VietNam needs more apartments for low-income individuals

Urban areas across the nation will need 700,000 apartments for low-income people by 2015, a calculation by the construction ministry said.

The ministry said even if the demand for low-income apartments was met as scheduled, another 200,000 apartments would be needed by the year 2020.

The larger cities will see greater demand for such apartments, the ministry said.

HCM City leads the list with a need for 134,000 apartments, followed by Ha Noi with 111,200, and the southern provinces of Binh Duong and Dong Nai, and Da Nang City with 104,000, 95,000, and 16,000 apartments, respectively.

The demand for low-income apartments for public service servants in Ha Noi is 30,000.

Sixteen provinces and cities have approved the low-income housing development programme for 2015 so far. The other localities are setting up projects that will be approved this year.

Several provinces and cities are speeding up the review and classification process of housing development projects nationwide.

A bridge in Mekong Delta collapses 14 days after inauguration

A reinforced concrete bridge spanning over the 28th canal in Long An Province in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam collapsed yesterday after it was put in use for 14 days.

The VND2.5 billion (US$115,000) bridge, which is for motorbikes and pedestrians only, is on provincial road 831 in Vinh Binh Commune of Vinh Hung District.

Nguyen Van Chinh, vice director of the Long An Transport Department, said the bridge with the loading capacity of one ton was invested by the People’s Committee of Vinh Binh with the financial contribution from locals of VND500 million ($23,000).

It was inaugurated and put in use on May 13 to replace a ferry.

On May 26, some cracks began appearing at the foundation of a pillar of the bridge. It collapsed in the following day, soon after local authorities blocked it for attempts of repair.

The collapse was due to the slide of a foundation of one of the pillars of the bridge, said Chinh.

Investigation into the collapse is underway.

Quang Binh charges violators of wild animal protection

Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park's Forest Management Department in Quang Binh Province will prosecute two local persons for breaching regulations on the protection of precious and rare wild animals.

On April 13, during the patrol of a tightly-protected section, forest management forces caught Dinh Den (born 1993) and Dinh Khang (born 1994) with two jute bags. The two, who are residents of A Rem Village, Tan Trach commune, Bo Trach District, were leaving the forest when they were nabbed.

Forest forces personnel found 42.1kg meat in their bags. Den and Khang said the meat was of a chamois, which they had killed with the help of a hunting dog. They were planning to sell the meat.

A further examination of the meat by Quang Binh Province's Forest Management Department confirmed it was of a chamois.

Similar proceedings were launched against two other persons early last month.

Legal action against them has been in line with Article 190 of the Penal Code.

Man caught transporting ecstasy pills

The Dien Bien Border Guard and Police have recogniSed individuals and forces who participated in an investigation into the selling and transporting of drugs in the province.

Following their monitoring the area yesterday, provincial border guards and police apprehended Sung Dua Vang, 39, while transporting 6,000 ecstasy tablets at Phi Nhu Commune in Dien Bien Dong District.

Vang's accomplice, Vang A Ly, 25, who lives in the district, was also caught.

Provincial police are widening their investigation, according to officials.

South Korea to help VN manage highways

The Ministry of Transport and the Korea International Cooperation Agency signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) today to assist in the management of Viet Nam's highway system.

The three-year Enhancing Capacity and Maintenance Management of Viet Nam's Highways project will allocate US$1.5 million in non-refundable funds from the Republic of Korea.

Accordingly, South Korea will provide technical assistance and technological transfers to Viet Nam, as it shares its experience in operating and maintaining the system of highways.

South Korea will also provide Viet Nam with legal consultations in the management of highways in Viet Nam, training courses to strengthen the abilities of officials in the field, and equipment and facilities where needed.

Viet Nam currently maintains six highways with a total length of 300km, with plans to increase the highway system to 2,000km by 2020. To that end, the demand for employees who are capable of operating and managing highways is expected to rise rapidly.

South Korea has also assisted Viet Nam in building road and bridge infrastructures through loans of $1.2 billion, which equals 57 per cent of the total amount the country has committed to loan Viet Nam.

Healthcare, consultation service provided through video call

The Central Endocrinology Hospital in Hanoi and Military-run Vietnamese mobile network operator Viettel yesterday officially introduced healthcare and consultation service through video call named MyDoctor.

MyDoctor service will provide tele-healthcare and consultation to help patients select and connect with a doctor of their choice who will keep an eye on  their health condition and give prescription for patients.

