Ho Chi Minh City launches activities to mark 1968 Tet Offensive

Nguyen Van Binh book street in Ho Chi Minh City

An array of activities are scheduled to take place from January 30 to February 4 at Nguyen Van Binh book street in Ho Chi Minh City to recount the General Offensive and Uprising in Spring 1968, known in the West as the Tet Offensive.

Notably, a model of the Ben Thanh market, which has been constructed from 1,000 books on the Spring 1968 campaign and the history of Ho Chi Minh City, is expected to catch the public’s attention.

Various books on the two resistance wars against French colonialism and American imperialism, as well as the history, renewal process and development of the City, will be introduced to visitors.

Two forums themed “Saigon’s youth during the Spring 1968 campaign’ and ‘Memories about Spring 1968’ will also be held on January 30 and February 2 to mark the occasion.

The speakers will be former members of the armed forces and student movements, as well as soldiers who were directly involved in the General Offensive and Uprising, contributing to the victory of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975.

In addition, the most outstanding photos from a photo contest launched by the Ho Chi Minh City Photographers’ Association to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year (the Year of the Dog) will be on show at the book street.

Gala night held for Vietnamese in Laos ahead of Tet

The General Association of Vietnamese People in Laos held a gala night for overseas Vietnamese people on January 28 to welcome the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, attracting nearly 400 overseas Vietnamese people in Laos.

The event drew the presence of Saysomphone Phomvihane, Politburo member and Chairman of the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) Central Committee, Vilayvong Butdakham, Chairman of the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung.

Chairman of the General Association of Vietnamese People in Laos, Nguyen Duy Trung, highlighted the significance and spiritual meaning of Tet for Vietnamese people, noting that Tet is a time for gathering together, consolidating solidarity, and educating younger generations about the fine traditions of the nation.

Vilayvong Butdakham spoke of the appreciation for the considerable contributions of Vietnamese people to Laos in the past struggle for Lao liberation and the current cause of Lao construction and defence.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung expressed gratitude towards the Lao authorities and people for creating favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese people in Laos to live and work.

He also showed his belief that a further consolidated relationship between Vietnam and Laos can develop in 2018.

The gala also featured song and dance performances on Vietnam and the special solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and Laos.

Hanoi targets all HIV carriers with health insurance

Hanoi set to expand health insurance coverage to 100 percent of HIV carriers in 2018, heard a recent conference on HIV/AIDS prevention hosted by the municipal Department of Health. 

According to reports of the municipal Preventative Medicine Centre, the rate of HIV/AIDS infection stands at 232/100,000 people. 

By December 31, 2017, Hanoi recorded 19,637 HIV/AIDS cases, ranking second in the country in the number of people living with the fatal disease. 

The city strives to have 60 percent of HIV carriers managed and provided with antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, and 75 percent of infected people know their status in 2018. 

To realise the goals, treatment facilities for addicts by Methadone will be expanded at all districts which have at least 250 drug addicts. 

Attention will be paid to improving health care establishments that are offering services to HIV carriers with health insurance cards.

More than 4,540 HIV infections had been detected in the first half of 2017, raising the total number in the country to 209,591, according to the Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control.

Of them, 56 percent are getting anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy.

This year, health insurance began covering the costs of treating opportunistic infections.

By 2020, 80 percent ARV drug costs will be covered by health insurance.

Bac Lieu has first new style rural district

Phuoc Long has become the first district in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu getting the new-style rural area status.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Thanh Nam granted the Prime Minister’s decision to the district’s authorities during a January 29 ceremony to announce the district as a new-style area in 2017.

With this recognition, the province now has 16 communes and one district named new-style rural areas.

At the ceremony, Nam acknowledged the joint efforts made by the district’s authorities and locals to gain the achievement, hoping that the district will continue focusing on improving the living conditions of residents.

On this occasion, the provincial People’s Committee also gave a cash award of 10 billion VND (440,000 USD) to the district.

Five units and seven individuals were also honoured for their outstanding contributions to new-style rural area building.

Chairman of the district People’s Committee Pham Thanh Hai, who is also head of the district new-style rural area building programme, said that the district has all seven communes meeting the criteria set for a new style rural area. The programme cost over 930 billion VND (41 million USD), of which over 90 billion VND (3.96 million USD) was donated by locals.

The district’s income per capital reached 42 million VND (1,850 USD) per year, and the poor household rate fell to 3.9 percent in 2017.

