Devastating flashfloods cause serious damage in Dien Bien

Flashfloods triggered by overnight torrential rains from August 27 to the morning of August 28 left many roads blocked and inundated 80ha of paddy rice and 15ha of fish ponds in the district of Tua Chua in northern Dien Bien province with estimated losses of around VND2 billion.

According to the preliminary report from Tua Chua district’s Board for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue, prolonged heavy rains caused landslides and flooding in many areas of Tua Chua town and in the communes of Muong Bang, Xa Nhe, Sinh Phinh and Muong Dun.

Several routes linking communes and hamlets are impassible due to a number of landslides blocking the way.

To Van Tuan, head of Tua Chua district’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the district responded quickly to the floods, urging communal People’s Committees to mobilize sources and support local people in taking action to deal with the consequences of the natural disaster and clear paths as soon as possible for traffic to pass safely.

Tuan added that flashfloods also damaged many hectares of subsidiary crops in the district.
Online animal health information system announced

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Animal Health announced that the Vietnam Animal Health Information System has opened online, during a press conference in Hanoi on August 28. 

The system received financial support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and technical support from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), aiming to simplify procedures and apply information technology to animal disease reporting to meet the World Organisation for Animal Health’s (OIE) standards. 

VAHIS is an online system that connects computers, can promptly transmit data to animal health agencies from central to provincial levels, and collect data on animal diseases as requested by concerned Vietnamese agencies and the OIE. 

It will also monitor and offer early warnings on animal epidemics based on monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports. 

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam said VAHIS will help the animal health sector actively build plans to monitor epidemics and build safety zones against diseases in localities, ensuring safety for farmers and communities. 

At the provincial level, the system will help authorities prevent the spread of epidemics; mitigate damage in animal husbandry and human health, especially in animal-to-human diseases; and secure the export quality of Vietnamese animal products. 

Interim FAO representative in Vietnam Kamal Malhotra said VAHIS will effectively connect data from farms, villages, communes, districts, provinces, regional animal health agencies and related parties, helping the ministry with its decision-making process.

Landslides blocks traffic in Điện Biên

A flooded road in Mường Báng Commune, Tủa Chùa District in the northern province of Điện Biên. 

Landslides have blocked parts of National Highway 4H in the northern province of Điện Biên due to heavy rain that has been falling since Monday.

Lương Thanh Tùng, director of Road II Company, said the road should be cleared by Tuesday.

Nguyễn Ngọc Sơn, an official from Nậm Pồ District, said two landslides had hit the road linking the district’s centre to National Highway 4H.

Khoàng Văn Van, an official in the district’s Chà Nưa Commune, said that heavy rains had caused record floods in the area that had damaged crops and swept mud into residential areas, schools and State office buildings. Students had been moved to safer areas.

The ongoing rain had made it difficult to start the clean-up operation and posed the risk of further floods, he said.

In the mountainous district of Tủa Chùa, landslides were reported in the communes of Mường Báng and Sính Phình.

According to the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, northern and central provinces can expect heavy rain until Friday of up to 250-350mm. 

Workshop discusses shock-responsive social protection in Vietnam

Officials inspect flood prevention in Vinh Chau A, Tan Hung district, Long An province. 

The Ministry of Labour, War Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) held a consultation workshop in Hanoi on August 27 to look into risk-informed and shock-responsive social protection in Vietnam.

A study on risk-informed and shock-responsive social protection in Vietnam has been conducted under the management of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). It was run under a project chaired by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and implemented in four Southeast Asian countries, namely the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

In Vietnam, the study was carried out from March 31 to April 15, 2018 at the MoLISA; the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; and the provinces of Lao Cai in the north, Nghe An in the central region, and Ca Mau in the south. It surveyed local residents and government workers whose jobs are relating to disaster risk reduction, social protection, and humanitarian activities.