MyDoctor store patient’s medical records to help doctors easily find out patients’ document and often keep track on patients’ health condition to warn them.

VND15 bil spent on supporting disadvantaged children

The National Fund for Vietnamese Children has planned to spend nearly VND15 billion (US$6,882,312) to help children of low-income families in all disadvantaged corners of the country in support to the month-long action program for children themed “ Listening to children" from June 1 to 30.

These activities in the month-long action program include meeting with 55 needy children who study well.

The Fund will launch the action program in the northern city of Hai Phong and expect to raise VND20 billion (US$917,641) from organizations and individuals who advocate charity activities and projects for disabled and disadvantaged children.

The Fund will host a ceremony to honor 200 needy children who study well in some provinces in the northwest.

On the occasion of the action program, leaders of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and the National Fund for Vietnamese Children May 26 visited and presented gifts to children who went to Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital in Hanoi for treating and seeking consultation for maxillo-facial deformities.

Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Hong Lan gave gifts to 40 children coming from the northern provinces of Thanh Hoa, Ha Giang, and Thai Nguyen each worth VND700,000(US$32.1) including cash and gifts.

The National Fund expected to sponsor around 6,000 unfortunate and needy children across the country with total spending of VND76 billion (US$3,483,262)

Vietnam attends international legal forum in St. Petersburg

Over 3,400 delegates, including experts in economics, law, and international relations from 84 countries and territories around the world, gathered in St. Petersburg, Russia for the opening of the 2015 St. Petersburg International Legal Forum on May 27.

Attending the four day event are a delegation from the Supreme People's Court led by Deputy Chief Judge Tong Anh Hao, and a delegation from the Ministry of Justice led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Khanh Ngoc.

Speaking at the plenary session, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that in the 21st century, the rule of law is becoming increasingly complex and fragmented, while also having become more comprehensive. To maintain the operation of the legal system, governments should develop new law structures, he added.

The Russian leader also reminded international lawyers about the Internet, emphasising that in the context of ever-changing technologies, the rule of law for the Internet should ensure the free exchange of information and telecommunications security. He also confirmed that cybercrime will continue to increase, requiring a solid legal framework to tackle.

Initiated in 2011, the annual forum is one of the most important legal events in the world.

This year’s event, themed ‘Mission of Law in an Era of Change’, includes over 50 discussion sessions: International Law/Rule of Law, Private Law, Corporate Practice/International Trade/Protection of Competition, Litigation and Arbitration Practice, Smart Society, Cultural Heritage/Public Interest/Environment/Standards of Legal Profession, and Investments/Finance.

On the sidelines of the forum, Deputy Minister of Justice Nguyen Khanh Ngoc met with his Russian counterpart Maksim A. Travnhikov to discuss enhancing judicial co-operation between Vietnam and Russia, especially in the field of human resources training.

The two deputy ministers signed a co-operation agreement between the two ministries for the 2015-2017 period.

Deputy Minister Ngoc also met with President of the Russian Bar Association, Veniamin Yakovlev, during which they agreed on judicial co-operation.

VIFOTEC Awards honour best scientific and technological innovations

Forty of the best tech projects received the 2014 Vietnam Fund for Scientific and Technological Creations (VIFOTEC) Award at a ceremony held in Hanoi on May 28.

The winning projects, including four first, seven second, 11 third and 18 consolation prizes, covered the fields of automation engineering, materials, energy-saving and new energy, information, electronics and telecommunications, biotechnology for production and life, environmental protection and rational use of natural resources.

While congratulating the award winners, Politburo member and President of Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan said that the VIFOTEC’s winning projects from the past 20 years, have helped improve the productivity, production efficiency and quality of products.

They have also contributed to bettering the research of scientists and technicians in line with the country’s drive for development and international integration, he said.

The awards were first launched in 1995 by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations in co-ordination with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The awards aim to honour scientists whose projects have high value to science and society, and can be effectively applied to daily life.

In its 20 years, the organising board has received nearly 2,200 entries - 700 of them have received prizes.

Vietnam responds to 2015 Global Action Week

The Ministry of Education and Training on May 28 launched the Global Action Week on Education 2015 under the theme ‘The Right to Education 2000-2030 - Vote for Education!’.

Addressing the launch ceremony, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Vinh Hien emphasised that education is a fundamental human right and a prerequisite for implementing other rights.