The National Target Programme on New Rural Development, launched in 2010, set out 19 criteria for new-style rural areas covering infrastructure, production, living standards, income, culture and others.

The list of criteria includes the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacity, environmental protection and the promotion of cultural values.

 In 2015, the set of criteria was increased to 20.

A district must have at least 75 percent of its communes meeting all the set criteria in order to receive the title of new-style rural district.

Hòa Bình recovers well after typhoons

The northern province of Hòa Bình has shown responsibility and solidarity in recovering from the effects of typhoons last year.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường said this on Sunday when he led a delegation of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention to check the progress in relief and rehabilitation work in Hòa Bình Province.

Cường said the country in general and Hòa Bình Province in particular suffered great loss last year due to natural disasters.

With the country ready for Tết (Lunar New Year) next month, the province should visit and support families who suffered losses during typhoons, he said.

Cường agreed with the province’s proposal to give urgent support to construction work. He asked the provincial authorities to check and determine which construction work needed investment first to ensure timely agricultural production this year.

The province should come up with a plan to tackle landslides and ensure high sustainability so that local residents can have peace of mind, he said.

Bùi Văn Tỉnh, the provincial Party Committee Secretary, asked for help from the delegation to restore stability in the lives of local residents, minimise the risk of landslides and improve agricultural production after natural disasters.

Tỉnh proposed the delegation to have an effective plan to help the province draw investment in agriculture. He emphasised on switching from rice cultivation to other crops with high economic value.

Last year, typhoons in Hòa Bình Province killed 42 people and inflicted damage of more than VNĐ2.8 trillion (US$124.9 million).

But the province’s people came together to support each other in resettlement, improving agricultural production and building necessary infrastructure.

The province built 12 resettlement quarters so that no family had to live in temporary houses.

But many construction and irrigation works are only temporary and are not strong enough to operate safely in the long run.

The provincial People’s Committee asked the delegation to report the situation to Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc for further support.

The committee requested more funds for esettlement. So far, the Government has given a little more than VNĐ420 billion ($18.5 million).

Another fund that the committee sought was to deal with landslides in Thái Bình and Chăm Mát wards in Hòa Bình City. The Government has so far given some VNĐ250 billion ($11 million).

On the same day, the delegation visited a few households who had to suffer due to the typhoons and gave them more than 200 sets of presents, with each set worth more than VNĐ1 million ($44).

Tet gifts for underprivileged children in Vinh Phuc

One hundred gifts on January 29 were presented to underprivileged children in Chan Hung, Thuong Trung, Van Xuan communes, Vinh Tuong district, the northern province of Vinh Phuc ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet).

The gifts were funded by KFHI Vietnam, a non-profit organisation based in the Republic of Korea.

In 2017, KFHI conducted numerous charity activities in the province at a total cost of more than 2.3 billion VND (101,000 USD). It will give 300 more Tet gifts to needy children in the locality, worth over 114 million VND (5,000 USD).

The same day, a unit under the Hanoi Red Cross Society held a ceremony to hand over nine charity houses and 200 Tet gifts to poor households and Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin victims in six communes of Lap Thach district.

HCM City focuses on drug supply

Ensuring adequate and timely supply of medicines, especially for the prevention and treatment of rare diseases and to specialised departments at hospitals, will be the central aspect of HCM City’s Strategy on National Pharmaceutical Development.

The national strategy incorporates plans and targets by provinces and cities based on the local prevalence of diseases and socio-economic status.

By 2020, its last year, the rate of use of medicines made in the country will rise as the city gives priority to pharmaceutical production and obtaining production rights to brand-name drugs.

It will create more conditions for drug manufacturers to invest in technologies for extracting and producing herbal medicines, and cooperate with neighbouring provinces to expand cultivation of medical plants.

Thirty percent of drug manufacturers in the city will meet international standards by 2020.

Forty percent of registered generic medicines produced in the city will match brand-name products in dosage, strength, administration method, quality, performance, and intended use.

All drug stores will follow good distribution and pharmacy practices.

The HCM City Centre for Quality Control of Food, Drug, and Cosmetics will follow good laboratory practices.

All hospitals in the city will have standard warehouses to store medicines and 50 percent of them will set up a clinical pharmacy division by 2020. The figure will rise to 100 percent by 2030.

