Marine police rescue fishing boat, 10 saved

A fishing boat with 10 fishermen on board has been rescued after its engine broke down near Hoang Sa (Paracel Islands), the Viet Nam Marine Police Force reported.

The Marine Police Force was trying to tow the boat to safety areas in Binh Dinh central province's Quy Nhon City, as of Tuesday afternoon.

Marine officials said they received a call for help from fishing boat QNg 97299 on Sunday evening. At 1am on Monday, rescue ship CSB 9002 began traveling to the area where the boat was adrift. At 5pm on Monday, the rescue ship approached the stranded boat at Ly Son Island sea area in Quang Ngai central Province.

The fishing boat, captained by Le Van Tan, 32, a resident of Quang Ngai Province, broke down during bad weather, which caused fierce seas and strong winds.

Officials said the fishermen on board were in low spirits.--

Deo Ngang Tunnel to be widened

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved the widening of Deo Ngang Tunnel under a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model.

The transport ministry will be responsible for controlling and implementing the project.

The tunnel opened to traffic in August 2004 and has a speed limit of 60km per hour.

It is 2.76km long and 12m wide, stretching from Km591 550 National Highway 1 in the central Ha Tinh Province to Km594 339 National Highway 1 in the central Quang Binh Province.

The tunnel is equipped with drainage and water supply systems, lights, ventilators and a managing station.

The tunnel widening project is expected to meet the demand for travel on National Highway 1 through Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces, contributing to socio-economic development, national defence and security in the two provinces as well as the central region.

The investor will use the toll station at Deo Ngang to collect toll to recover its capital.

The project is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2016 and will be ready by the second quarter of 2018. 

Cold snap causes rise in hospital admission

Hospitals in Hanoi are admitting more children and elderly patients as cold weather triggers a wave of pneumonia.

Dao Minh Tuan, of the National Pediatrics Hospital's Faculty of Respiratory Medicine, said all 100 beds were occupied. Most of the children admitted for pneumonia were under five years old.

Some 1,500 children were coming for check-ups and 180 children admitted each day, an increase of 20 percent and 30 percent respectively.

Tran Viet Luc, of the National Geriatric Hospital, said more elderly patients were being admitted during the cold weather.

Hanoi's Bach Mai Hospital has also seen a rise in elderly admissions for heart disease, high blood pressure and obstructive lung disease.

Bach Mai's Associate Professor Nguyen Tien Dung said the sudden drop in temperature, along with rain, created favourable conditions for viruses.

It is forecast that cold weather will continue until at least January 27, with international forecasts suggesting the cold front, sweeping down from Siberia and northern China, may persist into Tet.

Texting raises money for victims of cold spell

The Viet Nam Red Cross Society in Ha Noi launched a campaign to collect donations through mobile texting for those affected by the record cold spell in the northern provinces.

The campaign launched at a ceremony today, and called ‘Warm Clothes in Winter', aims to mobilise people's donations nation-wide and share it with the disadvantaged people, especially the ethnic and minority people in the northern provinces, VNRC Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu said.

People can support the campaign by texting AA to 1408. Each SMS costs VND16,000 (US$0.7).

People may also visit the VNRC headquarters at 82, Nguyen Du Street in Hai Ba Trung District, Ha Noi, or send money to its account number 12010000036656 at the Viet Nam Investment and Development Bank.

On Monday, the VNRC donated VND100 million (US4,400) to provide warm jackets to poor students in the Lang Son, Lai Chau and Lao Cai provinces, especially the ethnic and minority people.

The society said that nearly 2,000 poultry were killed while about 4,500 hectares (ha) of farm produce and more than 200 ha of industrial crops were destroyed by the cold spell in the country.

Mekong Delta region’s Tet atmosphere spotlighted

The atmosphere of traditional Tet holiday in the Mekong Delta region will be nudged closer to visitors through the “Sac xuan miet vuon” (Colours of Spring Orchards) programme, which opened in Can Tho city on January 27.

Intangible cultural heritages of the region will be featured throughout the programme, including traditional arts and handicraft, folk games as well as the special cuisines of the Vietnamese, Hoa (ethnic Chinese) and Khmer communities such as banh xeo (sizzling cake), beet cake, ginger cake and bun nuoc leo (rice vermicelli noodle soup).

According to Director of the Can Tho city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tran Viet Phuong, the programme is held annually to welcome the Lunar New Year holiday and honour artists, while raising the young’s awareness of protecting intangible cultural values.