Vietnam has exerted every effort so that every member of society can access a high quality education system in a friendly and fair manner, he said, adding that reaching this goal requires tight inter-sectoral co-ordination, and the involvement of families, community, and society.

He also called on Party committees and government administrations at all levels, to join efforts to make the targets on Education ForAll a success by 2030.

The Deputy Minister affirmed that the Ministry of Education and Training has actively implemented the Party resolution on radical and comprehensive reforms to education and

training.

Vietnam has developed a nationwide network of educational facilities under which 99% of districts have fulfilled the universalisation of primary education, he noted.

Global Action Week is one of the major focal points for the education movement. It provides every national and regional education campaign with an opportunity to highlight one area of the Education For All agenda and make targeted efforts to achieve change on the ground, with the added support of education campaigners and millions of members of the public worldwide joining together for the same cause.

In 2000, the world’s leaders made a series of promises intended to guarantee education for all by 2015, including commitments to get every child in school, and to improve adult literacy by 50%.

This year, the world will agree on new frameworks – for education and for sustainable development more broadly – that will help set the tone and the focus for government policy and action from now until 2030.

Hung Yen to tackle lead poisoning in village

Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said 13 households involved in the recycling of lead should be shifted out of the northern Hung Yen Province's Dong Mai craft village immediately.

Long made the request after he inspected and discussed with the local authorities solutions to save children who had lead poisoning.

Long said although the local authorised agencies had taken several measures to improve the environment, the lead pollution was still serious.

The 13 households involved in lead recycling were continuing to poison their family members and the community, Long said.

The local authorities also should support the people in replacing the affected soil as well as supply them with clean water.

The villagers were asked not to eat vegetables and meat originating from the affected areas.

The deputy minister has also asked the health ministry and the environment management department to quickly submit the results of the blood tests of 618 local people to the local government, so that the detoxification of the poisoned persons, especially children and women of reproductive age, can be carried out.

About 207 poisoned children will be treated in Bach Mai Hospital and Hung Yen General Hospital.

The Hung Yen authority has been asked to further check and monitor the lead recycling workshops in Dong Mai Village's industrial production area, in order to protect people's health.

The authority has been asked to spread awareness about the dangers of lead poisoning to help people protect themselves.

The Hung Yen People's Committee has committed to shifting the households involved in lead recycling from the residential areas.

So far, the province has given VND50 million (US$2,500) for helping the technical process of collecting and treating gas and dust arising from lead furnaces.

The province has also offered financial assistance towards building lead-detox bathrooms for the workers involved in the recycling of lead.

Foreign diplomats meet with north-central region leaders

Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son on May 29 joined more than 50 foreign ambassadors, diplomats, and chief representatives of nongovernmental organisations meeting with leaders of the six north-central provinces in Vinh City.

 “Direct exchanges afford the leaders of the six provinces the chance to make the best impression of the region and its people on their foreign guests,” Son said in his opening address at the event.

In addition, it provides local representatives the occasion to broaden their international relationships through direct exchanges with foreign dignitaries and highlight the regions potential for investment.

Just as importantly, the gathering offers the opportunity to introduce the rich historical roots of the region along with the art, culture and reality of modern life and for the guests to meet the region’s friendly and hospitable people, Son stressed.

Morocco Ambassador El Houcine Fardani in turn spoke highly of the north-central provinces and the significant socio-economic progress they have made, especially singling out poverty reduction for praise.

The north-central region includes six provinces – Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue.

Vietnamese firms support Cambodian farmers

The contributions made by Vietnamese enterprises to Cambodia’s socio-economic development were praised during the product launch ceremony for the PetroVietnam Ca Mau Fertilizer Company (PVCFC) in Phnom Penh on May 28.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An said that Vietnamese enterprises’ investments and involvement in social welfare activities in Cambodia in recent years actively contributed to the country’s economic development and poverty reduction.

The Deputy PM expressed her hope that the PVCFC’s high quality products will support Cambodian farmers to produce better crop yields, thus ensuring sustainable development and environmentally friendly agriculture.

General Director of the PVCFC Bui Minh Tien highlighted that Cambodia is an attractive market with a number of features that enable effective product distribution and consumption.

He said the company pledges to provide high quality products as well as training programmes for Cambodian farmers to make use of the products in a scientific and effective manner.