Clinical pharmacy is vital for ensuring the safe and proper use of medicines, improving the efficacy of treatment and avoiding wastages for patients, according to the University Medical Centre of HCM City.

On the website of the city Department of Health, Dr Nguyen Tri Thanh, head of the University Medical Centre’s general planning division, said it also helps better monitor antibiotic use, reducing drug resistance.

However, one challenge for hospitals is the shortage of human resources in the clinical pharmacy division, causing difficulties for the strategy and making it hard for hospitals to attract and keep clinical pharmacists, the department said.

According to the National Drug Information and Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Centre, it has seen an increase in reports on adverse drug reactions at hospitals and by drug manufacturers and distributors from 711 in 2003 to 9754 as of October last year.

Congestion tackled at Cát Lái Port

Authorities have called for more measures to reduce traffic congestion at HCM City’s Cát Lái Port, District 2 and 9.

The director of HCM City’s Department of Transport, Bùi Xuân Cường, said that stricter traffic regulations had been enforced around these hotspots, including An Phú Intersection, Mỹ Thuỷ Intersection, Nguyễn Thị Định and Đồng Văn Cống streets.

Collaboration between authorities and management units have also been enhanced, he said.

The department has instructed the Urban Traffic Management Centre No 2 to work with investors on a road construction project connecting Phú Hữu Port in an effort to reduce traffic pressure in the area.

The Việt Nam Maritime Administration has suggested regulating the flow of goods and shipping goods to Hiệp Phước Port instead of Cát Lái Port.

Ngô Hải Đường, head of the Department of Transport’s road infrastructure management and exploitation division, said that a substantial amount of goods shipped in and out of Cát Lái Port during the year-end period made it difficult to curb congestion.

Routes such as Võ Chí Công, Đồng Văn Cống and Nguyễn Thị Định in District 2 attract the highest volume of traffic.

Mỹ Thuỷ Intersection, which connects the three routes, encounters serious traffic congestion every day.

The transport department explained that while Võ Chí Công Street draws traffic from District 7 to Cát Lái Port and Phú Hữu Intersection, Đồng Văn Cống and Nguyễn Thị Định are the main routes linking District 9, Thủ Đức District and neighbouring areas to Cát Lái Port.

Traffic congestion also occurs on Mai Chí Thọ Street and Hà Nội Highway, it added.

Truck driver Nguyễn Văn Lành told Người Lao Động (Labourer) newspaper that his payment had been reduced due to fewer rides, resulting from repeated exposure to traffic congestion.

A representative of the HCM City Cargo Transportation Association added transport firms could save some billion đồng per day if traffic congestion was eliminated.

In addition to a high volume of traffic, traffic flowing from perpendicular directions and narrow distances between traffic lights have made it challenging for drivers.

Incomplete road infrastructure has also contributed to traffic congestion, with ongoing constructions of Kỳ Hà 3 Bridge, a flyover and tunnel crossing Belt Road No 2, Đường added.

According to the Department of Transport, the tunnel project will be completed in two weeks and the flyover before April 30.

Cát Lái Port handles 89 per cent of total goods in the south and 50 per cent in Việt Nam.

Dak Nong invests in sustainable poverty reduction

The Central Highlands province of Dak Nong spent nearly 52 billion VND (2.33 million USD) on poverty reduction in 2017, helping bring the poverty rate among local households down by 2.63 percent from 2016 to 16.57 percent. 

In particular, the poverty rate among ethnic minorities dropped by 9.34 percent.

As of the end of 2017, the province counted 25,114 households with 112,150 persons living under the poverty line.

Vice Chaiwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Ton Thi Ngoc Hanh said, besides effectively implementing the Government’s policies, the province launched numerous policies and programmes to support needy students, households, particularly those of ethnic minority groups.

Special attention was paid to vocational training, housing, health insurance, clean water supply and education for minority ethnic groups, thus raising the living condition of local residents, while facilitating their access to State and community resources for economic development.

Local poor and near poor households have changed their mindset and become more proactive in seeking ways to escape poverty through learning from others’ experience and using effectively the assistance provided by the State and community, she said.

In 2018, the province aims to reduce the poor household rate by at least 2 percent, and by 3 percent among ethnic minority groups, in line with the multidimensional poverty standards.

All households living under the poverty line will receive vocational training and help in job placement to raise their income, along with assistance to improve their access to basic social services such as education, health care and clean water.