In addition to having a deeper look at Cai Chanh mat weaving, to he (toy figurine) kneading, Don Ca Tai Tu - a musical art that has both scholarly and folk roots, visitors to the event will have a chance to enjoy a Khmer sarikakeo dancing and calligraphy show.

Can Tho city’s specialties are also introduced at the event, including Phong Dien rice wine, Man Sau Tia Thot Not wine and Phong Dien cocoa beans.

Localities asked to brace for potential avian flu during Tet

Localities nationwide should actively brace themselves for a possible avian flu outbreak before and after the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, said an official.

Phan Van Dong, head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Animal Health, made the call during a meeting of the National Steering Committee for Avian Influenza Control and Prevention in Hanoi on January 27.

According to the department, the country recorded five A/H5N6 virus hotbeds in Quang Ngai, Kon Tum, Tuyen Quang and Lang Son provinces as of January 27, with 3,544 heads of cattle affected and 6,720 culled.

On the occasion, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat asked affected cities and provinces to pool all possible resources to combat the epidemic via inoculation, temporary suspension of cattle trading across the border, decontamination and close monitoring over areas at high risk of infection.

In a separate issue, there are 27 hotbeds of cattle foot-and-mouth disease in the northern provinces of Lang Son, Son La, Cao Bang and Bac Kan, the central province of Ha Tinh and the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.

They were also requested to raise public awareness of cattle raising and trading in line with regulations, as well as food safety and hygiene practices.

New investment to build new rural areas

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has recently given the green light to an addition of 414,676 USD to an UN-funded project supporting the national target programme on building new-style rural areas.

The funding has been sourced from non-refundable aid provided by the UN One Plan Fund.

The UN designated its Joint Project to provide technical support for the rural programme in Vietnam. Approved by local Government on February 7, 2014, the Joint Project has a budget of 1.39 million USD, of which 1.1 million USD come from the UN’s non-refundable official assistance.

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

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

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

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

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

Hanoi expands firefighting water supply network

An additional 500 water supply stations for firefighting purposes have been installed across Hanoi.

Representatives from the municipal Department of Construction said the agency has worked with relevant bodies on where to place the water supply stations to facilitate the firefight work.

The targeted areas include crowed residential areas, trade centres, open markets as well as the inner districts including Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung, Thanh Xuan, Tay Ho, and Hoang Mai.

MoH to maintain reasonably low birthrate

The Ministry of Health (MoH) will continue maintaining a reasonably low birth rate nationwide, as well as taking measures to reduce the birth rate in rural and remote areas this year, according to the Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien.

The sector will also actively control the gender ratio at birth and expand pre-natal and newborn screening as well as pre-marital health check-ups and consultations, in order to improve the population quality.

The ministry pledges to ensure high-quality and affordable family planning services and increase the use of modern contraceptive measures.

Vietnam has officially entered the ageing phase since 2011, Minister Tien said, adding that the sector has prepared suitable policies and action plans as well as implementing community-based elderly care in 29 provinces and cities nationwide.

Last year, Vietnam recorded an increase of 1.4 percent in the number of births, and 0.39 percent for the third child, against the previous year. The ratio of boys to girls nationwide was 112.8:100.

According to the MoH, the annual birth rate in the 2011-2015 period was kept at around 1.05 percent.

The country’s population last year was estimated at 91.7 million, lower than the expected rise of 93 million.-

Ministry will clarify procedures this year

The Ministry of Industry and Trade reviewed and abolished 30 administrative procedures and simplified 54 others in 2015 to allow businesses and citizens to carry out administrative procedures quickly and efficiently.

This was part of the ministry's administrative reform efforts in 2015 were discussed at a meeting yesterday to review administrative reform in 2015 and discuss tasks for 2016.

The ministry upgraded a total of 21 public services to level 3 or 4 last year, which means all applications relating to these public services will be implemented online to save time and costs.

Deputy Director of the Department of Export and Import Phan Thi Dieu Ha said the ministry carried out many administrative reform activities, particularly in exports and imports.

For example, the ministry has joined the national and ASEAN one-door mechanism which were designed to implement paperless trade and e-administrative procedures, helping to facilitate investment activities, she said.

Head of the Personnel Department Dao Van Hai said the ministry promoted information dissemination to raise awareness of administrative reform and guided businesses on implementing the national one-door mechanism.

However, he said, shortcomings remained in administrative reform, adding that a number of administrative procedures were still complicated and time-consuming and the ministry failed to promote the application of information technology in handling administrative procedures.