Participants in the launch included the Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia, Thach Du; representatives of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN); senior officials of the Cambodian Ministry of Agro-Forestry-Fishery; and PVCFC distributors in Cambodia.

Vietnam’s fertilizer has gained Cambodian famers’ support. Half of the Vietnamese fertilizer used in Cambodia is PVCFC fertilizer.

Handicraft village needs support

Located about 30km northeast of Ha Noi, an old village well-known for its mulberries and silk in the northern province of Bac Ninh is on the brink of losing its craft tradition due to unplanned developments, limited production and labour shortages.

At present, only 10 households in Vong Nguyet Village are still growing mulberries and silkworms, and sell pupas to local markets. Three other families have tried to go on by buying cocoons from other provinces for weaving.

Chu Thi Thu, 74, remembered that long ago, during the village's proper trading period, all families planted mulberries and raised silkworms. They all wove silk, and their products were used across the country. But many have given up their traditional work due to lower consumption, and difficulties with technology and investment.

Resident Nguyen Thi Tam said her family grew mulberries and wove silk for more than 30 years, but over the past ten years they cut down their workload. Now they only breed silkworms to sell their pupas at markets.

Some households want to keep doing their traditional work. They go everywhere to buy high quality cocoons to make silk.

Chu Van Bac said his family did this work for 25 years. For the past seven years increasing pollution has stopped them from growing mulberries and silkworms. Moreover, cocoon quality did not meet the increasing requirements of the market, Bac said. These difficulties will soon force his family to quit the trade.

"To maintain production, my family must buy high-quality cocoons from other provinces such as Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Hai Duong, and Vinh Phuc," he added.

Many young people in the village are no longer interested in inheriting their relatives' businesses because of the low incomes they afford. They have taken on other work or moved to cities to find jobs.

Le Dac Khanh, vice chairman of the People's Committee of Tam Giang Commune, said authorities had encouraged residents to keep traditional craftsmanship alive and co-ordinated with banks to help them distribute loans and find outlets for the products.

Vietnam arrests Korean man for scamming students out of US$300,000

Investigators from the Ministry of Public Security on May 27 arrested a Korean man for allegedly swindling around US$300,000 from local students who wanted to study abroad.

A source from the ministry said it has received several complaints from Hanoi claiming Kim Young-hwan, 52, and his Vietnamese wife Hoang Thi Cuc were scammers.

They said the couple opened a company in Hanoi that provided "educational services."

They collected money from prospective students in advance but never brought them to the Republic of Korea.

The duo have received nearly 100 applications.

Police are also investigating Cuc but has not put her in custody as she is taking care of her little child.

Vietnam puts the squeeze on counterfeit goods

 Vietnamese authorities have made tens of thousands of arrests for trading in knock off products, mainly fake electronics products, liquor, medicines and other goods, law enforcement officials have announced.

The campaign launched earlier this year comes as the Vietnam government faces mounting pressure from trading partners, transnational companies and trade groups to stamp out product copying.

Vietnamese leaders have given the new clampdown special prominence, publicly linking it to efforts to transform the Southeast Asian nation from a low-cost agricultural based economy to one more innovative and technologically oriented.

Intellectual property protection is a core enabling condition laying the foundation for creativity, innovation and development of an innovative knowledge based society and a prerequisite for achieving a digital economy, leading trade groups have said.

They say illegal Vietnamese copying of music, designer clothing and other goods cost legitimate producers of those products hundreds of millions of US dollars each year in lost revenues.

Unlicensed copying has also stunted growth in Vietnam’s fledgling software, music and high tech industries they stressed.

Business leaders have expressed optimism about the latest effort because the nation’s leaders have been working closely with international customs officials and transnational companies to get a solid grip on illegal trading.

Last year, law enforcement agencies detected and prosecuted 17,396 cases of trading in knock off products seizing an estimated total value of fake goods of VND36 billion and this year and stricter enforcement is on the rise this year.

A Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) report recently distributed said that goods impounded in the latest crackdown included mobile phones, wine, beer, cosmetics, automotive components, clothing and medicine.

It said authorities have shut down dozens of websites peddling counterfeit and imitation goods.

The loss of revenues to these knock offs is not just to businesses said Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang, but in addition the government is being deprived of revenues from tax collection and the cost to consumers’ health is immeasurable.

Perhaps most worrying is the booming trade in counterfeit medicines Hoang said, adding many leading world economists have estimated that it accounts for almost 10% of the global trade in medicine.

