Flag-raising ceremony in Quang Tri marks National Reunification Day

A flag-raising ceremony was held at the Hien Luong – Ben Hai historic site in Vinh Linh district, the central province of Quang Tri on April 30 to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the Southern Liberation and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975) and the 45th anniversary of the liberation of Quang Tri (May 1, 1972).

The event was attended by Truong Hoa Binh, Politburo member and Standing Deputy Prime Minister; Nguyen Duc Loi, member of the Party Central Committee, Director General of the Vietnam News Agency; Thuan Huu, member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan, along with local officials and people.

Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Hung reviewed the glorious history of armed forces and people in Vinh Linh district in particular and Quang Tri in general during the anti-American resistance war.

At that time, nearly 70,000 Vinh Linh soldiers and people got engaged in production and fighting as well, making significant contributions to the April 30 victory, he said.

After 45 years of liberation, the provincial administration and people have gradually overcome difficulties to reap socio-economic accomplishments.

The annual economic growth was recorded at 7.4 percent in 2011-2015. The gross regional domestic product (GRDP) per capita reached 36 million VND (1,576 USD) per annum. 

The local budget collection saw an annual average increase of 16.6 percent.

The province has 31 new rural communes, making up 26.5 percent of the total communes.  The proportion of poor households was reduced by 1.94 percent.

Industrial production, trade, and services are developing, while defense-security and social order and safety have been strengthened.

On the occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh and the working delegation offered incense and laid wreaths in tribute to fallen soldiers at the Truong Son National Martyr Cemetery, Road 9 National Martyr Cemetery, and memorial monument of Quang Tri Citadel.

Da Nang works to teach children to swim

The education sector of the central city of Da Nang has taken measures to help children learn to swim together with skills to survive in drowning accidents. 

The municipal Department of Education and Training said as many as 17,000 pupils across primary schools in the city have been taught swimming. 

It has promoted campaigns to raise the awareness of pupils and students of keeping them away from being injured and drowned.

The department has worked with relevant sectors to further invest in building facilities, and called on domestic and foreign organisations to support the work. 

Knowledge and skills to avoid injuring and drowning accidents have been included in training programmes at schools in Da Nang. 

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Education and Training Le Thi Bich Thuan said the city has set to have all primary school graduates to know how to swim in the 2016-2017 academic year. 

In the coming time, the department will expand swimming lessons at pre-schools and secondary schools, and coordinate with relevant agencies and organisations to manage the work.

According to the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, up to 1,121 children have fallen victim to accidents in 2016, in which, the fatalities caused by drowning was four times higher than those caused by injuries.

Festival celebrating VN-RoK relations held in Gyeonggi

A festival entitled “We are together” was held in the Seongnam city in Gyeonggi province of the Republic of Korea (RoK) on April 29 to herald the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the RoK.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Nguyen Vu Tu attended the event, which drew hundreds of Vietnamese students and workers, mostly in Gyeonggi province.

Several traditional games of Vietnam and the RoK were held, along with a photo exhibition on daily activities of local people. Participants enjoyed performances of artists from Vietnam and the RoK, as well as Vietnamese students in the locality.

About 30,000 out of 150,000 Vietnamese in the RoK currently live in Gyeonggi, the province surrounding the capital city of Seoul.

State leader visits armed forces of Nghe An province

President Tran Dai Quang visited Naval Team 2 of the Border Guard High Command and Company 33 on Ngu Island in central Nghe An province on April 30.

Naval Team 2 of Nghe An’s Border Guard High Command is tasked with protecting the sovereignty and security in the province’s inshore waters which is more than 82km long.

Border guards are among key forces in safeguarding sovereignty and keeping security and order at sea in Nghe An.

Meanwhile, Company 33 of the province’s Military High Command is responsible for ensuring security on sea routes and participates in natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue.