The ministry also failed to fully abide by regulations on publicizing administrative procedures and receiving and handling complaints related to administrative procedures remained slow, he said.

The ministry published all administrative procedures on its website: http://kstthc.moit.gov.vn.

Veterans must get preferential policies, benefits: Prime Minister

Relevant authorities should strengthen the implementation of preferential policies for people who served the nation and made sacrifices during wartime, according to instructions from the Prime Minister.

Those who are regarded as having dedicated their lives to the nation during wartime include martyrs, invalids, injured veterans, veterans suffering from Agent Orange, those awarded the title of "Heroic Mother", those awarded a certificate of merit to the country and those awarded the title "Hero of the People's Army Forces".

Relevant departments, sectors and political-socio organisations have implemented the policies in a prompt manner and in accordance with regulations, which helps to improve the spiritual and material lives of those who served the nation in wartime.

However, a review of the policy's implementation showed that some people were unable to access the preferential benefits, or were not offered the full benefits they deserved. At the same time, some people cheated the system to enjoy policies they had not earned.

The Prime Minister ordered relevant authorities to be resolute in handling the current shortcomings and ensure that those who deserve the benefits have full access to them.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs needs to collaborate with relevant agencies and provinces and cities' people's committees to examine and inspect the implementation of policies as well as issue strict punishments for violators.

The ministry also needs to resolutely handle the violating cases and recover money if recipients are found ineligible, he added.

The Ministry of Defence will order relevant army agencies to bestow "Viet Nam Heroic Mother" titles to deserving recipients and promptly give authorisation to those who asked to be recognised as martyrs and invalids so that they can enjoy the policies soon.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment is required to allocate funds to implement the housing policies and provide investment to upgrade caring facilities, the PM said.

Provinces and cities' people's committees need to review every case to decide whether they are eligible to enjoy the policies as regulated by the law, he said.

Decree 20/2015/ND-CP stipulates that any person who served the nation in wartime will receive an allowance of about VND1.3 million (USVND1,315,405). In addition to a monthly allowance, they and their spouses will receive other benefits including free health insurance and support in housing upgrades.

No case of Zika infection reported

No cases of Zika fever have been reported in Viet Nam so far, but there is a high risk that the virus may enter the country due to the presence of Aedes mosquitoes – which transmit the virus – and exchanges between Viet Nam and other countries.

The Zika virus is transmitted to humans through Aedes mosquitoes, which are also the main carriers of dengue fever. The Preventive Medicine Department said yesterday that the disease is spreading rapidly, especially in Latin America.

The first case of Zika infection was confirmed in Brazil in May 2015, and the virus has appeared in 21 countries and territories in Latin America as of January 23.

The department explained that anyone who had not previously been exposed to the virus could become infected.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in Latin America has warned that the Zika virus will continue to spread to most countries and territories in the region, as Aedes mosquitoes can be found in most Latin American countries, according to the department.

Viet Nam's Ministry of Health has been regularly contacting the WHO in Viet Nam to learn about the development of the virus and countermeasures while instructing epidemic prevention institutions to watch the situation closely.

The ministry warned people travelling from Zika-striken countries to keep an eye on their health in the first 14 days after their arrival to Viet Nam. They should go to the nearest medical facility when they begin to experience fever-like symptoms.

It is also recommended that people should use mosquito chemical repellent, and securely cover all containers of water to prevent mosquitoes from entering them and laying eggs.

According to the WHO, Zika can be transmitted through blood, but this is an infrequent mechanism. Standard precautions that are already in place for ensuring safe blood donations and transfusions should be followed.

Evidence on mother-to-child transmission of Zika during pregnancy or childbirth is also limited. Research is currently underway to generate more evidence regarding perinatal transmission and to better understand how the virus affects babies. There is currently no evidence that Zika can be transmitted to babies through breast milk.

OVs in Netherlands, Mexico welcome Lunar New Year

The Vietnamese embassy in the Netherlands has held a get-together with around 600 overseas Vietnamese people and students and international friends to welcome the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) which falls on February 8.

Ambassador to the Netherlands Nguyen Van Doan briefed the participants on Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements and cooperative results between the two countries in recent years.

He spoke highly of OVs contributions to the socio-development of the Netherlands and Vietnam and friendship and cooperative ties between the two countries.

A social function has also been held by the Vietnamese embassy in Mexico involving a large number of OVs and Vietnamese and Mexican officials.