It's easy to be conned into thinking you're getting a real good bargain, but one should always remember the old cliché— that if something appears too good to be true, then it probably is.

Piracy is especially sensitive at a time when the government is trying to create jobs by negotiating free trade agreements such as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), as it is one of the major hurdles to finalizing the agreement.

Rampant copying has also hindered Vietnam’s efforts to attract technology industries because business leaders say companies are reluctant to do high-level research in Vietnam or bring in advanced designs for fear of theft.

US Assistant Secretary of State joins child helmet campaign

More than 670 students and teachers at the October 20 Kindergarten in Hanoi received free helmets during a visit by US Assistant Secretary of State Charles Rivkin on May 27.

They are part of a total of 25,000 child helmets to be donated for children throughout Vietnam under a partnership between US Department of State and Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation – an NGO working to prevent road injuries and fatalities.

Under the partnership, AIP Foundation will work with US corporate sponsors to organize events and helmet donations for at-risk schools supporting the pre-existing Helmets for Kids program.

Children at the October 20 Kindergarten in Hanoi receive free helmets on May 27. Photo credit: AIP Foundation

 “Today we witness two governments jointly addressing their concerns for children’s safety,” Greig Craft, President of AIP Foundation.

“Road deaths are preventable. The 20th anniversary of US-Vietnam diplomatic relations is an opportunity to highlight—and tackle—these issues across two nations.”

Khuat Viet Hung, Vice Executive Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said that children are extremely vulnerable and need protection most while travelling on roads.

“The National Traffic Safety Committee strongly affirms that it’s necessary to put helmets on children when on a motorbike,” he said.

In 2000, former President Bill Clinton launched Helmets for Kids in Ho Chi Minh City. The program was launched in Hanoi 15 ago at the 20 October Kindergarten by then-Senator John Kerry.

Vietnam needs 200,000 social housing units by 2020

Demand for social housing units in the 2016-2020 period is estimated at 200,000 units if the demand for 2012-2015 (700,000 units) can be met by the end of this year, according to the Ministry of Construction (MoC).

The demand is particularly high in major cities, with 134,000 units in need in Ho Chi Minh City, 111,200 apartments in Hanoi, and 104,000 and 95,000 units in the southern industrial provinces of Binh Duong and Dong Nai, respectively.

As of the end of 2014, there were 3,978 urban and housing development projects across the country, with a total planned area of 101,391 hectares. Of which, 35,883 hectares are devoted to housing projects, which provide around 462 million square metres of housing space (equivalent to 2,951,100 apartments).

However, by now 306 projects have been cancelled because the investors could not mobilise capital for further implementation.

Worldkings recognises Vietnamese woman as world’s oldest

Nguyen Thi Tru, a 122-year-old Vietnamese woman, has been recognised as the oldest woman in the world by the World Records Union (Worldkings).

This official accolade was revealed by the Vietnam Book of Records on May 28.

Currently living in Ho Chi Minh City, Tru has two surviving children, both in their eighties.

She has lived a long healthy life through three centuries and has never been hospitalised for severe illness.

In April this year, Tru was recognised by the World Record Association as the world’s oldest person.

Vice President meets impoverished children on int’l holiday

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan met with 55 disadvantaged students from all over the country with excellent academic records on May 28 on the occasion of International Children’s Day (June 1).

The Government has implemented a number of policies that provide support and protection for children and encourage them to speak out, Doan said.

She urged the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) to continue expanding their efforts at the local level so that more children can make their voices heard in the future.

Praising the students for achieving outstanding academic results despite their challenging circumstances, the Vice President hoped they would keep up their good work and continue reaching for opportunities for a better life.

The students from 11 cities and provinces represent a small part of Vietnam’s millions of children under the age of 16 who live in difficult circumstances in far-flung areas and islands who have excellent academic performance or are gifted in arts.

According to statistics published in late 2014, Vietnam is home to 26.7 million children under 16, including nearly 1.5 million disadvantaged children and more than 2.5 million children at risk of abuse, human trafficking and kidnapping.

The NFVC has raised 5 trillion VND (229.2 million USD) in total over the past 22 years to provide support for more than 30 million underprivileged children. Last year, the fund donated 97 billion VND (4.44 million USD) to 86,000 children.

