Public reform key to national development: workshop

At the workshop (Photo: baochinhphu.vn)

Policymakers, experts and researchers from Southeast Asian countries, Australia and the Republic of Korea (RoK) gathered at a workshop in Hanoi on April 26 to discuss the significance of public reform and state capacity to national development.

The workshop was jointly held by the Institute of State Organisational Sciences under Vietnam’s Ministry of Home Affairs (ISOS-MOHA), the Korea Research Institute under the University of New South Wales (KRI & UNSW) and Thailand’s Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC). 

It formed part of scientific symposiums to share experience between Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Laos, and the RoK in public reform and measures to enhance state capacity.

Senior advisor of the OPDC Areepan Charoensuk said that the workshop created an opportunity to set up an effective dialogue which helps enhance the supply of public services while ensuring stable and comprehensive growth for regional countries in the long term.

Meanwhile, Seung-Ho Kwon, director of the KRI & UNSW, laid stress on public policies, which are billed as motives for national development, adding that the policies will serve future reforms.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Trieu Van Cuong said that the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2017-2018 showed that the Southeast Asian nations made notable improvements in all sectors and Vietnam upped five places to rank 55th in the list.

However, the countries still need more initiatives to improve the public sector as well as enhance  state capacity to cope with instability in the international business environment and domestic challenges, he noted.

Cuong said that Vietnam’s national programme for public administrative reform has gained many robust achievements and made contributions to improving state capacity. The administrative apparatus, nevertheless, faces numerous hurdles such as cumbersome administrative system and slow progress in salary innovation, he noted.

Another expert from the KRI & UNSW, Mark Turner, held that public reform boosts national competitiveness and help save the state budget and meet expectations of the public. 

The New Public Management (NPM) is an approach to effectively manage public service organisations, however, it needs more initiatives to become successful when being applied in the context of the Southeast Asian countries, he added.

Project helps SMEs in Tra Vinh improve environmental knowledge

A training workshop on integrating environmental issues in the implementation of projects is being held by the Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SME) Development Project Management Board in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh for local departments and administrations on April 26-27.

Local SMEs have paid little attention to environmental protection so that environmental factors should be incorporated into the implementation of SME projects in Tra Vinh from 2014-2020, said Pham Van Be Sau, Deputy Director of the Tra Vinh SME Development Project Management Board. 

At the training workshop, environmental experts provided attendees an insight into environmental impacts on the implementation of a project and hereby helped local companies to develop a plan for effective environmental protection during their production. 

According to Global Affairs Canada, environmental sustainability is an important component of the sustainable development, said Trinh Hoa, an environmental specialist from the Embassy of Canada in Vietnam. GAC's policy framework requires environmental sustainability to be incorporated in all programmes, he added.

Hoa analysed environmental impacts of the Tra Vinh SME project, particularly in supporting local SMEs to improve value chains of coconut and peanut production and to develop infrastructure.

The expert also suggested ways to reduce such environment impacts and provided instructions on how to integrate environmental issues 

The project, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada, is being carried out in Tra Vinh from 2014-2020. The project has an investment of 12.1 million CAD, including 11 million CAD sourced from Canada.

It has been benefiting about 200 local companies and more than 194,000 people in 22 rural communes in the province.

Blockchain to help raise customers’ trust in farm produce

Vietnamese farm produce displayed at the Vietnam Spring Agriculture Forum 2018 

Blockchain has been introduced at a recent forum as a solution to maximising the transparency of information about agricultural products.

“Using the technology in the supply chain, customers can update the information of products anytime and anywhere,” said Vu Truong Ca, President of Lina Network, one of the companies doing research on blockchain application in agriculture.

“Costs for using blockchain to track products’ origin will be sharply cut down, even up to zero dong because they do not depend on the number of users”.

Applying technologies in tracking the origin of products is considered a need to boost customers’ trust in local farm produce.

“That customers do not know clearly about the origin of the products they buy may lead to the fact that some products have good quality but slowly being consumed,” Dr Dao The Anh, Vice Director of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences said at the Vietnam Spring Agriculture Forum 2018 recently held in Hanoi.

In the light of the development of the 4.0 scientific and technological revolution in the management of agricultural supply chains, the application of advanced technologies in tracking the origin of products is necessary to gain customers’ confidence as well as helping maximise benefits to be gained by farmers and enterprises.