Vietnam is among those countries seriously affected by climate change, especially considering that 71 percent of its population and 59 percent of its land mass are vulnerable to natural disasters. The country also loses about 1-1.5 percent of its GDP due to natural disasters every year.

Low-income and vulnerable groups are affected more as their incomes largely depend on weather and housing conditions, while they also lack access to saving accounts and credit in times of need.

Comprehensive and effective social assistance is a strong tool to boost resilience to disasters, which must come with helping those affected create and diversify their means of livelihood and deal with long-term climate change impacts, participants said at the workshop.

The study pointed out some of the advantages and difficulties in completing policies on risk-informed and shock-responsive social protection in Vietnam. The policy system was stipulated in the Government’s Decree No.136/2013/ND-CP. The country’s socio-economic development plan for 2016-2020 has also stressed the need to improve and better coordinate policies and actions pertaining to climate change, disaster risk, natural resources, environmental protection, and land use.

However, coverage in the decree remains limited. Resources for policy implementation still mainly rely on the state budget and are not enough for handling disaster consequences. While emergency social assistance is assessed as not timely, suitable, nor sufficient, cumbersome administrative procedures have also hampered aid provision, according to the study.

The study recommended policies and legal regulations on social protection be fine-tuned regularly, with their focus switched from response to prevention; a social assistance system for emergencies be completed; and financial strategies be developed.

Some participants at the event said that as natural disasters remain complicated and unpredictable, the communication staff needs to be further consolidated, and appropriate resources should be invested in infrastructure and equipment for disaster prevention. They also called for stronger coordination among all-level authorities, sectors, and domestic and international organisations in this work.

Stealing birds, forgetting bicycle

Yesterday morning, a video was posted on Facebook that could drive you to tears or laughter.

The incident occurred on Sunday in a small alley in Hà Nội. A young man was riding an electric bicycle, quickly approaching a bird cage in front of a house, with nefarious thoughts in his mind.

Before he could steal the cage, though he was discovered by the house owner

The young man could only touch the cage, before he abandoned his bike and fled on foot.

Maybe he forgot the electric bicycle is mightier than the foot, as he was quickly apprehended by locals before being handed over to the police.

Bust of first Dominican President inaugurated in Hanoi

Officials stand in front of the bust of Juan Bosch at Hoa Binh Park in Hanoi on August 28

 

A bust of Juan Bosch (1909 – 2001), leader of the national liberation movement in Latin America and first President of the Dominican Republic, was unveiled at Hoa Binh Park in Hanoi on August 28.

Addressing the ceremony, Tran Thanh Man, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, said Professor Juan Bosch was the vanguard in the struggle against dictatorial regimes and oppression for the sake of independence, sovereignty, freedom and happiness of the Dominican people. 

He was always loved and admired by people in Dominica as well as Latin America thanks to his simple life and readiness to protect legitimate interests of the working class, the official said.

Juan Bosch supported and absolutely trusted President Ho Chi Minh’s leadership in the struggle for national liberation and reunification of Vietnam, Man said, adding that he was also the one “sowing of the first seeds of the solidarity and friendship between the two nations”.

The inauguration of the bust in Hanoi will help promote the friendship between the two nations’ people and help more Vietnamese people further understand the life and career of Juan Bosch as well as the Dominican Republic, Man noted.

General Secretary of the Dominican Republic’s United Left Movement Miguel Mejia, who is also Minister for Regional Integration Policies, said his country has built a park named after Ho Chi Minh and a bust of the late Vietnamese President. The Dominican people respect and consider Ho Chi Minh as a bright example of fighting for freedom and building the great national unity bloc, he said.

Mejia affirmed that it is the honour for the Dominican Republic to have a bust of Juan Bosch in Hanoi, and this is a critically important event in the bilateral relations.

Ho Chi Minh and Juan Bosch were the great leaders guiding people through challenges and difficulties to bring their countries to successes with the goals of peace, democracy and civilisation, he added.