German press hails Vietnam’s economic achievements and poverty reduction

German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) featured the story “Vietnam’s fight against hunger – a success story” on its website on May 27, highlighting Vietnam’s efforts to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals, including economic development, poverty reduction and hunger eradication.

The story cited a report published by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on May 27 , which states that the country has achieved more in the fight against hunger than any other in the world.

While one third of the population suffered from malnutrition in the 1990s, today this number has dropped to ten percent, no small feat as DW pointed out .

The article argued that the thirty-five years of war against French and US forces badly damaged the country's infrastructure. After the war, Vietnam ’s economy faced a number of difficulties, with a per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of less than 100 USD. As a result, a quarter of the population faced food shortage.

Gerhard Will, an expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told DW that the Communist Party of Vietnam made a sound decision when it launched its Doi Moi (Renovation) policy in 1986.

The Doi Moi process has showed positive results since 1990s, Will said.

Vietnam, Laos intensify efforts to retrieve fallen soldiers’ remains

Vietnam and Laos signed a cooperation agreement on continuing the search for and retrieval of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who lost their lives during the war in Laos.

The document, the 20 th of its kind, was signed by Deputy Minister of Defence Nguyen Thanh Cung, who is also Head of the Government’s Special Task Board, and his Laotian counterpart Chansamon Chanyalath at a conference in southern Champasak province on May 28.

During the event, Cung suggested the two nations intensify joint efforts during the 2015-2016 dry season.

According to the Special Task Board, the remains of Vietnamese martyrs are still scattered across Laos, with the majority lying in Vientiane, Xieng khouang and Savanakhet, among others.

A number of awareness raising campaigns have been organised in the two countries to garner support from communities and veterans.

Remains of 212 fallen volunteer soldiers have been found in Laos in the 2014-2015 dry season, of which nine were identified.

Millions of Vietnamese sacrificed their lives for national liberation during the two wars of resistance against French and US forces, as well as during international missions in Laos and Cambodia.

Missions to find and repatriate the remains of these fallen soldiers are conducted annually, receiving due attention from the Party and the State.

Since May 13, the central provinces of Quang Tri, Quang Binh and Ha Tinh have organised reburial ceremonies for the remains of the fallen soldiers and experts repatriated from Laos.

Vietnamese, Lao provinces complete border demarcation efforts

Representatives from the authorities in Vietnam’s central province of Quang Nam and the Lao province of Sekong held a ceremony in Tam Ky city on May 28 to mark the completion of the project to increase and upgrade their border markers.

The Vietnam-Lao border between Quang Nam and Sekong is 142 km long.

In May 2008, the two countries started increasing and upgrading border markers along the edge of their respective territories in order to make the marker system more accurate and durable in the long term.

Sixty markers and seven stakes were added along the border section between Quang Nam and Sekong.

Provincial officials spoke highly of the achievement, a result of the solidarity between the two countries’ relevant agencies, forces and people.

They said both sides will continue their communication efforts to raise public awareness, thus contributing to peace, stability and development cooperation in border communities as well as bilateral relations.

On this occasion, Quang Nam and Sekong authorities presented certificates of merit to groups and individuals for their outstanding efforts in increasing and upgrading the border markers.

Housing land granted to poor Tra Vinh households

Over 2,000 poor Khmer ethnic households in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh have been provided land for house building.

According to the provincial Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, over 774,000 sq.m of land have been allocated to the families in accordance with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s Decision 29/2013/QD-TTg.

Deputy Head of the department, Son Tuoi, said that of the 2,000 households, 337 have been given land use right certificates and 185 have started construction work.

The province has another 28,000 poor households, 16,000 of which are Khmer ethnic, accounting for over 19 percent of local Khmer households.

In 2015 the province targets that all local poor Khmer households will have housing land, 85 percent of them will have access to loans and over 60 percent of Khmer labourers aged from 16 to 35 will be offered vocational training.

Thua Thien-Hue teaches children how to swim

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue is running a water safety and survival skills programme for local schools in order to reduce the number of cases of drowning among children in the locality.

Since the beginning of this year, the provincial Department of Education and Training, together with the non-governmental organisation Hue Help, has implemented a programme providing water safety and swimming courses for 90 PE teachers, who receive certification and then teach these skills to their pupils across localities in the province.

The programme, called “Swimming for Safety”, is part of a wider 2 billion VND (93,000 USD) project tackling disaster risks and supporting children affected by climate change over three years from 2015, funded by the Norwegian Church Aid organisation.