However, “the application of these advanced technologies in tracking the origin of products remains tough for farmers and enterprises,” said Assoc Prof, Dr Nguyen Duc Thanh, President of the Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research.

Some enterprises have paid attention to applying technologies in tracking products’ origin but most of them are old and costly if they are used on a large scale.

“Products with clear origins have higher prices as compared with those with unclear origins,” Thanh clarified.

The Vietnamese agricultural sector is still in first steps in technological application to improve transparency of information about its products.

 “We got unclear understanding of value chains. While transparency in information of products is required, the application of advanced technologies in value chains has yet gained much development”.

“As the tracking of products’ origin is clear, producers can survive and products’ values can be increased. As a result, value chains will be developed and customers’ benefits will be higher,” he added.

However, the application of those technologies upon the whole sector may face some barriers, such as institutions and production restructuring, Thanh said.

CFO - The Challenge competition closes in HCM City

The competition in 2017 

The “Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – The Challenge” competition for university students, the fourth of its kind, successfully closed in Ho Chi Minh City on April 26. 

The first prize went to Le Thi Thuy Ngan, a third-year student from the University of Economics and Law (UEL) under the Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City. 

The competition attracted the participation of over 1,500 students from 10 universities across the city. 

The winner received a cash prize of 8 million VND, a scholarship equivalent to 60 percent of tuition for the Chartered Financial Analyst/Association of Chartered Certified Accountants training courses from the FTMS Vietnam Academy, internship at the MB Securities JSC, and a full scholarship at Australia – UK English Language Centre. 

Contestants in the semi-final were awarded with scholarships from sponsors while those in the final received cash, scholarships and internship at sponsoring companies. 

Initiated by the UEL’s Finance and Banking Group, the competition was held for the first time in 2014. 

Themed “Mergers & Acquisitions”, this year’s competition was divided into four rounds, including general knowledge, specialised knowledge, presentations and competition among the four most outstanding contestants. 

Participants also had a chance to attend two seminars themed “Broker: Who are you?” and “M&A: trend and potential” with prestigious experts from Home Credit and MB Securities JSC as speakers taking part.

More solar panels installed in HCM City

Customers learn about solar panels at a solar energy company in District 1, HCM City. 

More than 270 businesses and households in Ho Chi Minh City have installed solar power panels on roofs with a total capacity of about 3,600KWp, according to the HCM City Power Corp under Electricity of Vietnam (EVN HCM City).

Of the figure, electricity from 245 solar power systems has been sold to the national electricity grid.

Pham Quoc Bao, Deputy General Director of EVN HCM City, said the city has great potential to develop solar power systems connected to the grid, and that residents and enterprises should promote the use of solar power.

The corporation has targeted a total installed solar power capacity of about 5MWp this year, he said.

According to figures from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, HCM City has the highest level of solar radiation in the country with about 300 sunny days each year.

The average solar radiation is 1,581KWh/m2 per year, equivalent to 4.3KWh/m2 per day, in the city.

The maximum potential of solar power from high-rise apartment buildings and other households could be up to 1,000MWp. This would help ensure power supply in the city, particularly during the dry season.

The corporation has developed incentives to encourage residents and enterprises install solar power systems.

The installation of a 1KWp solar power system on an area of about 8 sq.m costs about 22-30 million VND (966-1,318 USD).

A household only needs an area of 32sq.m to install a 4KWp solar power system instead of paying about 1 million VND (44 USD) per month (excluding tax) for using a monthly average of about 500KWh of electricity.

Solar power sales at the Electricity of Vietnam took effect in October 2017.

Accordingly, all output produced by solar power projects operating before June 30, 2019 will be purchased for 2,086 VND (9.3 US cents) per KWh (excluding VAT) for 20 years.

However, there are still some bottlenecks in purchasing solar power. For example, residents who sell electricity cannot issue value-added tax invoices.

Ministry urges establishment of gerontology faculties in hospitals

The Health Ministry has instructed hospitals under its control and specialised clinics to establish gerontology faculties with a view to improving health care services for elderly people. 

Despatch No 2244/BYT-KCB requests Health Department of provinces and centrally-run cities to draft criteria for gerontology faculties at hospitals at provincial and municipal level. 