Hanoi: Solutions sought to fix cracks on Thăng Long Bridge

A rough surface seen on Hà Nội’s Thăng Long Bridge. 

The Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam is seeking solutions to fix cracks that have reappeared again and again on the surface of Thăng Long Bridge, threatening road safety.

The bridge opened in 1985 after an 11-year construction process with Russian assistance. It crosses the Red River to connect Nội Bài Airport with downtown Hà Nội and has undergone several major maintenance projects since 2009.

According to the road directorate, after years in use, the bridge’s stone mastic asphalt was damaged, sliding and cracking, which resulted in the broken surfaces.

The asphalt concrete was found not to stick to the steel concrete below, especially during hash weather conditions like serious heat waves or prolonged rains.

Thus, the directorate has recommended three options for repair. In the first option, all steel concrete on the bridge surface will be reinforced to improve adhesion between the asphalt concrete and the steel concrete.

In the second option, only the asphalt layer will be fixed and nothing will be done with the steel concrete.

The third option suggests welding steel nets on the steel bridge surface and then improving adhesion as in the first option.  

The directorate also asked for assistance from Russian companies which helped build the bridge before.

In 2009, authorities spent roughly VNĐ100 billion (US$4.8 million) on resurfacing the bridge. Last year, about VNĐ1.4 billion was spent on fixing the bridge surface and in 2016, maintenance cost over VNĐ1 billion.

Hà Nội’s municipal People’s Committee hesitated to take ownership of the bridge from the Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam because of the high maintenance costs and impending problems relating to the bridge’s surface. 

Nearly 1,000 vehicles have been equipped with e-tags

Nearly 1,000 vehicles have been equipped with e-tags since electronic toll collection systems (ETC) were installed at toll stations on the HCM City – Long Thành – Dầu Giây Expressway in August last year.

The ETC will collect tolls by scanning e-tags installed in vehicles passing through toll gates, helping vehicle owners save time and fuel as they do not have to stop to pay fees at the toll booths.

Through e-tags, the system will identify the vehicle and transmit its image and information to a data centre at high speed. Confirmation of the vehicle’s information and deduction of the required amount from the account will be almost immediate, so the barrier will lift without the vehicle having to stop.

Enterprises and transport units can also control the monthly circulation route of their automobiles as well as get support in invoicing from the Việt Nam Expressway Services Engineering.

To register for the service, vehicle owners just need to sign up with a prepaid card and attach an e-tag to the front windscreen. 

Vietnamese traditional dress hits catwalk in Thailand

Model Nguyen Tran Huyen My, first runner-up at Miss Vietnam 2014, starred at the ao dai (traditional long robe) fashion show on August 26 in Bangkok. 

Model Nguyen Tran Huyen My, first runner-up at Miss Vietnam 2014, took the starring role at the “ao dai “ (traditional long dress) fashion show on August 26 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The event wrapped up the Vietnamese Goods and Tourism Week in Thailand with the participation of about 60 Vietnamese firms.

Many Vietnamese products with high export potential were displayed at the event, which officially opened on August 22.

This is the third time the event promoting Vietnamese goods has been organised in Thailand. This year, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade cooperated with the Vietnam Administration of Tourism to promote tourism and culture at the event. 

My works as a professional model. She also represented Vietnam at the Miss Grand International 2017 pageant. Recently, she impressed Asian audiences with the film Bridge of Clouds shot in Myanmar.

Deputy PM presents gifts, scholarships to poor families, students

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh and a delegation from the Government Office on August 27 presented 50 houses worth 3.5 billion VND (150,500 USD) and a number of scholarships to poor households and students in border communes of Tan Bien district, the southern province of Tay Ninh.

Along with the houses, sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the delegation also presented 130 million VND (5,590 USD) in the form of scholarships, 500 school bags, 300 notebooks, and 50 bicycles to local students, along with 200 gifts for poor households. All gifts were mobilised from agencies and enterprises.