Lauding officers and soldiers’ efforts to fulfill assigned tasks, President Quang emphasised that Vietnam has a long coast which is favourable for sea-based economic activities and sea tourism. However, that advantage also poses a heavy duty for the nation on how to protect independence and sovereignty in sea and island areas.

He asked Company 33 to thoroughly grasp the situation and do a good job of training and building combat plans. It also needs to assist local fishermen and step up communication activities to help them ensure safety during offshore fishing trips.

He also voiced support for the combination of socio-economic activities and defence tasks on Ngu Island.

On this occasion, the State leader offered incense to 14 soldiers who laid down their lives on the island during the war against the US.

On late April 29, President Quang attended an opening ceremony of the sea tourism season in Cua Lo township.

Cua Lo, a renowned destination of Nghe An, aims to welcome more than 1.8 million tourists and earned over 1.63 trillion VND (71.4 million USD) from tourism in 2017, respectively rising by 10 percent from 15 percent from last year.

Nghe An should develop hi-tech agriculture: President

President Tran Dai Quang advised the central province of Nghe An to shift towards organic agriculture using biological and high technology during a working session with local authorities on April 29.

Recalling his impressions when visiting Nghia Dong commune in Nghe An’s Tan Ky district, a model of new-style rural area, the President recommended that the province considers switching to growing other crops of higher economic value on land unsuitable for rice cultivation, while encouraging the accumulation of land for large-scale production. 

He also said Nghe An can develop tourism as a spearhead sector, as the province has advantages in geography and cultural traditions. 

The provincial administration reported that several concentrated farming areas have been formed for tea, rubber and sugarcane and forests in connection with processing factories. Animal husbandry is also shifting to large scale. A total of 152 communes have been recognised as new-style rural areas.

On the occasion, Nghe An presented several proposals to the Government, asking for allocation of Official Development Assistance capital to build sea dykes and dredging sea ports, and of foreign grants to upgrade medical infrastructure in the province. The province also called on the Government to back its participation in the second phase of the tourism infrastructure development project for the Greater Mekong sub-region. 

The President instructed the province to draft detailed projects for the proposals, noting that some of them require thorough study as they need huge amounts of investment. 

The same day, President Quang attended the technical opening for the Hoa Son-Nghi Thiet section on the National Road 7, the inaugural of Song Lam cement grinding facility of The Vissai group in Nghi Loc district, and the opening of the Vinpearl Cua Hoi resort and entertainment complex in the well-known Cua Lo beach town.

PM visits embassy, overseas Vietnamese in Philippines

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc urged the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy to work harder to deepen the strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Philippines.

The Prime Minister made the call during his April 28 meeting with the Embassy staff and representatives of the overseas Vietnamese community in the Philippines during his stay in Manila to attend the 30th ASEAN Summit.

He highlighted the significance of the Summit, saying that it kicks off a wide range of official activities of the ASEAN 2017, when the bloc marks its 50th anniversary.

The event also presents opportunities for the bloc to expand cooperatives ties with other dialogue partners, the Prime Minister said.

The PM briefed participants about the socio-economic situation at home, saying that the Party, the State will continue to take measures to stabilise the macro economy, promote economic growth, accelerate the administrative procedure reform, improve investment climate to raise the national competitive capability and lure more investment.

He expressed his hope that the overseas Vietnamese community in the Philippines will better integrate into the local society, follow the host country’s law and contribute to strengthening the friendship and cooperative relations between Vietnam and the Philippines.

Vietnam Social Insurance launches upgraded online portal

The Vietnam Social Insurance (VSI) on April 28 launched its online portal with enhanced features to provide regular updates on the sector’s operations and information and data.

According to VSI Deputy Director General Pham Luong Son, the upgrade of the portal is a step forward in carrying out Decree 166/2016/ND-CP, which requires the sector to work towards conducting online transactions in social, health and unemployment insurances. 

Via the portal, businesses can submit insurance documents and search for information of workers’ insurance record, while workers can seek information of activities of enterprises as well as public services.