Ambassador to Mexico Le Linh Lan emphasized the significance of Tet to Vietnamese people, particularly when this new year is coincided with the 12th National Party Congress - an important socio-political event.

Lan reviewed Vietnam’s great achievements in the regional and international integration process, especially in negotiating and signing of important free trade agreements (FTAs). GDP hit a record high of 6.7% over the last five years, despite global economic difficulties, he stated.

The Ambassador appreciated practical activities to mark the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-Mexico diplomatic ties last year and pointed out potential fields that the two countries should boost cooperation after the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement is signed and comes into effect.

More than 100 photos and pictures on Vietnam’s landscape, cuisines and festivities were displayed on the occasion.

Vietnamese making fake Chivas whisky captured

Ho Chi Minh City police have arrested a Vietnamese suspect for producing and delivering counterfeit whisky, officials said on January 26.

Police officers found Pham Thanh Phong, 36, exhibiting suspicious behavior when they were carrying out a random inspection in District 2 last week.

They suspected that Phong were preparing to deliver five counterfeit bottles of Chivas 38, or Royal Salute 38 Years Old, to the Mien Dong Bus Station in Binh Thanh District so officers held the man for a sudden check on January 22.

None of the bottles were genuine and no legal documents were found to prove their origin, police said.

Officers searched Phong’s house and found dozens of empty glass bottles, labels of various foreign alcohol brands, fake stamps, and brewing tools.

The suspect admitted that he had bought used Chivas bottles and washed them to make the fake whisky that fetches VND7 million (US$314) apiece.

The bottles were then filled with St-Rémy, a cheaper kind of whisky, and were given a bogus Royal Salute 38 Years Old label.

The counterfeits were sold to consumers in provinces and cities in the central and southeastern regions, including Vung Tau City and Ho Chi Minh City.

The man is being held for further investigation, District 2 officials said.

‘Colours of a Spring Garden’ festival ready to roll

Can Tho, renowned for its friendly people, interesting floating markets, beautiful Buddhist pagodas, as well as delicious cuisine will once again hold its annual ‘Sac xuan miet vuon’ (Colours of a Spring Garden) festival to usher in the new year.

“This year’s festival will be held on January 27,” said Director Tran Viet Phuong of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, at a press conference announcing the details of the upcoming event.

This year we are casting the spotlight on the artistry of the region’s handicraft villages and traditional Vietnamese, Chinese and Cambodian cuisine, said Phuong and there will be a bevy of traditional folk games and other activities for all to enjoy.

On the occasion, festivalgoers will also have a chance to delve into the intricacies of traditional woodcarving, mat weaving and calligraphy and learn a few secrets that have been handed down from one generation to the next for centuries.

Traditional music with the ‘Don ca tai tu’ (a genre of southern folk music) troupes has always been a favourite at the event and is once again on the agenda as well, said Phuong.

Vietnam joins FAO-funded project on sustainable aquaculture growth

The Prime Minister has approved a proposal for Vietnam to take part in a project funded by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to facilitate sustainable aquaculture growth in the country.

The project “Regional Initiative Blue Growth – Pilot application of aquaculture planning and management tools for sustainable growth in selected Southeast Asian countries” in Vietnam will be funded by non-refundable aid from the FAO.

It aims to support sustainable growth of aquaculture in the region through improved planning and more effective management at different levels and help boost seafood supplies to meet rising demand and improve livelihoods and economic development in Asia.

The Prime Minister has instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to prepare all project documents and sign them with related parties.

The project’s main activities involve selecting tools to solve key issues in aquaculture planning and management, providing training on planning and management tools for trainees and farmers, and piloting these tools in reality.

Cao Bang urged to build water supply plants

The mountainous province of Cao Bang People ’s Committee has been encouraged to build more water supply facilities to serve locals in the Luc Khu region.

Under Deputy Minister Hoang Trung Hai’s instruction, the Cao Bang People’s Committee has been asked to work with local authorities to implement water supply projects in the region in accordance with regulations and the Law on Public Investment.

In 2008, the province approved a project to supply water for locals in Luc Khu as well as highland areas in the districts of Tra Linh, Hoa An, Thong Nong, Nguyen Binh, Bao Lac and Bao Lam, which suffer water shortage in the dry season.

The project aimed to provide 27,000 locals with 45 litres of water per capita per day. So far, 14 water reservoirs and 155 tanks with a total capacity of 60,000 cubic metres have been built.

