Few Tet train tickets left for sale

More than 96 per cent of the tickets for trains bound for Ha Noi in the week prior to the Tet holiday have been sold, the Viet Nam Railways said.

The tickets for only some air-conditioned soft seats and extra seats – plastic chairs placed on the train's aisle – are available on trains running from HCM City to Ha Noi from January 31 to February 6, the peak period for workers to travel back home before the traditional Lunar New Year holiday.

More than 85 per cent of the tickets for trains running on the same route during the holiday, from February 7 to 10, have already been booked.

On the south-bound route, about 90 per cent of the train tickets for the post-Tet period, particularly from February 14 to 17, have been sold.

Sai Gon Railways said it planned to run 23 more trains to the Central region in order to meet the travel demand.

Travellers can book tickets online via dsvn.vn website.

Phu Quoc raises awareness on dugong conservation

Hundreds of local students and tourists have participated in the 2015 Dugong Festival on Phu Quoc Island on December 27 in an event held by Wildlife At Risk to raise awareness of protecting the marine creature.

The festival started with a parade from Ham Ninh Commune to Ham Ninh Harbor - a famous tourist spot on Phu Quoc Island and finished back at the Ham Ninh Commune.

About 200 local students who are members of six WAR’s Marine Conservation Clubs throughout Phu Quoc Island took part in a serial of contests and other activities at Duong Beach.

Students on Phu Quoc Island participating in dugong sand sculpture contest. Photo credit: WAR

Students and tourists also got involved in a dugong (Dugong dugon) sand sculpture contest, a photo contest with photos featuring the beauty and threats to the island, and marine knowledge contest.

“The Dugong Festival 2015 with many exciting and creative activities became an unforgettable memory for each participant, which encourages them to take part in protecting dugong and Phu Quoc,” said Do Thi Thanh Huyen – WAR’s wildlife education manager.

“We expect that each people take at least one practical action to protect Phu Quoc marine resources and Vietnam’s marine resources in general so that our future generations could still benefit from the bountiful sea”.

The festival is part of a project entitled “Conservation of Dugong and Biodiversity of Phu Quoc and Tho Chu island”, being implemented since 2013 by WAR and Phu Quoc Marine Protection Area.

Young scientists discuss AEC integration

The 2nd conference for young scientists in economic science themed “ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015-Perspective and Challenges” was held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 27.

The conference was organised by the Centre for Science and Technology Development for the Youth under the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of HCM City in collaboration with the Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City.

More than 70 research reports presented at the event delved into the situations, perspectives and challenges of Vietnam ’s economy in the integration process.

In order to hasten integration, one of the key factors is to raise the competitiveness of the economy as well as enterprises, said Doctor Tran Du Lich, deputy head of the delegation of HCM City National Assembly deputies.

According to MSC Nguyen Tuan Duong from the Foreign Trade University, education for business start-up in universities is among the most important factors for the youth to succeed.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Thu Hang from the University of Finance-Marketing pointed to the weaknesses of the Vietnamese labour force, which are low productivity and poor soft skills. She urged reforming the training curricula of tertiary education, while labourers themselves need to improve professional qualification and productivity as well as soft skills, including proficiency in foreign languages.

The AEC is one of the three pillars of the ASEAN Community which will be officially formed at the end of this month.

The ASEAN Community groups Brunei , Cambodia , Indonesia , Laos , Malaysia , Myanmar , the Philippines , Singapore , Thailand and Vietnam.

Vietnam builds orthopaedic centre for Laos

A ceremony was held in Thulakhom district, Vientiane province, Laos on December 26 for the handover of an orthopedic and rehabilitation facility built with Vietnamese non-refundable aid to Laos.

Present at the event were Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Huynh Van Ty and officials of Vientiane province.

The construction of the 2.1 million USD centre started on August last year. Once operational, the centre will provide prostheses and rehabilitation services for war invalids and people with disabilities in Laos.

On the occasion, the Da Nang Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital of Vietnam and the newly-built Lao facility signed an agreement establishing twinning relations at a ceremony the same day.

Traffic, terrorism, TPP among top Google searches in Vietnam in 2015

A look at some of the most searched topics in the country this year.

1. University examination

Like many other Asian countries, education is a big deal in Vietnam. It is believed that a university degree will not only be able to secure you a well-paid job but also earn you a lot of respect.