People can also give feedbacks to the agency as well as their questions on policies and rights related to social and health insurance through the portal.

Action month for labour safety, hygiene launched

Trade unions need to make concerted efforts to ensure safe working places for workers, Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Tran Thanh Hai said at a ceremony in Hanoi on April 28 to launch action month for labour safety and hygiene.

Workers are the most valuable assets of enterprises and society, Hai said, adding that workers meeting labour accidents would cause great damage to businesses.

Meanwhile, Le Dinh Hung, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi Federation of Labour, said Hanoi’s trade unions at all levels should diversify communication methods to raise awareness of labour safety and hygiene among workers and employers.

Hung said that competitions on labour safety and hygiene regulations should be organised while inspection of law enforcement at occupational accident-prone businesses must be carried out.

In the green-clean-nice emulation movement, Hanoi city set up a network of over 34,000 hygienists to assure labour safety and hygiene in 1,980 enterprises. They have responsibility for recommending solutions to improve working conditions and guarantee rights for workers.

Statistics from the Hanoi Federation of Labour, Hanoi is among localities with the highest number of occupational accidents. There were 225 work-related accidents in the city last year, killing 49 people and injuring 202 others.

Tay Ninh: 15 women awarded with Vietnamese Heroic Mother title

Fifteen women whose husbands and children laid down in the fight for national liberation and protection in the southern province of Tay Ninh were honoured with the Vietnamese Heroic Mother title on April 28.

The title was posthumously presented to 14 women.

The presentation ceremony was held on the threshold of the 42nd anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975).

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Ngoc expressed his gratitude to the Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, who devoted their beloved to the struggle for national independence, freedom and unification.

During wartime, many of them supported Vietnamese soldiers and kept their undauntedness despite being imprisoned or tortured by the enemies. The Vietnamese Heroic Mother title is a recognition of their contribution and sacrifice, he noted.

Ngoc said local authorities and people have always done a good job of caring for policy beneficiaries and contributors to the revolution, and seeking and repatriating martyr remains. He called on the entire society to join hands in this work.

During the wars against France and the US, the province had nearly 11,500 martyrs, 8,600 invalids and more than 19,500 families devoting to the revolution. As many as 1,395 women have been awarded and posthumously awarded with the Vietnamese Heroic Mother title.

VFF chief sends greetings to Buddhists on Lord Buddha’s anniversary

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan extended his best wishes to Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns and followers at home and abroad on the occasion of the 2561st birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. 

In his letter on April 28, the VFF leader noted that this year’s Lord Buddha birth anniversary came at a time when Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) chapters nationwide are holding congresses towards the VBS’s eighth national congress for the 2017-2022 tenure. 

He hailed achievements that the VBS scored in the past year, such as joining the election of deputies to the 14th NA and the People’s Councils at all levels for the 2016-2021 tenure, successfully holding a grand ceremony celebrating the 35th founding anniversary of the VBS, and contributing to the national patriotic emulation campaigns involving new rural development, social welfare activities, environment protection and climate change response, among others. 

In conclusion, he expressed his belief that the Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns and followers would continue to contribute to strengthening great national unity and enforcing  the Law on Belief and Religion for the sake of a strong, democratic, equal and civilised country.

Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association donates bicycles to poor kids

The Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association of Japan’s Kawasaki city has donated more than 210 bicycles to poor students in central Da Nang city and Quang Nam province.    

Usuda Reiko, a member of the association, said that underprivileged kids in Da Nang’s Cam Le, Hoa Vang, Ngu Hanh Son districts and Quang Nam province will benefit from the bicycle donation this year.

Da Nang and Hoi An boost cultural exchange with Japan annually by hosting the annual Vietnam-Japan Culture Exchange Festival in August.

Japan plans to open a Consulate General in Da Nang as a way of boosting tourism and exchange between Japan and the central city.

Japanese language teaching has been taught at some junior secondary schools as part of the city’s foreign language teaching programme for 2012-20.