In order to ensure sustainable poverty reduction, in 2018, the province will take comprehensive measures for poverty reduction, while keeping close watch on changes in poverty situation and local population movement for timely response. 

The province has requested the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs to collaborate with other relevant ministries and sectors in allocating funding timely for poverty reduction plans and projects.

Vietnamese expats in Germany, Malaysia celebrate traditional Tet

Vietnamese expatriates in Germany on January 28 gathered to welcome Vietnam's traditional Tet holiday at a celebration held in Rostock and adjacent areas, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State. 

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Doan Xuan Hung expressed his joy to attend the programme.  

He wished Vietnamese people living and working in the country, as well as German friends, a happy new year. 

Nguyen Duy Long, chairman of the Dien Hong association – the event’s organising board, highlighted the unity among Vietnamese expats in Germany, saying they have contributed a lot to the host country. 

Representatives from the local authority lauded the integration and contributions made by the Vietnamese community to the city’s development, and the ties among immigrant communities from other countries. 

On the occasion, the organisation board presented gift to students from Vietnamese families with good academic achievements. 

The same day, the liaison board of the Vietnamese community in Johor State, Malaysia and the Vietnamese Embassy in the country held an art performance programme to celebrate Tet, attracting over 300 Vietnamese expats in the state. 

Speaking at the event, Bui Khanh Long from the embassy praised the liaison board for organising the programme.

He said the embassy will continue work with the liaison board to arrange more similar events, thus facilitating exchange among Vietnamese expats there.

Football brings Vietnam, RoK closer: Korean newspaper

Football has brought Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) closer, the Koreatimes quoted a Vietnamese fan as saying after the Vietnamese U23 team, under the guidance of RoK coach Park Hang-seo came in second at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship in China.

In his article on the Koreatimes, Jung Min-ho described the frenetic atmosphere in Vietnam on the night of January 27 after the final match between Vietnam and Uzbekistan.   

Despite Vietnam’s loss to Uzbekistan, Vietnamese fans still flocked to the street to celebrate the historic success of the home U-23 team, who were the first Southeast Asian team to enter the final round of the championship.

“Mr Park Hang-seo is loved in Vietnam for his contributions to the U23 team, and his leadership has taken the team to a new high on the regional playground,” the article quoted 28-year-old Giang Nguyen as saying. The woman said the Korean coach’s contribution has helped consolidate the cooperative ties between Vietnam and the RoK.

In Hanoi, fans braved the cold and rains to celebrate the U23 team’s accomplishment deep into the night. Kim Hyo-jin, a Korean living in Hanoi, said the celebration reminded her of the time back in 2002 when the RoK entered the World Cup semi-finals after beating Spain. 

The article also mentioned RoK President Moon Jae-in’s praise for the role of coach Park Hang-seo in Vietnam’s U23 team’s performance at the championship. The president also expressed joy because thanks to football, the two countries have become close friends.

Dak Nong invests in sustainable poverty reduction

The Central Highlands province of Dak Nong spent nearly 52 billion VND (2.33 million USD) on poverty reduction in 2017, helping bring the poverty rate among local households down by 2.63 percent from 2016 to 16.57 percent. 

In particular, the poverty rate among ethnic minorities dropped by 9.34 percent.

As of the end of 2017, the province counted 25,114 households with 112,150 persons living under the poverty line.

Vice Chaiwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Ton Thi Ngoc Hanh said, besides effectively implementing the Government’s policies, the province launched numerous policies and programmes to support needy students, households, particularly those of ethnic minority groups.

Special attention was paid to vocational training, housing, health insurance, clean water supply and education for minority ethnic groups, thus raising the living condition of local residents, while facilitating their access to State and community resources for economic development.

Local poor and near poor households have changed their mindset and become more proactive in seeking ways to escape poverty through learning from others’ experience and using effectively the assistance provided by the State and community, she said.

In 2018, the province aims to reduce the poor household rate by at least 2 percent, and by 3 percent among ethnic minority groups, in line with the multidimensional poverty standards.

All households living under the poverty line will receive vocational training and help in job placement to raise their income, along with assistance to improve their access to basic social services such as education, health care and clean water.

In order to ensure sustainable poverty reduction, in 2018, the province will take comprehensive measures for poverty reduction, while keeping close watch on changes in poverty situation and local population movement for timely response. 

The province has requested the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs to collaborate with other relevant ministries and sectors in allocating funding timely for poverty reduction plans and projects.