For the first time since Google first listed trending and top searches in Vietnam in 2012, the topic has made it to the year-end list. It peaked on July 19-25 when the exam scores were published.

This year the education ministry revised examination and enrollment rules, hoping to give students a better placement chance. However, the whole three-month process left hundreds of thousands of students and parents disgruntled.

Amid heavy criticism, the education minister made an appearance on a national TV network to "take responsibility" for the situation which was widely criticized as "messy" and "cruel."

2. Traffic accident

With an average of 9,000 people killed in traffic accidents every year, the issue, often described as "a national disaster," is bound to be one of Vietnamese people's main interests.

The search peaked in April when nearly 1,730 accidents happened, leaving 682 people dead and more than 1,580 people injured.

The government is aiming to reduce the annual death toll to 5,000 over the next five years.  

3. Gas prices

In a country where people heavily rely on their personal vehicles, fuel prices are one of the biggest public concerns.

The government has adjusted gasoline prices 17 times this year, including six hikes. That alone is enough to secure the phrase a place in the list of 2015's Google trends.

4. Son Doong

This is without a doubt the new star of Vietnam's tourism industry.

Son Doong Cave in the central province of Quang Binh has been featured on global magazines and travel sites since it was named the world's largest cave in 2009.

When it was the main subject of the US number one morning show Good Morning America in May, the cave's reputation just skyrocketed.

More than 3,000 tourists visited the cave this year, and most of them were foreigners. A one-week expedition costs US$3,000 much higher than than most Vietnamese income.

The limited opportunities to visit has apparently not reduced an inch of Vietnamese interests in the cave.

5. Paris

A series of terror attacks that killed 130 people and injured hundreds in Paris in November too caught the attention of the Vietnamese public.

Many local Facebook users shared their condolences, joined the world trend of covering their profile pictures with the French flag, and ended up losing some of their friends who dismissed the trend as superficial and hypocrite.

"Pray for Paris" is also one of the most-searched definitions by Vietnamese.

6. IS

The terrorism group known as Islamic State piqued the curiosity of many Vietnamese.

While most of Vietnamese limited their interest to looking up "What is IS" and checking the latest news about IS, a group of 13-14 year old students created several Facebook accounts under the names of an alleged member of IS.

Before police busted their prank, thousands of Facebook users followed their pages. The students' conversations with their followers which were full of challenges and threats sent the Ministry of Public Security scramble to end the jokes and issue a few warnings.

7. TPP

"What is TPP" is the top searched definition by Vietnamese in 2015.

In October Vietnam finished negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership with another 11 nations including Japan and the US.

All the participants are now waiting for their legislatures' approval before signing the world's largest trade bloc.

Pros and cons of the deal from Vietnamese perspectives and many other related issues have been dominating local media for most of the year.

8. Furious 7

When it was premiered in April, the seventh installment of the Hollywood action series "Fast and Furious" broke Vietnamese box office's record with ticket sales of VND100 billion only after 12 days.

The huge success has secured "Furious 7" the top position on the list of trending films in Vietnam.

It was, in fact, one of the only two Hollywood productions making it to the list, besides the erotic movie "50 Shades of Grey."

This controversial movie had quite a rocky journey in Vietnam: it had its premiere delayed and finally only a clean cut with all steamy scenes removed could pass the country's censors.

9. Paul Walker

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie can move over, at least for now.

The "Fast and Furious" actor was the only Hollywood star in the list of top 10 trending people in Vietnam. His death was heavily reported by the local media and it was believed to be the main reason behind the huge success of "Furious 7" in Vietnam.

"See You Again," a tribute song written for Walker, was also one of the most popular English songs in Vietnam in 2015.

10. Balika Vadhu

You may have never heard about this Indian soap opera, but "Balika Vadhu" (Child Bride), often described as the world's longest running show with nearly 2,500 episodes, is currently the biggest TV hit in Vietnam.

Local TV networks have for years thrived on series imported from East Asia, notably from China and the Republic of Korea. But a stronger demand from viewers for more diversity in programming has prompted them to turn to soap operas from India, Thailand and the Philippines.