Da Nang also reserved a 1.2ha area for developing the Japan-Vietnam Culture Centre in Ngu Hanh Son district as well as launching direct flights from Da Nang to Osaka.

Speedboat service to Vietnam's Con Co Island suspended on safety grounds

A speedboat service which this month started to bring tourists to Con Co, an island in the central province of Quang Tri, has been suspended over safety concerns.

The decision was made by local officials after the operator, Greenlines DP, said the size of its boats may not be suitable for the service. The preemptive suspension was to avoid accidents, it added. 

Con Co was a heavily militarized island during the Vietnam War. It is now known for pristine beaches and a diverse tropical ecosystem, mostly untouched by humans.

There are currently a dozen families living on the island, around 85 kilometers northwest of Hue.

The speedboat service, launched on April 9, carried tourists to the island from Cua Viet Port in Gio Linh District. A one-way trip took about an hour.

Greenlines DP is reportedly looking for a different vessel type to resume the service.

The short-lived service brought about 700 tourists to Con Co over the past two weeks.

Hanoi allows ordinary buses to use BRT lane

Hanoi authorities have agreed on piloting the operation of ordinary buses in the lane currently reserved for the bus rapid transit (BRT).

The Hanoi Transport Department's proposal was made at a meeting on April 28 of the Hanoi’s People’s Committee. The department also said that the Kim Ma-Yen Nghia BRT lane should be piloted for the operation of ambulances and other kinds of priority vehicles.   

People Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung agreed to the trial run of ordinary buses on the BRT lane for six months.

Chung added that the average passenger number of each express bus is only 34 people; so, the BRT lane should be further taken advantage of.

According to Nguyen Hoang Hai, Director of the Hanoi Urban Traffic Management and Operation Centre, the centre has studied the permission of other vehicles on the BRT lane; however, the infrastructure condition is a problem.

The 14.7-km BRT route has been operated since early 2017 with 26 buses. Along the route is 21 stops.

In the first three months of the operation, the route served around 13,603 passengers per day.

Into the heart of Vietnam’s ‘ammunition valley’

Amidst the mountains of northern Vietnam’s Tuyen Quang Province lies a valley where locals have been producing military ammunition for generations.

The valley is home to Z113, an 800-hectare ammunition manufacturing complex run by the General Department of Defense Industry that produces hundreds of thousands of bullets every day to supply Vietnam’s military units.

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Quoc An led Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on a tour through one of the factories that specializes in making K59, K56, K53 and K51 bullets used by infantry units.

The massive factory is almost entirely automated, with only a few workers dressed in army green working on sections of the assembly line.

Gesturing at the machines, An said bullet-making is an arduous task that involves up to 59 steps, 43 of which are required to assemble the case, with the rest needed to complete the projectile.

All the metallic components of a projectile must be cleaned, dried and hand-sorted with care before proceeding to the assembly phase.

The assembly room is air conditioned 24/7 to maintain a humidity level of between 50 and 65 percent at all times, with only five workers performing the tasks of sorting the cases, checking gunpowder quantity, manning the machines, pouring projectiles into a trough, and double-checking the quality of each bullet.

“Here we have an almost finished bullet,” An said, picking up a shiny yellow bullet off a tray. “After being assembled, the bullets must go through another round of quality testing and preservative painting.”

Preservative painting is the final step in making a bullet. Over 20 female workers perform the delicate task of painting a thin line of red paint around the rim of the bullet to prevent humidity from entering the cartridge.

“It’s not a physically challenging task, but it requires a lot of precision,” Thu Ha, one of the workers, said.

After being painted, the bullets are stored in a cool room for 24 hours before they are sorted into special metal cases, ready to be transferred to their respective military units.

The ammunition manufacturing complex is as old as the local community itself, encompassing all of the households that make up the town of Tan Binh.

Inside the complex is a kindergarten, elementary school, secondary school, market, hospital, and swimming pool that serve the local population.