However, the project has only solved water shortages for 27,000 out of the 113,000 people in the provincial highland areas.-

HCM City: 87.9 percent of households get clean water

The Sai Gon Water Corporation (SAWACO) increased the number of households in Ho Chi Minh City with access to clean water to 1.6 million by the end of last year, equivalent to 87.9 percent.

The figure was up by over 5 percent in comparison with 2014, reported Quan Doi Nhan Dan newspaper.

Last year, SAWACO produced about 586 million cubic metres of water, nearly 3 percent more than in 2014, supplying an average of 1.6 million cubic metres per day.

The company plans to cut water losses to 29 percent and increase its supply to 2.4 million cubic metres per day.-

Deputy PM urges development of new-style cooperatives

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai urged the development of new-style cooperatives and cooperative alliance as well as relevant communication work during a recent meeting reviewing the effectuation of the Law on Cooperatives.

In his conclusion, the Deputy PM called on localities to work closely with relevant bodies to build pilot cooperative models with a focus on public services.

Publicity campaigns need to be conducted to raise awareness of relevant legal documents among communities, while boosting training and capacity building for the staff involved in cooperatives and cooperative alliance management.

The revision and completion of a relevant framework, particularly the registration of cooperative models at local levels, need to be accelerated, Hai said.

He also urged relevant ministries and sectors to allocate mid-term funding for the key tasks outlined in the Programme on Developing Cooperatives from 2016-2020, while tightening supervision of the implementation of the programme at local levels.

Deputy Prime Minister Hai asked for State management and international cooperation to be strengthened in the development of collective economic sectors, cooperatives and cooperative alliances.

Currently, there are 18,016 cooperatives nationwide, the majority of which are agricultural cooperatives. The rest are in industry – small industry and handicraft, trade and services, construction, transportation and environment.

Cooperatives and cooperative alliances, which help establish sustainable and effective product value chains, have made a positive contribution to local socio-economic development as well as sustainable national economic growth.

A monkey road on Son Tra Peninsula

Lying along the mountainside on Son Tra Peninsula in the central coast city of Danang, the winding Hoang Sa Street connecting the beach and the mountain often attracts the attention of passersby. One side of the road is lined with monkey statues while the other side is home to a natural monkey habitat.

There are some attractive tourist destinations along the street such as an antiques museum, an amusement park and historical sites. However, the monkey statues make the street different.

According to local residents, the 20-kilometer road was upgraded around ten years ago to make it possible for visitors to tour around Son Tra Peninsula. It runs around the peninsula, passes through the mountain, heads towards the sea and reaches Tien Sa Beach.

Thousands of concrete monkey statues coated with electrostatic paint to protect them from corrosion sit on the road railing.

Monkeys on Son Tra are protected by local residents because before people came to reclaim the area hundreds of years ago, the peninsula was home to monkeys only. Now there are a lot of monkeys living in the forest and on the mountain of the peninsula. Therefore, tourists can see monkeys when they visit the peninsula.

Early in the morning or late in the afternoon, visitors can follow rangers to go deep into the forest to see monkeys in their natural habitat.

The primitive forest on Son Tra Peninsula has been strictly protected to ensure the habitats of animals there remain intact.

More students suffer high blood pressure because of obesity nowadays

An announcement of an increase in high blood pressure among schools by the Nutrition Center in Ho Chi Minh City  caused concern amongst parents.

As per the center’s figure, the rate of high blood pressure amongst students of all grades is 15.4 percent and 13.4 percent in primary students.

Health experts say that the high blood pressure links with the obesity rate which is increasing  every year.

According to the statistics, the rate of obesity in students is 41.4 percent. Worrisome, more primary kids suffer overweight. Not only Ho Chi Minh City but also Hanoi and big cities have more obese students; for instance, there are over 3,000 obese primary students in Hanoi in 2011.

The obesity rate among children is increasing. As per the National Nutrition Center’s study, obesity people account for 10 percent of the country’s population, especially some provinces having 30 percent of obese residents.

Dr. Le Bach Mai from the National Nutrition Center said that the meal for children nowadays tend to increase rich protein and fat and reduce starch. More dangerously, up to 15 percent of mothers don’t know that their kids are obese.

Head of the Department of Preventive Medicine Dr. Tran Dac Phu said that the country needs to conceive a  strategy to prevent the obesity, one of step to curb infectious diseases as per the Prime Minister’s guideline. Medical experts should act more to encourage people to consume vegetables and fruits as well as control harmful food, especially sugary beverage.