"Balika Vadhu", known in Vietnamese title as Co dau 8 tuoi, connects most strongly with older viewers. The series' stars also visited the country in overhyped events.

11. Sports and beauty pageants

Earth Hour, the annual environmental event held in Vietnam in March, was the only non-entertainment event in the list of top 10 trending events in 2015.

Sports events took up half of the list, including three tennis championships in Australia, the UK and the US.

The rest were two Vietnamese beauty contests (and yes, there were two) and one music award.

Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Contest Awards Ceremony

The awards ceremony for a quiz competition challenging contestants’ knowledge of Vietnam-Cuba diplomatic ties (December 2, 1960 - 2015) was held on December 26 in Hanoi.

The competition, organized by the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association in collaboration with Radio the Voice of Vietnam, was open to all Vietnamese citizens.

One first prize of US$1,300 was presented to the Sao Vang Group team while two second prizes of US$650 each went to the team from the Nhiet Huyet Group and Hoang Thi Thu Trang from Ho Chi Minh City.

The event was attended by National Assembly Vice Chairwoman and President of the Vietnam- Cuba Friendship Association Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Other prominent dignitaries included President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) Vu Xuan Hong, VOV Director General Nguyen Dang Tien and Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Herminio Lopez Diaz.

Thanh Hoa welcomes more than 5.5 million tourists in 2015

The number of international and domestic tourists to the northern central province of Thanh Hoa, which hosted the National Tourism Year 2015, exceeded 5.53 million this year, generating 5.2 trillion VND (233.18 million USD), up 45 percent from the previous year.

The figures were released at a meeting jointly held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the provincial People’s Committee on December 26 in Thanh Hoa city reviewing the organisation of the National Tourism Year 2015.

Addressing the event, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh hailed the achievements Thanh Hoa has made in hosting the national tourism event.

The locality have actively devised numerous incentives to lure investment in tourism sector, with focus on developing infrastructure facilities in such seaside tourism areas as Sam Son and Hai Tien, the minister said.

Thanh Hoa has also worked closely with 15 other provinces and cities across the nation in organising culture, sports, tourism and trading activities throughout the year, following the main theme of the national event “Connecting World Heritages”, he added.

The Minister expressed his hope that the province will build on the positive achievements in the year to further promote the sector toward becoming one of the key national tourism sites by 2020.

On the occasion, fifteen units and 20 individuals were honoured for their outstanding contribution to the national event. Dozens of others were honoured by the provincial People’s Committee.

The same day, a grand ceremony was held in Thanh Hoa City marking the conclusion of the National Tourism Year 2015.

Outstanding employers in 2015 honoured

An award ceremony was held in Hanoi on December 27 to honour 49 outstanding employers in 2015.

The event, the second of its kind, was co-organised by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

The 49 winners, selected from more than 1,000 employers competing for the award this year, were recognised for their excellent policies for employees and consistent goals for green and sustainable development.

They include VinGroup, National Oil Services Company of Vietnam, Southern Vietnam Maritime Safety Corporation, Hue Textile Garment Joint Stock Company and Bim Son Cement Joint Stock Company.

Speaking at the ceremony, VGCL President Dang Ngoc Tung said these winners have worked hard to improve work environment and balance benefits of employer, employees and the society towards sustainable development.

Good practices in employee policies and personnel training were shared for business from across the country on the sidelines of the award.

New hi-tech hospital inaugurated in Ho Chi Minh City

A 178-bed hospital equipped with state-of-the-art technologies was inaugurated in Ho Chi Minh City on December 26.

The Vinmec Central Park General Hospital, worth 1.2 trillion VND (53.81 million USD) invested by Vingroup, aims to provide high quality health care service for residents in southern provinces.

Director of the hospital Hoang Quoc Hoa said the hospital targets to be the second health care facility of Vingroup that meets the JCI Accreditation standards for hospitals in 2017.

The Vinmec Times City in Hanoi was the first Vinmec hospital and also the first hospital in Vietnam to receive JCI accreditation in June this year.

Founded in 1994, the Joint Commission International, or JCI, is a US-based group providing international healthcare accreditation services to hospitals around the world with the primary focus on improving the safety of patient care.

Vinmec plans to expand its network to 10 hospitals nationwide and establish a medical university by 2020.