‘Valley Z113,’ as dubbed by locals, is home to over 2,000 families and over 10,000 people, most of whom work at the factory.

Some families have had up to three generations devote their life to the making of bullets, including that of Major Nguyen Duc Thanh, head of the technological division of Factory One.

Thanh’s parents, siblings and relatives have all worked at the factory, and the same is true for his wife’s family.

“My wife is a quality tester,” Thanh said. “We were born and raised here, and so were our parents, so there’s a certain sense of attachment to the factory.”

His son Nguyen Trung Duc, who graduated two years ago from Hanoi University of Industry, has also returned to the valley to dedicate his life to the factory.

“On my first day at the factory, my father told me that our family had devoted our youth and wisdom to the factory for generations, and that it was my responsibility to keep up the tradition,” Duc said.

Z113 also produces ordnances and steel-piercing 7.62x54 millimeter bullets that can be costly to import from foreign suppliers.

The factory is working on mass-producing a 7.62x39 millimeter (K56) armor piercing bullet, the first of its kind to be fully manufactured domestically.

Young military engineers have also been successful in making 7.62x51 millimeter NATO bullets suitable for M14 and M60 rifles.

Authorities discuss plan to make Saigon a city that never sleeps

Businesses already allowed to stay open after midnight should not be disturbed by unnecessary inspections, administrators said at a meeting to discuss solutions to make Ho Chi Minh City more appealing to night-owl tourists

Tran Vinh Tuyen, deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City administration, chaired a meeting with the municipal tourism and police departments on April 28, discussing the allowable time limits for operations of service establishments citywide.

According to a government’s decree, bars at hotels from three-star and above, and discotheques at four-star lodging facilities and higher are allowed to operate until 2:00 am.

However, venues eligible for the after-midnight operations in Ho Chi Minh City have been inspected and examined by police and other agencies on a regular basis, Bui Ta Hoang Vu, director of the tourism department, complained at the meeting.

“Despite this regulation, businesses have complained that they would be inspected whenever they stayed open through the night,” Vu said.

A representative from the Ho Chi Minh City police department defended that they had never inspected any hotels from three-star for the after-midnight operations.

“The inspections have mostly been launched into complicated areas suspected of hosting social evil activities,” the police representative said.

Deputy chairman Tuyen said relevant agencies should follow the government’s decree and allow eligible businesses to open after midnight.

“A facility must only be inspected if there are ample grounds for the check or complaints about its operation, not because it opens after twelve,” the city’s leader pressed.

Tuyen added that it is unreasonable to check a violation-free bar, and doing so is a sign of harassing businesses.

“Any service provider hit by such harassment can report to the municipal administration,” he said.

“Should the inspectors fail to provide proper grounds for their checkups, they will be sanctioned by the city’s administration.”

Vu, the city’s tourism chief, said bars and discotheques opening after twelve are not enough to fascinate international tourists, who tend to stay up late due to time zone changes.

Foreign tourists want to have some fun and engage in entertainment and cuisine when most locals are asleep, Vu said, suggesting that some tourist-packed areas in the city be allowed to operate through midnight.

For instance, establishments on Bui Vien, Pham Ngu Lao and De Tham Streets, known as the ‘backpackers’ areas,’ should be permitted to service tourists until 2:00 am, according to the tourism chief.

Vu added that other places, such as Nguyen Tri Phuong Street in District 5 and Thanh Thai Street in District 10, can seek specific permission from the municipal administration for their after-midnight operations.

The police department advised that its tourism counterpart’s proposal should be carefully vetted as some businesses can take advantage of this to open through the night.

In response, Tuyen said local authorities must file their proposal to the city’s administration if they want to have a ‘sleepless area’ in their locale.

“Authorities must also seek feedback from residents living around that area, not only the businesses, before submitting the proposal,” Tuyen noted.

“We will consider proposals that are made to better serve foreign tourists.”