Vietnam students to compete at FIRST LEGO League in the US

Three student teams from schools in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi will represent Vietnam at the FIRST LEGO League in Houston, the US in late April.

Surpassing almost 200 teams from 120 schools nationwide, three teams from Le Ngoc Han Primary School and Western Australian International School in HCM City, and Wellspring School in Hanoi championed at the FIRST LEGO League Vietnam 2018, which took place in HCM City on January 27-28. They will compete at the world event in Houston in late April.

FIRST LEGO League is an international scientific and technological event held annually for students aged 6-16. This year’s competition attracts more than 255,000 contestants of 32,000 teams from more than 88 countries.

The contest will offer a good chance for Vietnamese students to show their enthusiasm for robotic design, assembling and programming, receive soft skills training and share their knowledge and ideas with international contestants.

Hyundai funds Vietnam-ROK centre for women and children in Can Tho

A centre for women and children repatriated from Vietnam-Korea multicultural families has been inaugurated in Can Tho City.

The US$1 million centre, funded by the Republic of Korea (ROK)’s Hyundai Motor Group and Hyundai Thanh Cong Vietnam is equipped with modern facilities. The returned women and children will have a chance to receive effective job training here to get more job opportunities.

According to recent statistics, the divorce rate is so high among 87,000 Vietnamese - Korean marriages, exceeding 16,000 cases, or one divorce for every five marriages. Particularly, among every six Vietnamese brides, one comes from Can Tho.

 hyundai funds vietnam-rok centre for women and children in can tho hinh 1 The first centre of this type in Vietnam including a Vietnam-ROK family law consultancy centre, a jop training centre, a multicultural library and multicultural literacy classes can offer comprehensive assistance for the returnees.

Le Ngoc Duc, General Director of Hyndai Thanh Cong Vietnam, says the company will pay more efforts to replicate the model to take care of the disadvantaged women.

Vietnamese man arrested day after $44,000 bank heist

Police in Bac Giang Province in northern Vietnam has arrested a man for allegedly stealing more than VND1 billion (US$44,000) from a major bank.

Nguyen Duc Minh, 35, entered a local branch of Agribank on January 26 wearing a mask and armed with a gun and what appeared to be a grenade.

He made his escape by motorbike with a bag stacked with cash.

Police tracked down Minh the following day.

CCTV footage shows a man wearing face mask and a black cap robbing the Agribank in Bac Giang Province on January 26.

Details of the swift arrest have not been released, but investigators said they have recovered 90% of the money and discovered the grenade was a fake.

Bank robberies are becoming more frequent in Vietnam, with most cases involving just a single individual.

Multiple attempts were reported last year.

In October, a man in the northern province of Bac Ninh was arrested after holding bank workers at knifepoint and stealing VND200 million (US$8,800).

In September, two heists cleared a combined US$10,000 in the southern provinces of Dong Nai and Vinh Long. No arrests have been reported.

In the same month, a court in the southern province of Tra Vinh sentenced a man to 20 years in jail for using an air gun to rob US$88,000 from a bank in May.

Celebrated Japanese pianist to perform in Hanoi

Japanese jazz pianist Yamashita Yosuke will enthrall Hanoi audience in a pair of concerts at the Hanoi Opera House on the 1st and 2nd of February.

He will entertain concertgoers with performances of famous pieces such as the overture to Leonard Bernstein’s operetta Candide, and Waltzing Cat and Jazz Pizzicato by Leroy Anderson.

The concert will also attract the participation of conductor Honna Tetsuji, saxophonist Quyen Van Minh, and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra.

Born in 1942, Yamashita is a name familiar to many prestigious international jazz festivals and stages. In 1988 he formed the “New York Trio” and six years later he was invited to play at the ceremony marking 50 years of the famous American jazz label Verve Records, held at Carnegie Hall. 

Yamashita has composed music for many Japanese films and in 2003 he was awarded the Imperial Medal of Honour by the Japanese government for his contributions to the arts and academia. 

Phu Quoc airport’s passenger throughput exceeds capacity

Three million passengers arrived at Phu Quoc international airport in 2017, surpassing its designed throughput capacity of 2.6 million people.

During the busiest time of the year, the airport served approximately 12,000 passengers a day, with international airlines such as Asiana Airlines, Bangkok Airways and China Southern Airlines operating. 