Nguyen Van Cuong, President of the Trade Union of the Administration-Management Department of the Government Office, said that the annual programme has been carried out for 20 years with the support of State agencies and businesses.

In the future, the programme hopes to reach poor households and students in other remote areas to give them a helping hand, he said.

Dang Van Nghia, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Tan Bien district highly appreciated the assistance, describing it as a motivation for poor students to continue their studying and for local households to develop their production and improve their living conditions.

HCM City honours exemplary Catholics in charity work

Nguyen Huu Hiep, head of the Mass Mobilisation Commission of the HCM City Party Committee, presents certificates of merit to outstanding Catholics 

The Vietnam Fatherland Front of Ho Chi Minh City, in coordination with the city’s Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics, held a ceremony on August 28 to honour 85 Catholics in the city who have made great contributions to social welfare, education and health care.

Priest Joseph Phan Khac Tu, Chairman of HCM City’s Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics, reported that local Catholics are running more than 170 educational establishments, 20 medical facilities and 63 charity institutions for underprivileged people in the city.

Nguyen Huu Hiep, head of the Mass Mobilisation Commission of the municipal Party Committee, said the Catholic community in the city have always been an integral part of the national unity bloc. Over the past years, they have upheld the tradition of patriotism and solidarity, sharing responsibilities with society through caring for the poor and participating in patriotic movements launched by the government, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and other organisations.

He stressed that their activities are in line with the spirit of the joint letter of the Episcopal Council of the Vietnam Catholic Church in 1980, which called for “Living gospel amidst the nation.”

Hiep praised the contributions of the Catholic community, and asked the Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics to multiply good examples in working for the benefit of the community.

He also urged the city’s government and Vietnam Fatherland Front to support and facilitate social welfare activities of the Catholic community in the time ahead.

Vietnamese celebrate Buddhist Vu Lan Festival in Laos, India

Vietnamese expatriates in Laos and India held grand ceremonies to mark the Buddhist Vu Lan Festival on August 25.

Vietnamese expatriates in Laos celebrate Buddhist Vu Lan festival at the Phat Tich Pagoda in Vientiane 

The Vu Lan festival falls on the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar. On this month’s full moon, wandering souls are believed to return to their former homes. 

The festival is based on the legend that once when mediating, a Buddha’s disciple named Muc Kieu Lien saw his mother suffering hell’s tortures. Following Buddha’s advice, on the seventh full moon of the year, Lien gathered monks and devotees to pray for his mother. 

Therefore, the festival is also an occasion for children to express their gratitude towards their parents (especially mothers) and help ancestors’ souls find their way back to the earth.

In Vientiane, Laos, the ceremony took place at the Phat Tich Pagoda, gathering representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy, associations of Vietnamese in Vientiane and Laos, and thousands of Vietnamese monks and expatriates.

Speaking at the event, Head of Phat Tich Pagoda Venerable Thich Minh Quang said the annual Vu Lan ceremony promotes solidarity and mutual support among Vietnamese communities in Laos.

It was estimated that approximately 100,000 Vietnamese people are residing, studying and working in Laos, most of them follow Buddhism. Many see Vietnamese pagodas in Laos as common houses not only for religious practices but also for meeting each other.

Laos is now home to 13 Vietnamese Buddhist pagodas, including three pagodas and one monastery in Vientiane. 

A similar ceremony took place the same day at the Buddha Vihara Pagoda in New Delhi, India.

The ceremony is an annual activity of the Vietnamese community in India.

Toyota Vietnam announces know-how program 2018

Toyota Motor Vietnam (TMV) in cooperation with Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) has announced to implement the Monozukuri Program – Know-how to success in manufacturing and business 2018.

This is the 14th year that the program has been carried out to create chances for local enterprises and students to approach and learn about Toyota Production System (TPS) and know-how to success of Toyota.

This year, the program includes six training courses for enterprises and students and two Kaizen (continuous improvement) showcases from August 2018 to March 2019.