Health minister proposes liquor ban for karaoke bars

Vietnam’s Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has proposed banning the sale of liquor at karaoke parlors countrywide as a measure to lessen the potential effects of alcoholic drinks.

Tien made the suggestion at a meeting to discuss the draft law on combating the effects of alcohol in Ho Chi Minh City on April 28.

The bill also seeks to prohibit selling beer and alcoholic beverages to minors, pregnant women or already drunken customers, as well as banning public officials and workers from drinking while at work, during break time or between two working shifts.

“The bill" will help to reduce the number of alcoholic beverage users, especially among the youth, public officials, and employees while they are at work,” minister Tien said.

“It also helps to restrict people’s access to alcoholic beverages.”

The minister said that although the bill will affect the business of beer and liquor manufacturers, sellers and importers, it will create a legal ground for a more proper and better control of this business sector.

“The current law on alcoholic beverages merely focuses on regulating the manufacturing and selling this type of commodity, without setting any regulations to prevent and deal with various harmful effects of alcoholic drinks and beer,” the minister said.

“The new bill will help change the consumption habit of alcoholic beverages of many people.”

Also at the meeting, the health minister suggested tightening supervision on homemade alcohol, from its manufacturing to distribution and consumption.

Minister Tien also proposed setting up a community’s health improvement fund, using fees charged on beer and liquor makers, importers and drinkers.

The bill is scheduled to be submitted to the lawmaking National Assembly at the end of 2018.

According to the World Health Organization, the economic expenses caused by alcoholic beverages range from 1.3% to 12% of the GDP, depending on countries.

In Vietnam, the ratio was 1.3% of GDP, or a total expense of around VND60,000 billion (US$2,640 million), outweighing the VND19,000 billion (US$836 million) revenue the alcoholic beverages industry contributes to the country.

Vietnamese woman teaches mother tongue in Taiwan

A Vietnamese woman who came to Taiwan 17 years ago is now passing on the love for her mother tongue to local learners and children of cross-national marriages.

Every evening, locals of all ages and backgrounds gather in a classroom in Kaohsiung City in Taiwan to attend a Vietnamese class run by Tran Lam Phung.

The learners are taught to pronounce simple words in Vietnamese such as ‘xin chao’ (hello), ‘cam on’ (thank you) and ‘tam biet’ (goodbye).

The oldest ‘student’ in the class, Hoang Trong Khanh, said he worked at a cellphone store during the day and took Phung’s class at night to learn the basics of Vietnamese for his future plans in Vietnam.

The 62-year-old man had visited Vietnam once with his daughter and had since fallen in love with the Southeast Asian country.

“I want to go back to explore Vietnamese culture and cuisine,” Khanh said, adding that his dream is to travel to Vietnam as soon as he retires three years from now.

For Ngo Gia Hoa, 38, learning Vietnamese is a way of overcoming the language and culture barriers between him and his wife.

“I try to learn Vietnamese so that when I visit Vietnam, I can order my own food without having to ask my wife for help,” Hoa said humorously.

Phuong Di Hung, 49, learns Vietnamese to better communicate with his Vietnamese colleagues at the workplace.

Phung, the founder and teacher of the class, moved to Taiwan in 2000 after getting married to her Taiwanese husband.

“Teaching Vietnamese is my main job,” Phung said.

“Nowadays, many Taiwanese people learn the language to travel and communicate with their Vietnamese spouses. Children of these couples also learn Vietnamese to understand their parents.

“I’m glad to be able to help more Taiwanese understand the language and culture of Vietnam.”  

Modern Children’s House opens in Ho Chi Minh City

The new, modern Ho Chi Minh City Children’s House was opened to citywide kids on April 29, after three years of renovation.

The inauguration came just in time to mark the 42th anniversary of the Reunification Day on April 30.

Designed by architect Nguyen Truong Luu, the Children’s House is shaped like a seed, symbolizing a cradle that nourishes and develops the young generations of Vietnam.