Meanwhile, hospitals under the Health Ministry’s direct management and specialised hospitals, except children’s hospitals, follow the criteria set by the ministry. 

Depending on each hospital’s scale, the gerontology faculties should account for at least 10 percent of the hospital’s beds but should not be less than 30 beds. 

The Health Ministry’s instruction also recommends hospitals designate functional rehabilitation space of at least 30 sqm exclusively for elderly patients. In case a hospital cannot afford exclusive space, it should coordinate the work of the gerontology and functional rehabilitation faculties to ensure that elderly patients being cared for at the gerontology faculty can receive rehabilitation treatment.

Vietnam officially entered the phase of aging population in 2011. The country currently has around 10.1 million elderly people 60 years old and above, or 11 percent of the population, of whom 2 million are at least 80 years old. 

It is forecast that the ratio of elderly people in the population is expected to rise to 18 percent in 2030 and 26 percent in 2050. 

The Health Ministry approved a national action plan on health care for the elderly in December 2016, which aimed to improve health outcomes for older people in the 2017-25 period.

Experts said geriatric care in Vietnam faces a range of difficulties. An increasing number of older patients put an ever-growing burden on the already struggling healthcare fund. Most diseases that afflict older people are chronic and non-communicable, requiring frequent check-ups, constant monitoring and medications.

The geriatric healthcare component in the general healthcare system has not caught up with the drastic demographic change.

The action plan aims to remedy this critical shortage by requiring that all city-level and provincial-level hospitals have gerontology faculty.

Currently, throughout the country, only 49 out of 69 city-level and provincial-level hospitals have gerontology faculties, and only three institutes offer gerontology studies.

According to the plan, authorities at all levels will need to make sure that 100 percent of elderly people have health insurance cards by 2025, and that 80 percent receive at least one medical check-up a year and maintain up-to-date health profiles.

Lorry falls into river in Lâm Đồng

The lorry after the accident. — Photo nld.com.vn

A bridge collapsed leaving a lorry hanging on to it, in an accident that took place around 7am on Friday in Đạ K’nàng Commune, Đam Rông District in the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng.

The bridge was built in 2001, and was 28m in length and 2.7m in width. It allowed lorries with a capacity of no more than five tonnes to cross, but the lorry in the accident, which was transporting fertiliser, weighed 18 tonnes. 

Nguyễn Văn Quân, chairman of the Đạ K’nàng Commune People’s Committee, said that no casualties were reported.

By midday, a local rescue unit was striving to take the lorry out of the river. Traffic in the area was totally jammed.

Labour inspection campaign targets mining sector

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Lê Tấn Dũng (third from left) and representatives of agencies concerned launched a nationwide labour inspection campaign in Hà Nội on Friday. 

A nationwide labour inspection campaign was launched in Hà Nội on Friday by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

The year-long campaign focuses on labour safety in the mining sector and in construction material production.

From now until the end of the year, it will inspect labour safety measures in at least 500 mining enterprises and construction material manufacturers in 63 provinces across the country.

Inspectors from MOLISA will collaborate with leaders of provinces as well as with officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Ministry of Construction to conduct the inspections.

The campaign aims to reduce the number of fatal accidents due to mining activities from 19.5 per cent of total labour accidents in 2017 to 10-15 per cent this year, and the number of deaths from 18.2 per cent of total deaths in 2017 to below 10 per cent this year.

Although the campaign was officially launched Friday, MOLISA’s inspectors had started carrying out inspections since the beginning of this year, according to Nguyễn Tiến Tùng, MOLISA’s chief inspector.

So far, the inspectors, together with leaders of localities, have conducted inspections on some 240 enterprises, he said, and expressed confidence that more than 500 enterprises would be inspected by the end of this year, exceeding the campaign’s objective.

Tùng said he believed in the effectiveness of labour inspection campaigns since such a campaign had helped reduce the number of fatal accidents in the construction sector from 37 per cent to 20.8 per cent by the end of 2016 and to 19.7 per cent in 2017.

“It shows that inspection activities have had positive impacts on the construction sector for two years in a row, and we hope to do the same for the mining sector,” Tùng said.

He called for support from the media in making the inspection results widely known to the public.

Representatives from the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour also expressed their commitment to the campaign at the launch.