Official encourages citizens, media to film traffic offenses committed by law enforcers

Authorities in the southern province of Dong Nai have urged local people and media to record and submit video footage of traffic offenses committed by officials in order to support the penalization of violating individuals.

Tran Van Tu, chairman of the Dong Nai People’s Council, told Tuoi Tre(Youth) newspaper on Saturday that he had recommended journalists, newspapers and citizens to report all activities against traffic regulations conducted by law enforcement officers as it is unacceptable for them to commit such acts.

People are also encouraged to record footage of all members of the community who violate the law to create fairness and consistency in the implementation of traffic rules, Chairman Tu added.

Besides being praised for setting good examples for the public, officials – especially traffic cops and inspectors – should also be criticized for their wrongdoing in order to improve the entire society, he asserted.

He also directed his questions toward leaders of the Dong Nai People’s Committee about why they did not impose any punishment on law-breaking officials who had been denounced, and ordered that individuals responsible for the wrong appraisal of the officials be disciplined.

Colonel Duong Thanh Hai, head of traffic police under the Dong Nai Department of Police, expressed his support for the chairman’s decision.

“Our unit has always focused on improving and disciplining officers, as well as received the people’s feedback on those officers taking unlawful actions to penalize and set good examples in the community,” Col. Hai said.

The decision was also backed by journalist Bui Phu, head of Giao Thong (Traffic) newspaper’s representative office in southern Vietnam, who has exposed several wrongdoings of traffic police.

However, there is still concern over how punishment will be inflicted upon individuals responsible and whether the decisions will be publicized, according to Phu.

As long as the press and people fairly and accurately report all illegal cases, competent agencies will use the evidence as the foundation for sternly penalizing the offenders in accordance with the law, Chairman Tu underlined.

Menopause education encouraged by doctors

Educational programmes on menopausal health for community and health officials should be expanded in an aim to improve women's quality of life, doctors have recommended.

Viet Nam was one of Asia's most rapidly aging populations, thanks to a decline in the death rate and an increase in life span, from 50 years in the 20 century to nearly 74 years now, according to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien.

Speaking at a conference held recently in HCM City, Dr Dang Quang Vinh of Viet Nam National University-HCM City's Faculty of Medicine, said that more attention should be paid to menopausal health so that the quality of life for women would not deteriorate.

The conference was organised by the HCM City Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Association (HOSREM).

Professor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, chairwoman of HOSREM, said the country has more than 10 million women aged 40 and above.

Research conducted by Vietnamese doctors show that the country's average age of menopause is 48 or 49.

As many as 97 per cent of women aged 58 have already undergone menopause.

Symptoms such as hot flashes, sleeplessness, depression and urinary incontinence can all begin three years (called peri-menopause) before menopause, Phuong said.

"It is necessary to receive treatment for symptoms, "she added.

Education programmes among community and health staff on menopause have been not been sufficient, Vinh said.

Standard clinic guidelines on hormone replacement therapy in the country have not been established or issued, he said.

In HCM City, the examination and treatment of menopausal health is done in gynaecology wards at hospitals.

Even large obstetrics hospitals such as Tu Du and Hung Vuong have no ward specialising in menopausal health, he said.

The women in this age group need counselling, but the hospital's wards have too many patients.

With menapause, osteoporosis can begin because of a shortage of estrogen.

Vo Xuan Son of EXSON International Clinic said the rate of women and men diagnosed with osteoporosis at the clinic accounted for 71.4 per cent of 3,893 people aged 50 and above who visited in 2012 and 2013.

The costs for treatment of fractures in Viet Nam is lower than the rest of the world, but patients' incomes are too low, creating a financial burden.

The community lacks awareness of osteoporosis as well as supplementary food and medicine for prevention and treatment.

Vaccine registration process goes online

Parents can register for the five-in-one Pentaxim vaccination on the Ha Noi Preventive Medicine Centre's website beginning at 9am tomorrow.

The facility is the first medical centre in the country to offer online registration for the Pentaxim vaccination after the Ministry of Health's guidance was issued to create good conditions for children receiving vaccinations.

It aims to prevent overcrowding when residents register at the centre's headquarters, said Nguyen Nhat Cam, director of the centre.

Parents can access the website www.ytdphanoi.gov.vn for registration, or call 0439035688 for consultancy. Those who register successfully can receive the vaccination for their children as early as this Wednesday.