The modern entertainment and educational complex is located at 169 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street in District 3, with the facelift costing some VND235 billion (US$10.3 million).

The five-story center features a new 500-seat auditorium and a state-of-the-art 115-seat 3D theater. A modern room equipped with various astronomical instruments such as telescopes now awaits any children interested in this scientific subject to explore.

There are many new training programs such as sport dances and science classes for children provided at the center.

Underprivileged children will receive discounted or free services when registering for classes or programs at the center.

The Children’s House is considered the most modern of its kind in Ho Chi Minh City and easily in Vietnam.

Vietnamese students in Melbourne celebrate cultural diversity

La Trobe University students in Melbourne gathered in their native dress on April 26 to celebrate the different countries and cultures from around the globe represented at the university.

Culture is the characteristics of a group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, food, social habits, music and arts, said Viet Ha, president of the Vietnamese Student Association.

It’s been amazing to see the campus community come together and support one another, at events like this, said Ha.

The singing, dance and other events thus far have shown how diverse we are at La Trobe and the amazing skills and efforts of our international students to share their culture with the campus community.

Vinh Long rice farmers go organic, reap rewards

Nguyễn Hữu Phước of Hamlet 9 in Mỹ Lộc Commune in Vĩnh Long Province, grows organic rice on 7,000sq.m of land.

“I switched to organic farming last year and this is my third crop.”

Phước is among 74 farmers in Mỹ Lộc growing organic rice as part of a pilot project that aims to bring consumers safer quality products and enable sustainable agricultural production.

Việt Nam is among the top five rice exporters in the world, and the Củu Long (Mekong) Delta accounts for 90 per cent of the exports.

But rice cultivation in the delta, which also produces more than half of the country’s rice, is largely done in small fields with excessive chemicals and fertilisers.

The problem is being addressed effectively by the pilot project that has brought together many small farmers who pool their lands and achieve economies of scale, Lê Văn Chiến, chairman of the Mỹ Lộc Commune People’s Committee, said.

The project, implemented by the Saigon Union of Trading Co-operatives (Saigon Co.op), the local administration, Tân Tiến Agricultural Co-operative and some companies, began with the 2016 summer-autumn rice crop on an area of 44.3ha with 74 farmers, he said.

Dương Văn Thành, director of the co-operative, said farmers initially faced difficulties in shifting to organic farming.

Besides, productivity was down. But with Saigon Co.op pledging to buy all the rice at higher than normal prices, farmers felt more secure, he said.

Nguyễn Văn Phinh of Hamlet 11 in Mỹ Lộc Commune, said all 22 farmers in his hamlet complied strictly with the methods outlined by technical staff.

“Productivity has been low in the initial stages, but we accept it.”

Chiến said: “Compliance with organic farming methods not only provides safe products to consumers, but also helps water sources and seafood species to gradually recover.

“Farmers’ health is protected too as they do not have to come in contact with harmful plant protection chemicals.

“Organic farming is also more beneficial to the soil.”

Confirming the environmental benefits of organic farming, Prof Dr Phạm Văn Kim, a former lecturer at Cần Thơ University, said "aquatic species brought in by the floods could not survive in rice fields in the past, but after two to three organic crops, some species can now be found".

"This offers long-term and sustainable value to the eco-system, especially agriculture," he said.

Thành said demand for organic rice was increasing both in the domestic market and abroad, but its cultivation remains modest.

Despite facing difficulties such as low productivity, high costs and silted irrigation systems, the co-operative plans to expand the area under organic rice, he said.

Thành and other farmers in the project agreed that to persuade more farmers to switch, closer links need to be created between farmers, businesses, scientists and the Government, especially farmers and businesses, to reduce costs and improve productivity, and improve farmers’ profit.

They also wanted the prices of organic fertilisers to be reduced.

According to Lê Thị Tú Anh, chairwoman of GAP Agriculture JSC, all the fertilisers supplied to farmers involved in the project are imported from the US and supplied at a 21 per cent discount.