In the past five years, Việt Nam has recorded an average of 6,000 labour-related accidents every year, killing 570 labourers and injuring some 6,000 others. Mineral mining is among the sectors with the highest risk of accidents and occupational diseases.

Quảng Ninh destroys 3.5 tonnes of fish

Frozen fish seized by police.

Police from the north-eastern province of Quảng Ninh destroyed over 3.5 tonnes of frozen fish without clear origins on Thursday.

Previously, the police seized the rabbit fish (Siganus guttatus) and white pomfret (Pampus argenteus) from a truck bearing registration number 14C-171.35 while the vehicle was travelling on National Highway No 18A, running through Cẩm Đông Ward, on Tuesday.

Ngô Thanh Minh, 36, the truck driver, failed to present legal documents to prove the origins of the fish.

Minh admitted to the police that he was hired to transport the fish from Quảng Ninh Province to Thái Bình Province for consumption.

The police are investigating the case.

VN, Chinese travel companies join hands to promote tourism

A tour of Wuyi Mountain offers tourists a chance to enjoy beautiful landscapes and a prosperous ecosystem. — Photo travelfujian.com

Travel companies from Việt Nam and China held a conference yesterday in Hà Nội to discuss strategies to promote mutual co-operation in tourism and bring more tourists to each other’s market.

The event was organised by the Fujian Provincial Tourism Development Commission and the Hà Nội Department of Tourism.

Lin Yu, director of the Market Development Office (under the commission), said Việt Nam was an attractive destination for Chinese tourists and more and more travellers from Fujian wanted to visit Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang and HCM City.

“Việt Nam and China share a border and friendship,” he said. “With similar culture and customs, it is easy to share experiences and increase co-operation.”

“Through the meeting, we want to boost mutual co-operation, bringing more tourists to Việt Nam and Fujian.”

Particularly, tourism agents will design new tours which are suitable for Vietnamese tourists.

Representatives from Chinese travel companies promoted some beauty spots and attractive tours in Fujian, including Wuyi Mountain, Zhaixia Grand Canyon and Maritime Silk Road.

Phan Huy Cường from the Hà Nội Department of Tourism said currently there was no direct flight from Hà Nội to Fujian. Tourists from Hà Nội could reach Fujian by flying to Nanning and Guangzhou.

“In the near future, we will collaborate with airlines to set up direct flights between Hà Nội and Fujian to save time for travellers,” he said.

“New flights planned include ones from Đà Nẵng and Nha Trang to Fuzhou and vice versa.”

Cường revealed that Việt Nam received 670,000 tourists from Fujian last year.

Sang takes his first win at HCM City cycling tour

Nguyễn Hoàng Sang at the finish line of the HCM City Television Cycling Tournament’s 26th stage. — Photo courtesy of the organisers

Nguyễn Hoàng Sang was solo to the finish line of the 26th stage of the HCM City Television Cycling Tournament yesterday.

It was the first single stage win of the cyclist from Ynghua Đồng Nai. He completed the 178km stage from Cần Thơ City to Cà Mau City with a time of 4hr 28.52min.

He was followed by Quách Tiến Dũng of the Military and Lê Quốc Vũ of Cần Thơ.

There was no change in the overall ranking as Nguyễn Thành Tâm (Hạt Ngọc Trời An Giang) remained as the leading athlete with a total time of 67:04.37. Ali Khademi (Bảo Vệ Thực Vật An Giang) and Huỳnh Thanh Tùng (Military Zone 7) were second and third, respectively.

Lê Nguyệt Minh (Minh Giang-HCM City) holds the green jersey for the best cyclist.

On the team table, VUS-HCM City were on top, followed by Hạt Ngọc Trời An Giang and Domesco Đồng Tháp.

Today’s 27th stage will be 103km from Cà Mau to Đất Mũi Commune, Ngọc Hiển District.

Tây Ninh launches new irrigation work project

Representatives start construction work on the irrigation project in the western area of the Vàm Cỏ Đông River. 

The Tây Ninh Province People’s Committee on Friday started the construction work on an irrigation project in the western area of the Vàm Cỏ Đông River in Hảo Đước Commune, Châu Thành District.

The irrigation project will supply water to nearly 17,000ha of agricultural land and residents in Châu Thành and Bến Cầu border districts.