The centre will offer the vaccination to 3,200 children who were born from December 30, 2012 to October 30, 2015.

Co-operation boosts Mekong tourism

The increased co-operation of Mekong Delta provinces helped boost tourism in the whole region, the Mekong Delta Tourism Association claimed.

The tour " Mekong Delta – One destination, four localities +" is a successful result of the co-operation among five provinces – Can Tho, An Giang, Kien Giang, Ca Mau and Kien Giang, said deputy head of the association's co-ordination committee Le Thanh Phong. The scheme was launched five years ago, offering tours from HCM City to the five Mekong Delta provinces.

According to the association, the number of visitors to the Mekong Delta and tourism revenue in the last five years increased considerably.

The number of visitors increased from 13 million in 2011 to 21 million this year with average growth of 12 per cent per year. The region earned about VND 4.5 trillion (US$198 million) from tourism this year while revenue in 2011 was VND 2.5 trillion ($110 million).

Phong said that the five provinces strengthened their co-operation to introduce more attractive tourism products.

New tourism products must promote each province's features.

For example, Kien Giang - bordered by An Giang, Hau Giang provinces, Can Tho City in the east and the south - east, Ca Mau Province in the south, and Cambodia in the north- has 200km of coastline with large fishing grounds and 105 islands. Its attractions include U Minh Forest, Temple and Tomb of national hero Nguyen Trung Truc in Rach Gia, Tam Bao Pagoda, the Bird Sanctuary, Tan Hoi Pagoda and Phu Quoc Island.

Phong said that localities need to strengthen co-operation with tour operators and tourism service providers through regular meetings.

Phong called for the five provinces in the Mekong Delta to join organise activities promoting the 2016 National Tourism Year with focus given to Phu Quoc Island and the Mekong Delta region.

Deputy director of Can Tho City's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Le Minh Son said that they wanted to get more private sector engagement in tourism.

He said that they would also promote the tour "Mekong Delta – One destination, four localities +" and seek new ways to attract tourists.

Hau Giang plans clean water funds

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Hau Giang plans to allocate more than VND35 billion (US$1.56 million) to bring clean water to local rural residents in 2016.

Under the plan, over 4,000 additional rural households will have access to clean water, raising the rate of rural households supplied with clean water to 88 per cent.

The rural clean water programme will be implemented together with other socio-economic development and new-style rural area building programmes, focused on the remote and far-flung areas with crowded population.

The province aims to mobilise different resources for the rural clean water programme while offering incentives to investors from other provinces in the sector.

The programme is expected to improve the living and health conditions of rural residents while contributing to environmental protection.

In 2015, the province spent nearly VND26 billion ($1.16 million) to build water facilities, serving roughly 5,000 households in remote and disadvantaged areas, especially those with salt intrusion.

The amount also covered the construction of concentrated clean water supply stations in the communes of Nhon Nghia A and Thuan Hung in Long My district.

Six irrigation works were also built in Long My and Vi Thanh districts, and Long My and Nga Bay towns, which suffered from salt intrusion.

Over the past 12 years, more than VND520 billion ($23.21 million) has been invested in developing the local water supply system, of which more than 350 billion ($15.62 million) is sourced from the State budget.

Currently, the locality has 250 water supply stations, serving 33,000 households, or 86 per cent of the local population. Half of them are using clean water that meets the health ministry's standard.

Bachelors, masters constitute 20% of unemployed people in Vietnam

The number of university graduates and holders of higher academic degrees becoming jobless has increased in Vietnam, reaching 225,500 people or 20 percent of the unemployed, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs said on Thursday.

It has jumped from a total of 199,000 unemployed skilled workers in the third quarter.

In addition, another 117,300 people who have an associate’s degree are also out of work now in Vietnam.

About 114,000 bachelors and 135,000 associate’s degree holders have to do menial jobs which require no certificate or diploma.

Vietnam currently has 7.3 percent of the young people aged from 15 to 24 still seeking jobs, up from 6.68 percent three months ago, according to the ministry’s statistics.

The overall unemployment rate in Vietnam is 2.35 percent.

Going along with the increasing unemployment rate is a big difference between supply of and demand for labor in several careers, especially in Hanoi.