When farmers persevere with organic farming, the fertility of the soil would improve, meaning costs, especially of fertilisers, would reduce and productivity and profit would go up, she said.

Instead of growing three rice crops, the local government and farmers are considering other models like two rice crops and aquaculture and two rice crops and one crop of other produce like maize, soya bean, sesame, or vegetables to regenerate the soil.

Trần Văn Rón, the Vĩnh Long Province Party Secretary, said: “Based on the initial results of the project, the province would continue to expand the scale of the project.”

It would instruct Mỹ Lộc Commune authorities and Tân Tiến Agricultural Co-operative to bring in more farmers and step up propaganda to ensure the farmers do comply with the agreed farming techniques.

Phạm Trung Kiên, deputy general director of Saigon Co.op, said the project was part of his company’s master plan to integrate itself deeply into the rice value chain to bring consumers safer quality products at reasonable prices.

“Saigon Co.op promises long-term participation in the project and support to farmers to enable the project to expand further, which will enable sustainable agricultural production for both consumers and producers.”

VNA inaugurates regional Information service centre

Vietnam News Agency (VNA) inaugurated a new information service centre of the Central and Central Highlands region in the city of Đà Nẵng yesterday after three years of construction.

The 14-storey building, on 2,348sq.m, was built with total investment of VNĐ194 billion (US$9.2 million) from the State budget

The centre will provide working space for VNA’s representative offices and branches for news coverage in 11 central and central highlands provinces and cities from Quảng Trị to Khánh Hòa.

The debut of the centre also marked the 42nd anniversary of the Liberation Day (April 30th) and May Day.

VNA’s information service centre of the Central and Central Highlands region, which was established in 1959 with the first correspondents from the VNA in the region, was awarded the Labour Order, First Class in 2012.

Minister inspects private health clinics in HCM City

A private health clinic in HCM City was found to be violating regulations on check-ups and treatment, in addition to two Chinese doctors being absent during working hours.

An inspection team, led by Minister of Health Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến, on Thursday conducted a surprise inspection of Nguyễn Trãi Health Clinic on 277 Nguyễn Trãi Street in HCM City’s District 1.

The team found that the clinic maintained health records of patients in a careless and haphazard manner. Ten health records of patients were found lacking patients’ personal information, symptoms, diagnosis of the disease and treatment undertaken.

Explaining the situation, a representative of the clinic said the newly-recruited receptionists were not fully trained and this was the reason for the mistakes.

Tiến asked to see some doctors to inquire about the shoddy way in which patients’ health records were kept, but two out of five doctors were not present.

The clinic reported that there were five doctors at the clinic, of which two were Chinese.

Bùi Minh Trạng, chief inspector of HCM City’s Department of Health, said last year as well, the department found the clinic to be flouting rules, such as offering unregistered check-up and treatment services to patients.

The team also inspected Faffles Medical Health Clinic, where two foreign doctors were working, and Mayo Health Clinic, where a Chinese doctor was working. These two clinics were not found to be violating any regulations.

Trạng said the department would continue inspecting private health clinics and classify the quality of these clinics.

HCM City hosts France-Việt Nam Job Fair

The annual France-Việt Nam Job Fair 2017, which has attracted 33 Vietnamese and French companies, will be held on May 6 at the Novotel Saigon Centre in HCM City.

The fair is expected to offer around 200 jobs in various fields, including commerce, distribution, accounting, communication, education, IT, tourism and construction.

The fair has been a leading platform for participating organisations to promote their businesses in the local labour market, to procure potential employees as per requirement in skill areas, and to evaluate their human resources and career development strategies towards the Vietnamese public.

The event, organised by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Việt Nam in cooperation with the French Embassy in Việt Nam, aims to create a conduit between the businesses that need employees and workforce looking for career opportunities.

It is expected to attract 500 to 600 attendees, including experienced professionals, new graduates and students in their final year at university.