The fund for the project is nearly VNĐ1 trillion (US$43.9 million), of which VNĐ650 billion ($28.5 million) will be obtained from the State budget and the remaining from the provincial budget.

Dương Văn Thắng, deputy chairman of Tây Ninh Province People’s Committee, said the agricultural lands in the western communes in Châu Thành and Bến Cầu border districts were separated from the Dầu Tiếng irrigation system by the Vàm Cỏ Đông River.

The communes face a severe water crisis, especially in the dry season, he said.

Water for agricultural processes and daily use is obtained from the Vàm Cỏ Đông River, but the pumping stations are not stable enough, whereas the charges to operate them are high.

The area urgently needs an irrigation project, which can convert the area into fertile agricultural land in the future, he said.

It will also develop sustainable goods sources and improve the lives of the local people.

Binh Dinh sugar firm halt threatens sugar cane growers

Binh Dinh Sugar JS Company

Farmers in the central province of Binh Dinh are seeking outlets for sugarcane after Binh Dinh Sugar JS Company (Bisuco) halted operations to deal with its environmental pollution.

Bisuco was requested to halt its operations from March 23 this year after being found to have directly discharged waste water into the Kon River many times. Local authorities have warned the company of the violations, but, they were ignored. 

Le Van Dau, chairman of Vinh Thanh District People’s Committee, said that currently around 5,000 tonnes of sugarcane in the locality needed to be harvested. Meanwhile, Tay Son District now has an inventory of some 20,000 tonnes.

Last year, a tonne of sugarcane was sold for VND900,000 (USD40.91), which meant it was profitable for farmers. But since Bisuco’s closedown, farmers have difficulties finding outlets and so have been squeezed on prices. At present, a tonne of sugarcane is only priced at VND400,000 -500,000 (USD18.18-22.72), while the fees for harvesting and transportation have gone up. As a result, farmers are seeing losses of VND200,000-300,000 per tonne of sugarcane.

To improve the situation, authorities in Vinh Thanh and Tay Son districts have asked An Khe Sugar Factory in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai to buy sugarcane for local farmers.

A representative from An Khe Sugar Factory said that the factory will try to buy the sugarcane for farmers in Binh Dinh next month. Presently, the factory is buying sugarcane at VND800,000 per tonne and subsidizing transportation fees of VND200,000 per tonne.

Dozens of trucks are rushing to Bisuco to take the company’s sugar to recover debts.

Do Dinh Cu in Tay Giang Commune, Tay Son District, said that Bisuco still owed him more than VND1 billion for his sugarcane.

Thousands flock to Dong Hoi Carnaval 2018

Many people watching the carnival

Thousands of on-lookers have gone out to the streets with many models and beauty pageants to celebrate the colourful Dong Hoi Carnaval 2018.

The carnival is the opening and most anticipated part of Dong Hoi Culture-Tourism Week from April 25 to May 1.

As the carnival coincided with the opening of the Hung Kings' Festival on May 25, it attracted a large number of local people as well as tourists to Dong Hoi City. Dancers and beauty pageant winners such as singer Phuong Anh and the runner-up of Miss Ocean Vietnam 2017 Dang Thanh Ngan on elaborated and colourful costumes walked the streets and stirred up the atmosphere.

Four groups including teachers and students started from different locations and paraded through four main routes to the Nhat Le Bridge. Three ao dai collections by designer Nhat Dung were shown at the carnaval and impressed many on-lookers.

The culture-tourism week consists of many other activities and events such as folk songs, food festival and boat racing. This is the first time Quang Binh’s provincial authorities have organised such a week as previous years were organised by local authorities.

HCM City experiences scorching heat

People in HCM City are experiencing scorching heat, with temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, the southern metropolis has seen temperature ranging between 37 and 40 degrees Celsius over the past week. This weather is forecasted to last for several days to come. 

Le Thi Tuat who sells water in District 1 said that the hot weather makes her tired but is a good chance for her to earn more.

The sweltering heat blanketing forced locals to turn to unconventional solutions to shield themselves from the sun.

Nhat Tan Bridge to be lit in orange to celebrate Vietnam - Netherlands relationship

As a token of friendship and partnership, the Hanoi People’s Committee will light up Nhat Tan Bridge in only orange on the night of April 27, the color of the Dutch Royal Family - House of Orange-Nassau, in honor of the official birthday of King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands on April 27, which is also Dutch National Day.