The number of passengers using the airport is forecast to hit 5 million in the next two or three years. It is planning to begin the second phase of construction, with total investment of VND3 trillion (US$132 million), to keep up with increasing demand.

Vice Chairman of the Phu Quoc People’s Committee said in the past five years, the airport has contributed significantly to local socio-economic development, particularly tourism and investment attraction.

Phu Quoc island, the nation’s biggest island with an area of nearly 600 square kilometres, is endowed with favourable natural conditions for developing ecotourism such as beautiful beaches with white and golden sand, crystal-clear and blue water, pristine forests and a mild climate. 

It sits in a favourable location to connect with key tourism markets in the region and the world.

In 2017, Phu Quoc welcomed 2 million tourists, up 35% from 2016. Of the total, over 361,450 were foreigners, an annual increase of 72%.

Quang Ninh studies building underground tunnel

Authorities in the northern province of Quang Ninh are working to complete a project building an underwater tunnel in the gateway of Ha Long bay, which will be submitted to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for approval.

The project’s construction expense is estimated at 7.87 trillion VND (more than 346 million USD). The project has a total length of 2,140 metres, including 1.3 km underground.

The tunnel is designed to have six lanes for vehicles with the departure point on Ha Long street of Bai Chay ward and the ending point at Le Thanh Tong street of Hon Gai ward.

Once approved, the construction will begin in early 2019.

The Bai Chay bridge is the only way connecting Hon Gai and Bai Chay. Traffic on this bridge is often blocked by strong storms. The tunnel is hoped to facilitate connections among coastal roads of Ha Long city without being impacted by weather. 

At a recent meeting, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Doc said this is a key infrastructure project, asking the consultation unit to collect opinions given by the meeting’s participants, thus completing a feasibility report to submit to the committee. After having a feasibility report, the project will be made public to gather feedback.

Microchip Technology awards scholarships, books to students

Microchip Technology Inc awarded 11 scholarships, 200 development tools and 500 books to nearly 2,000 students of five leading national universities at a ceremony in HCM City on January 30.

The winners of the scholarship were shortlisted from top final-year electronic engineering students during the 2017 academic year. In addition to academic excellence, the winners had to demonstrate their mastery over Microchip products in their research and development projects.

“We are proud of our commitment to play a key role in helping the region’s next generation of electronic engineers hone their skills and gain qualifications,” said Joe Krawczyk, vice president, Asia Pacific Sales at Microchip Technology. “We strongly believe this initiative can play an important part in motivating and encouraging promising students to strive for even greater academic excellence in future.”

Since the launch of its first Việt Nam university programme in 2008, Microchip has supported academic institutions by providing development tools, reference books and assistance in setting up laboratories. For the 2017/18 programme, Microchip contributed US$20,000. The company also oversaw the establishment of four micro-controller laboratories in the five universities.

These include Hà Nội University of Science, HCM City University of Technology, People’s Police University of Technology and Logistics, Đà Nẵng University of Science and Technology, and HCM City University of Science.

Microchip Technology Inc is a United States-based provider of micro-controller, mixed-signal, analogue and Flash-IP solutions, providing low-risk product development, lower system cost and faster market delivery of thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide. 

Medical workers to be on duty during Tết

Minister of Health Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến has instructed directors and workers of medical departments and hospitals to ensure health examination and treatment during Tết (Lunar New Year).

According to the instructions issued on Monday, the Preventive Medicine Department should give directions to local authorities to strengthen prevention of different epidemics, such as bird flu, foot-hand-mouth disease, dengue fever, measles and diarrhoea caused by Rota virus.

Provincial and municipal health departments must set up mobile teams to conduct investigation on an epidemic when requested. They must assign workers to be on duty day and night during the Tết festival next month to supervise and give timely remedies for any disease.

The medical workers on duty must be listed in public.

The Việt Nam Food Administration is responsible for partnering with concerned organisations to inspect food safety and hygiene. The inspection results must be announced widely on multimedia.

Hospitals must ensure enough medicines, manpower and equipment during the holidays for emergency treatment of victims of accidents and food poisoning and for pregnant women. They should have in place plans for the treatment of pneumonia and stroke in elderly people and respiratory diseases in children.

Hospitals and pharmaceuticals must supply adequate medicines with reasonable pricing. 

Hà Nội to award youths with outstanding start-ups

Hà Nội will award youths who had launched outstanding start-ups in 2017 in a ceremony on Thursday at the Hà Nội Opera House.