Under the instruction of HUST lecturers and Toyota experts, the training courses provide contents like introduction on the TPS, just-in-time, autonomation, standardized work, continuous improvement and futility, logistic and warehouse management.

Students are guided to participate in more games, group discussions, case studies, problem identification in daily production practices of the company and propose appropriate solutions.

In addition, students can learn how to apply TPS in reality through Toyota plant tours and some companies that had participated in the Monozukuri program earlier.

The program also offers specialized training course for businesses to help them apply TPS theory to their business in the learning process. Trainees will be directly instructed by the instructor on how to find continuous improvement topics and improve their practice at the production site.

Until now, the program has successfully organized 47 training courses for 368 trainees from 129 enterprises and technical students nationwide.

Businesses and students who want to attend this program can register at Room 207A, C9 Building, Hanoi University of Science & Technology -  No. 1, Dai Co Viet Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi. Tel: +84-24-38684953 / 0972 302 207, email: info@monozukuri.edu.vn.

Vallet scholarships presented to Vietnamese students, researchers

As many as 144 Vallet scholarships worth 1.4 billion VND (60,200 USD) were presented to outstanding students and young researchers in the central province of Nghe An at a ceremony held in the locality on August 27.

The Vallet Scholarship Fund was established in 2001 by Professor Odon Vallet from France’s Sorbonne University through the Meeting Vietnam Organisation.

Over the past 17 years, Professor Odon Vallet has spent part of his savings which is nearly 230 billion VND (9.89 million USD) on more than 34,000 scholarships for students and young Vietnamese researchers.

During 2018-2019 academic year, the fund plans to grant 2,250 scholarships worth more than 23 billion VND (989,000 USD) to researchers and students with excellent academic performance across the country.

Last week, close to 500 Vallet scholarships worth 10 million VND (428.39 USD) each were presented to outstanding students from 58 high schools and six SOS villages in the north.

Health insurance ensures long-term treatment for HIV patients

Vietnam has expanded health insurance coverage among HIV patients taking ARV treatment to 83.4% at present from 50% in 2016, helping ensure that they can maintain long-term treatment in the context of decreasing international financial support for the field.

According to the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Department under the Health Ministry, the rate has reached 100% in five provinces in the country which are Ha Nam, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son and Ca Mau, and more than 90% in 30 provinces and centrally-run cities.

Stephanie De Goes, coordinator of PEPFAR (the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) in Vietnam said health insurance is the backbone of a nation’s sustainable HIV/AIDS treatment programme.

PEPFAR has worked with Vietnamese Health Ministry and other partners to expand health insurance coverage among HIV patients and improve access to HIV/AIDS treatment services through health insurance.

According to Stephanie De Goes, Vietnam is the most successful among countries working with PEPFAR to provide health insurance for HIV patients.

The HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Department said the health sector is rushing to prepare for the provision of ARV medicine through the Health Insurance Fund as from January 1, 2019 under the Prime Minister’s Decision 1125/QD-TTg dated July 31, 2017. Accordingly, after the decision takes effect, 191 medical establishments will be provided with ARV medicine to treat around 48,000 patients.

Vietnam to compete at ASEAN Skills Competition

Fifty two Vietnamese contestants will compete in 26 occupational skills at the 12th ASEAN Skills Competition which will be held in Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi province, Thailand from August 26 ­to September 5.

The competition themed “ASEAN Skills, Crafting the Future” draws 337 contestants from 10 countries who will compete in 24 official and two demonstration skills.

Truong Anh Dung, Deputy Director General of the Directorate of Vocational Education, said skills training has been provided for 72 candidates as from August 18. After the first phase 52 trainees were chosen for the next course to be able to compete at the ASEAN Skills Competition. The training was run by 88 specialist in relevant fields.

 Contestant Nguyen Van Hung said he feels confident to take part in the regional contest after the two-month training at Ha Noi Electromechanical College.

The Vietnamese team aims to be among leading participating countries.