On this day in the Netherlands the whole country turns orange, in flags, clothes and even drinks. People pour out onto the streets to celebrate the day, attending several “free markets”, outdoor concerts, or sporting events. The King, the Queen and the Princesses visit a provincial Dutch town every year to engage with local people.

The lighting up of Nhat Tan Bridge, the gateway to the city from the airport, is a symbol of the connection between the two countries’ people and is especially meaningful this year as the Netherlands and Vietnam celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations and multi-faceted relationships.

The Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam and the Vietnam National Academy of Music will proudly present a festive concert by Dutch duo Saskia Laroo and Warren Byrd at 8pm on May 2 at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, 77 Hao Nam, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi.

The concert is part of a series of activities that will roll out during 2018, not only in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City but also other dynamic Vietnamese cities like Da Lat, Da Nang, and Hai Phong. Together with trade and business, music, arts and culture form an inseparable part of the broad Vietnam - Netherlands relationship.

Saskia Laroo (trumpet), born in Amsterdam, has been dubbed by US media and the public as the “Lady Miles Davis of Europe”. Performing since the tender age of eight, she plays “modern jazz”, blending the genres of bebop jazz, club, hip-hop, rap, world, and others.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Warren Byrd is an African-American jazz pianist, vocalist and composer with a long list of international credits, tours, and celebrated work. He performs live and tours as a solo pianist and vocalist.

Diplomatic ties between the Netherlands and Vietnam were officially established 45 years ago, in 1973. Since then, the Netherlands has contributed to Vietnam’s post-war reconstruction and eventually to its transition into the lower middle-income country it is today. It has been a strong strategic partner of Vietnam in the fields of water and agriculture; two fields of vital importance for the country, its economy, and its people.

Vietnam and the Netherlands are both world-class players in the export of agricultural products. While being a small country with a surface area just one-seventh of Vietnam’s and with one-fifth of Vietnam’s population, the Netherlands is the world’s second-largest exporter of agricultural products. It is therefore eager to cooperate with Vietnam in its ambition to increase food and agriculture exports and provides expertise in an area that is very important to every Vietnamese consumer: food safety.

The Netherlands is also experienced in climate change mitigation and adaptation, a topic that is gaining attention in Vietnam, especially in the Mekong Delta. The Netherlands is willing to share its knowledge and lessons learned with Vietnam, which resulted in the Mekong Delta Plan, a long-term vision for the sustainable development of the region. Recent decisions by the government to work towards this sustainable future will help millions in the Mekong Delta secure and improve their livelihoods.

Relations between the two countries are broader than just water and agriculture. The Netherlands promotes trade and investment in areas like energy, maritime, and logistics, as well as education and the arts, science and innovation, sports and tourism, human rights, and the rule of law.

There will be a host of activities during 2018 to celebrate the friendship between the two countries. Celebrations of 45 years of diplomatic kicked-off during the visit by Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Ms. Sigrid Kaag, on February 6 and 7. There will be other events and activities in which Dutch businesses can participate throughout the year, as guests, co-organizers, participants, or sponsors.

Creative Youth Festival opens in Ben Tre

At the opening ceremony (Photo: bentre.gov.vn) 

The ABCD Mekong Creative Youth Festival opened in the southern province of Ben Tre on April 27.

The first ABCD Mekong start-up contest in 2018, with the theme “Connection and Creativity”, was also officially launched on the occasion.

The event provides a chance to connect the outstanding young entrepreneurs in provinces and cities across the nation, as well as introduce products to connect start-ups; and share experiences, success and challenges in the start-up process.

The two-day festival features a range of activities including an exhibition of start-up products by businesses in An Giang, Ben Tre, Can Tho and Dong Thap provinces; the launch of the second start-up contest, and an exhibition on culinary culture in the four provinces.

On the occasion, Ben Tre province also held a conference to review the two years of implementation of the programme on start-up and business development; and workshops on developing advisory skills, capital in start-up and the commercialisation of start-up products.

The first centralised feudal state

An arts performance at the ceremony in celebration of 1,050 years of the establishment of Dai Co Viet, the first centralised feudal state of Vietnam. 

The establishment of the first centralised feudal state 1,050 years ago heralded a new era for the country after a millennium under the rule of dynasties from the north.