This was announced on Monday by Nguyễn Đức Tiến, deputy secretary of the municipal Youth Union.

The ceremony will award 16 youths with excellent start-ups.

One of the youths, Trương Mạnh Quân, is founder-director of the Beeketing Joint Stock Company, with an annual income of US$1.5 million. The company supplies automatic marketing foundation and methods for small and medium e-commerce enterprises.

With a monthly development target of 10-20 per cent, the company expects to earn an annual income of $10 million in the next five years.

Another youth who will be awarded is Lê Đắc Lâm, 35, a graduate of Washington University in the United States.

He is founder-director of Vntrip Co Ltd, which offers services such as booking hotel rooms and plane tickets as well as sightseeing tours. The company attracts more than two million customers every month. Last year, Vntrip drew $10 million worth of investment and its website was ranked the 115th most popular in Việt Nam.

The ceremony will also award 10 youths who have outstanding achievements in different fields, such as education, research, innovation, national defence and security, sports and arts.

They include Đinh Quang Hiếu, a student of the Natural Sciences High School for Gifted Students under the Hà Nội National University; Captain Lê Thăng Bằng, deputy head of the police investigation team against heroin crimes under the Đống Đa Police; and athlete Bùi Thị Thu Thảo.

This is the eighth year of the award. So far, 80 youths have been awarded. 

My Thuy underpass to be opened to traffic this week

An underpass at My Thuy Intersection will be opened to traffic this week to reduce congestion on those roads leading to Cat Lai Port in HCMC’s District 2, according to the municipal Department of Transport.

The contractor is finishing the lighting system, approach roads and some other works so that the underpass can be put into use on January 31. The underpass measures 405 meters in length and nine meters in width, with two lanes.

Vehicles running from Ring Road No.2 will turn left to the underpass to enter Cat Lai Port when they reach My Thuy Intersection. This will help ease chronic traffic congestion at the intersection.

An overpass is also being built at the intersection and could be opened to traffic in late April.

Congestion on the roads running to and from Cat Lai Port has been worsening recently due to the increasing freight transport demand for the New Year holiday.

My Thuy Intersection is the meeting point of two of the city’s major roads - Nguyen Thi Dinh that leads to Cat Lai Port and Vo Chi Cong. Congestion often occurs at the intersection due to a large number of trucks coming to and from Cat Lai Port, estimated at 18,000 everyday.

The intersection has become even more crowded after a section from Phu My to Rach Chiec Bridge of Ring Road No.2 was put into service and connected with HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway.

To reduce congestion, the HCMC government has approved a project to build My Thuy Intersection which has two phases.

The first phase comprises Ky Ha 3 Bridge, an overpass on Ring Road No.2, a left tunnel from the ring road to Cat Lai Port, and access roads on the left and right banks of My Thuy Canal. It has a total investment of an estimated VND837 billion (US$36.9 million), funded by the city budget.

Former Quang Nam official faces disciplinary action

The Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission has requested the Committee’s Secretariat to take disciplinary action against Le Phuoc Thanh, former Party secretary of Quang Nam Province, for serious violations, Thanh Nien newspaper reported.  

Besides Thanh, the commission looked into the possibility of proposing disciplinary measures against provincial deputy Party secretary and provincial chairman Dinh Van Thu and provincial vice chairman Huynh Khanh Toan at its meetings in Hanoi last week.

According to the commission’s conclusion, Thanh is responsible for violations and irregularities of the provincial Party standing committee in the 2010-2015 term and the Party committee of the provincial People’s Committee in the 2011-2016 term.

Thanh is also found to violate regulations concerning personnel appointment, commit nepotism and violate procedures when appointing his son, Le Phuoc Hoai Bao, and sending him abroad for study funded by State money.

Bao served as official at Chu Lai Open Economic Zone, vice chairman of Thang Binh District, and deputy director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment. He is now director of this department.

As for Thu, as concluded by the commission, he holds responsibility for violations and irregularities of the Party committee of the provincial People’s Committee in the 2011-2016 and 2016-2021 terms and the provincial Party standing committee. In addition, Thu employed personnel without organizing screening tests and appointed a son of his who did not meet relevant requirements. 

Meanwhile, Toan signed a report on personnel arrangement and appointment of Bao as director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, which contained inaccurate information. Toan also went against personnel appointment regulations, requesting personnel employment without holding screening tests and appointment of personnel who fail to meet relevant standards.