In the capital city, the job supply in office and administrative management is 12.6 times higher than demand. It is 11.8 times for accounting and auditing, 3-5 times for sales, and 2-3 times for information technology.

The rising rate of joblessness shows a big gap between the demand of the job market and the training capacity of universities as the supply factor, said Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, director of the Institute of Labor Science and Social Affairs.

Of around a million students finishing high school every year, 90 percent target to enter universities and the remaining ten percent apply for vocational training schools.

Hoang Ngoc Vinh, head of the department of occupational education under the Ministry of Education and Training, refuted claims that the mushrooming of universities is to blame for the surging unemployment rate.

He said university graduates make up only seven percent of the workforce in the nation, much lower than the level of 25-30 percent in other developed countries.

So what matters is, according to Vinh, the quality of higher education.

The training programs have failed to meet the demand of the job market, he said.

National Tourism Year 2015 wraps up successfully

The National Tourism Year 2015 was concluded successfully with a ceremony held in Thanh Hoa city on December 26.

The event of over 60 large-scale activities was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), Thanh Hoa and other provinces. Under the theme ‘Connecting World Heritage’, Thanh Hoa and other localities developed tourism products and created chains of new, prominent and distinct destinations, promoting the special values of cultural heritages in tourism development.

This year, statistics from 16 provinces and cities with heritage sites showed that the total number of tourists reached 96 million, an 11% year-on-year rise, bringing in nearly VND200 trillion (US$8.8 billion) – a 13% year-on-year increase. Thanh Hoa province welcomed over 5.5 million tourists, including 127,000 international tourists, a 26.2% year-on-year rise and the province’s total income from tourism reached VND5.18 trillion (US$228 million), increasing by 40.4% over last year.

The ‘Connecting World Heritage’ programme created a strong brand name for the country and localities with world heritage. Many activities affirmed professionalism in organisation, scale and quality, ensuring safety, thrift and effectiveness; promoting the natural resources of human beings; elevating and effectively introducing the image and tourism potential of Thanh Hoa province and Vietnam to local and international tourists; and improving the awareness of agencies, businesses and people in developing tourism.

Addressing the closing ceremony, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Anh Tuan asked Thanh Hoa province, localities and agencies to continue improving public awareness of tourism, have policies facilitating investment attraction to develop high-quality tourism products and services, improve the effectiveness of destination management, human resources training, and service quality control, as well as elevate the effectiveness of State management over the tourism sector.

He also urged agencies and localities to effectively implement the Government’s Resolution No.92 on several solutions to boost Vietnam’s tourism development and the Prime Minister’s Directive No.14 on overcoming shortcomings and improving competitiveness of the country’s tourism industry.

Also at the ceremony, the hosting of the National Tourism Year 2016 was handed over to the southern province of Kien Giang.

Earlier, at a meeting summing up the National Tourism Year 2015, the MCST presented certificates of merit to 15 groups and 20 individuals for their contributions to the event’s success while the Thanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee awarded certificates of merit to 54 groups and 55 individuals for their outstanding work for organising the event successfully.

Ten million people join unemployment insurance

As of late Q3, 2015, over 10 million people joined unemployment insurance, accounting for 18.5% of the labor force, according to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA).

So far, the unemployment insurance premiums are estimated at over VND 7 trillion, fulfilling 80.4% of the set goal.

In Q3, there were around 155,400 applicants for unemployment insurance benefits, down 5,100 people from the previous quarter. Unemployment benefits monthly covered 166,000 people, up 28,700 people, 57.1% of whom are women.

Especially, recipients of unemployment insurance benefits aged 25-40 remained high (67% for men and 65.3% for women).

In Q3, 132,700 unemployment insurance beneficiaries got job consultation and 8,000 others received vocational training support.

As prescribed by the Vietnamese law, any enterprise that employs 10 employees or more is required to participate in unemployment insurance.

The employer is required to make and submit unemployment insurance dossiers for its employees to social insurance organizations within 30 days from the effective date of labor or working contracts of such employees.

For an employee who enters into a seasonal labor contract or job-based labor contract of a term of between full 3 months and under 12 months before January 1, 2015, and is performing such labor contract, the employer is obliged to purchase unemployment insurance at least three months before the expiration of the labor contract./.

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