Dinh Bo Linh dispelled the anarchy of the 12 warlords to become king under the name Dinh Tien Hoang. He named the country Dai Co Viet (Great Viet) and set up the capital in Hoa Lu, which is now Ninh Binh.

Previously, in the context of the decline of the Wu dynasty, the warlords emerged from everywhere to seize power. There were 12 warlords ruling 12 regions of the country. These warlords tended to expand their power and seceded from the central government. Armed conflicts occurred throughout the country, leading to the people suffering. 

The divide and conflicts threatened the territorial integrity and destiny of the nation. Facing this challenge, Dinh Bo Linh bravely defeated the 12 warlords and unified the country. He then founded the Dinh Dynasty in 968 and ascended to the throne under the name Dinh Tien Hoang.

The establishment of the centralised feudal state of Dai Co Viet is of great historical significance.

First of all, it was the most advanced institutional model for the country at that time, a model that had existed in China, and brought great development to Vietnam with many great inventions such as writing paper, and gunpowder, etc. This institutional model not only focused on the strength and resources of the nation, but also ensured more stability for economic development. No one could do business when the warlords continued to scramble for power and kill each other.

To a certain extent, the legal system had been formed. Although there was a legal system, people still had a relatively clear framework of what could or what could not be done. Thanks to that, they were able to take the initiative in doing business and pursuing happiness. This is a prerequisite for economic development, whereby culture and science also develop.

The centralised feudal state of Dai Co Viet was established and certainly brought about great development for the country, which was proved by the relics left in Hoa Lu and then in Thang Long (Hoa Lu was the first capital of the country until King Ly Thai To moved the capital to Thang Long (now Hanoi) in 1010), as well as the ability to fight foreign invaders attacking the country. Without a developed economy and strong military forces, Vietnam could not have defeated so many enemies later.

As mentioned above, the formation of the first centralised feudal state helped the country to gain enough strength to defeat many aggressors in the following wars. The centralised feudal state was a centralised model which concentrates power on the Emperor. Thanks to this intense concentration of power, the ability to unite the will and mobilise forces to fight invaders was enormous. History shows that fundamentally feudal states in Vietnam defeated all invaders except in some cases in modern times when capitalism dominated the world and the feudal state model became out-dated.

In particular, the establishment of the first centralised feudal state of Dai Co Viet confirmed the existence of an independent nation in a volatile historical period. It was a real milestone in the history of the nation. With the establishment of the national flag, the calendar year, the construction of a unified administrative system, the determination of territory, the organisation of the military, and the issuance of currency, Dai Co Viet was an independent nation compared to other countries at the time.

Finally, interestingly the Dai Co Viet feudal state was formed of a government with three levels of administration: the Central Court - the Tao (the intermediary level) - the Director (the grassroots level). The design of the government with three administrative levels is now the common standard in many modern states. Such a model helped to reduce unnecessary intermediary levels as well as operate quickly and effectively. It is considered as a useful lesson for the current government to learn from in its efforts to streamline the apparatus. The 1050th anniversary of the establishment of the centralised feudal state of Dai Co Viet was an important occasion to recognise the role and contributions made by the state to the development of the nation throughout history.

Supreme People's Court of Vietnam inaugurates in HCMC

At ribbon-cutting ceremony

The Head office of the Supreme People's Court of Vietnam was inaugurated at the Road No. 57 in Cat Lai Ward in District 2, HCMC.

Attending at the inauguration ceremony were Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh, Chief Judge of the Supreme People's Court of Vietnam Nguyen Hoa Binh and Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong.

Deputy Chief Judge of the Supreme People's Court of Vietnam Le Hong Quang hoped that judges and court staff will effectively work in the new office.

The construction of the head office was kicked off in May, 2015 at a total capital of VND430 billion (US$18.6 billion).

The 6-storey building is equipped with modern facilities and essentials, like camera system, internet, fire alarm systems, automatic fire extinguishing system.

Over 50 houses blew away roofs due to whirlwind in Bac Lieu province

Chairman Doan Van Gia of Phuoc Long town’s People’s Committee in the Mekong delta province of Bac Lieu said after a heavy rain, a whirlwind occurred in the town yesterday and blew away the roofs of 50 houses.