HCMC Scientific Advisory Council established

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong has just signed a decision to establish the Ho Chi Minh City Scientific Advisory Council.

The HCMC Scientific Advisory Council consists of 21 professors, associate professors, PhDs in the various fields who will play consultative role for the HCMC People’s Committee to implement policies, guidelines and resolutions of Party and State, and contribute to develop strategies, programs and plans of the HCMC People’s Committee in science and technology, society following requirement of the HCMC Party Committee and People’s Committee.

Moreover, the agency will propose and offer suggestion for applying science and technology achievements in production and life, implementing big investment projects in the city, providing advice about training direction and measures for skilled staffs. Besides, it will propose in honoring valuable topics, projects and initiatives.

Accordingly, the members of the Ho Chi Minh City Scientific Advisory Council included Prof. Nguyen Ngoc Giao, Phan Minh Tan, Le hoai Quoc, Chu Pham Ngoc son, Phan Xuan Bien, Phan Thi Tuoi, Tran Du Lich, Tran Hoang Ngan, Dang Van Phan, Nguyen Trong Hoa, Truong Thi Hien, Tran Hong Quan, Ca Le Thuan, Nguyen The Nghia, Nguyen Chan Hung and others.

Bumper crop of Tet flowers

During these days, the amount of flowers converged at flower markets including Ho Thi Ky, Go Vap, and Thu Duc, has risen by 10-15 percent compared to normal days with prices edging up by 5-10 percent.

Flower traders said that main flowers to serve for Tet holidays will be lily, chrysanthemum, rose, carnation, lisianthus, statice, hydrangea, sunflower, and narcissus which are cultivated in Da Lat and Sa Dec cities. Flower prices also climbed by VND10,000-15,000. Especially, as lunar New Year holidays fall near Valentine’s Day this year, red roses fetch around VND10,000-15,000 per stem whereas the prices of roses of other colors increase insignificantly.

Tet flower market is pretty plentiful this year with several exotic flower varieties such as: peony, white lilac, Colombian hydrangea, Sweetness rose, purple calla lily, wax flower, tulip, and gladiolus fetch from VND130,000-300,000 per bouquet.

A flower shop’s owner in Ben Thanh Market said that customers in Ho Chi Minh City are in favor of foreign and new flowers. During normal days, these flowers are sold well for wedding ceremonies or big events. On the occasion of lunar New Year, the number of orders for these flowers also increases rapidly.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lam Dong Province, more than 50 new flower varieties from Da Lat City will come onto the market this year. These flowers are cultivated and harvested under Israeli and European advanced technologies. At present, only potted flowers are sold at flower market but after February 1, fresh flowers will be sold heavily.

Traders said that because of good weather in southern provinces, this year is a bumper year of flowers. Flowers are of higher quality and able to keep longer. In addition, the area of flowers increased significantly. According to Mr. Duong Ngoc Duc, head of Economic Department of Da Lat City, the area of lily flowers is estimated to be 60 percent higher over the previous year with 26 million lily bulbs being grown in an area of 102 hectares which equal to 33 million stems of lilies, up 30 percent over the previous year.

Demand for Tet flowers has started to increase, giving hopes for both flower traders and growers.

Demand for legal advisory services forecast to grow this year

Demand for legal advisory services is expected to go up this year, supported by higher economic growth and the free trade agreements (FTA) Vietnam has signed and will sign with partners.

Le Thanh Kinh, head of Le Nguyen law office, said more enterprises in the banking, manufacturing and service sectors have come to his office to seek advice on labor issues.

Kinh described the upsurge in the number of companies seeking legal advice on labor issues as an interesting phenomenon.

Kinh reasoned that Vietnam’s further international integration has forced firms to improve their competitiveness, so they need to fire ineffective staff and recruit qualified employees. That is why they seek advice on labor regulations in Vietnam.

Vietnam has struck FTAs with other ASEAN countries, Australia and New Zealand; the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) and is expected to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact this year. As a result, many companies from member states of the FTAs are coming to explore investment and business opportunities in Vietnam.

Kinh said not only investors from Russia and New Zealand but also from Kazakhstan have come for investment advice.

Ho Hoang Duc from the HCMC Bar Association and legal firm Phuc Duc, said the legal advisory market flourished in both labor and investment consulting fields last year.

Duc said Vietnam’s economy grew stronger in 2015 than 2014. Therefore, demand for legal advisory services in the sectors has picked up.

More foreign companies have come to Vietnam to explore investment procedures, the business environment and labor market.

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