Of which, seven houses collapsed completely and it uprooted dozens of roofs of other houses. Besides, trees were fallen causing traffic congestion on the same day.

Whirlwind damaged local people’s vegetables, rice and fruits and industrial trees.

Fortunately, no one injured due to whirlwind.

Local authorities visited effected-families and helped them overcome the difficulties. The authorities called also for the support from sponsors, enterprises in the district, helping local people return to stable life.

HoREA suggests housing policies for low-income households

The Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association (HoREA) suggested housing policies relating to transparent property growth to meet low-income city-dwellers’ increasing demands.

The city has nearly 13 million residents including three million immigrants. Average population increase rate is 3.5 percent annually. Every five years, the city population surges around one million people; accordingly, urbanization intensifies the need for city-focused housing.

As per the municipal Department of Construction, HCMC is currently facing an urban housing backlog of about 134,000 housing units from 2011-2020.

For the period 2016-2020, 81,000 households are in demand of buying social house, according to the HCMC Institute for Development Studies (HIDS)’s study.

Of these, over 10,000 are state employees while 39,000 poor and near-poor households want to buy new houses. More than 17,000 laborers in industrial parks are also in the need of social houses.

City authorities are implementing 39 social housing projects comprising of 44,701 apartments. As per the plan, by 2020 , the city will complete construction of 20,000 apartments yet it will just meet a fraction of the demand.

In 2017, 92 commercial housing projects including 42,991 apartments were sold; however, around 12,495 cheap apartments were sold last year. It is clear that small cheap houses are not satisfied low-income dwellers’ buoyant demand of housing.

Additionally, the city is in short of social houses especially social house for rent. There has been no commercial housing projects at cheap price of VND300-500 million nor no commercial housing projects for rent at inexpensive price.

Asides from that, some 14,366 houses and resettlement houses are vacant; local governments should switch it into social houses or commercial houses to sell in order to return fund for state budget.

To solve the problem of houses for average incomers and poor dwellers, HoREA proposed property developers to re-structure investment and switch to build more cheap and environmentally-friendly housing projects with utilities and services at the price of around VND1 billion.

Moreover, HoREA suggested developers to take part in building social housing program, building old condominiums and urbanization renewal program in slums in rivers and canals.

According to HoREA, People’s Committee in HCMC should petition to the National Assembly and the government to provide loans for those who register to buy or rent social houses at preferential interesting rate of 5 percent a year as per the Prime Minister’s decision.

Furthermore, if possible, HoREA expected that housing developers can borrow preferential loans for social housing projects to reduce cost according to the Housing Law 2014. Also, HoREA wished improved administrative formalities to assist developers.

For instance, Le Thanh housing developer of social housing project in Binh Tan District’s An Lac ward has been certified as project investor but because of hinders in administrative formalities, the company has not been eligible for a preferential loan.

In addition, city authorities should have special mechanism for housing developers of rental apartment at cheap price of VND3 - 5 million a month to encourage them to build these houses aiming to catch up with the new trend of co-living space nowadays.

First-class hospital in HCMC accredited to ISO 15189

Gia Dinh People hospital in Ho Chi Minh City was yesterday accredited to the ISO 15189, Quality Management in Medical Laboratories, for micro - biology and Biochemistry Hematology departments.

The hospital is the first facility in HCMC which was accredited to ISO 15189.

Speaking at the certification-giving ceremony, hospital director Dr. Nguyen Anh Dung said medical testing plays a vital role in diagnosis and treatment. The application of ISO 15189 in the hospital will help providing precise test results – basis for promoting test result between medical clinics.

In order to achieve this prestigious certification, the two departments had constantly improved its quality management system, technology and methods since April, 2016.

The two departments have state-of-the-art equipment for testing bought from the US, British, France, German and Italy including Architect i2000 SR Immunoassay Analyzer (Abbott); Cobas e601 (Roche), ELISA ETI-MAX 3000is a fully automated microtiter plate analyzer; BACT/ALERT 3D instrument is a state-of-the-art, automated microbial detection system; LIS (laboratory information system) software

Every day, the Biochemistry Hematology department receives 4,000-5,000 samples. Some 12,000 different tests are carried out.

After accredited, in addition to maintaining quality management system as per ISO 15189:2012, the hospital will expand the index of testing and check it annually or every three years.