The “Swimming for Safety” programme has been implemented over the last couple of years in a number of primary and secondary schools in the province, helping thousands of children learn how to swim.

It is expected that about half of the province’s children aged from 6 to 14 will possess water safety and survival skills by the end of 2015.

According to the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, there were more than 30 drowning cases in the province from 2013 to the first quarter of 2015, with most of the fatalities children.

Summer of volunteering kicks off in Thai Nguyen

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union launched its summer volunteering campaign in northern Thai Nguyen province on May 28.

The summer programme runs through August with a range of activities, including the provision of free check-ups and medicine to disadvantaged communities, blood donation campaigns, and a musical concert to cheer up patients at Thai Nguyen General Hospital.

President of the Vietnam Youth Federation Nguyen Phi Long appealed to the 5,000 young volunteers who attended the launching ceremony, urging them to focus on enhancing the effectiveness of their work and identifying additional practical projects to implement in their localities.

First launched in 2000, the summer volunteering campaigns have impacted significantly on communities throughout the country and played an important role in educating the young generation.

KOICA supports sustainable poverty reduction in Lao Cai

A new community development project in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai was launched in the locality on May 27.

Funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the project will help the locality improve rural roads and infrastructure in an effort to boost economic, cultural and educational development and improve the province’s healthcare network and public administrative management.

Speaking at the event, Country Director of KOICA in Vietnam Chang Jae Yun said the programme will contribute to promoting sustainable poverty reduction in Lao Cai by assisting the locality in developing a new-style urban model in line with the Republic of Korea’s Samuel Undong model.

Doan Van Huong, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, highlighted that non-refundable international investments have contributed remarkably to socio-economic development in Lao Cai.

A total of 15 projects worth over 3.7 trillion VND (170.2 million USD) in official development aid (ODA) are being implemented in the province.

Local authorities called upon the provincial Department of Planning and Investment and relevant sectors to work closely with the project in order to roll out a specific action plan for implementation.

Disadvantaged students praised for outstanding academic performance

A ceremony was held in Hanoi on May 27 to recognise the academic achievements of outstanding students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Co-hosted by the National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the event honoured 55 disadvantages students from 11 provinces and cities nationwide for their academic excellent in the past school year.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister Dao Hong Lan said the Government has implemented several policies that support children and young adults in their development, such as healthcare, education and child protection laws.

During the ceremony a number of musical and arts performances were held.

The honoured students were awarded gifts and scholarships to help them continue their education despite their disadvantaged backgrounds.

The event was organized on the occasion of the International Children’s Day June 1.

Also on the occasion, a month of action for children entitled “Listening to children” will be launched across the country from now to June 1, with a focus on promoting laws and policy as well as actions on ensuring children’s right to participate.

Numerous activities are also planned for the action month such as presenting gifts and scholarships for disadvantaged children as well as inaugurating facilities for children.

Large-scale fields expand in Mekong Delta

The large-scale farming model is expanding in the Mekong Delta with the acreage of large-scale fields increasing more than 37 times over the past three years, it was reported at a conference in Can Tho City on May 27.

At the conference, officials from ministries, localities, sectors, and scientists affirmed that the model helps cut production costs while improving efficiency and product quality by establishing linkage among farmers and making it easier for farmers to connect with the State, scientists and enterprises.

Deputy Head of the Steering Committee for Southwest Region Nguyen Quoc Viet said the model is in line with the policy of restructuring agricultural production and building modern rural areas.

According to Viet, the combined area of large-scale fields in the Mekong Delta was around 7,800 hectares in 2011 but it increased to 290,000 ha in 2014.

General Secretary of the Vietnam Agriculture Association said the model facilitates the application of science and technology in agricultural production and product quality control.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director of the Department of Cultivation Pham Van Du said expanding the large scale farming model will contribute to realising the plan of establishing a 1-million-ha rice commodity production area for export and building the region’s rice brandname.

The Mekong Delta covers a total area of about 40,000 square kilometres with a population of 18 million, and is the largest rice production hub of Vietnam.

It has some 2.3 million ha of land for rice cultivation with two main crops a year, producing between 12- 14 million tonnes each year.

In 2014, Mekong Delta provinces exported 6 million tonnes of rice, raking in 2.8 billion USD. Of the amount, 80 percent was consumed in Asia and Africa, 17 percent in the EU and North America and the remaining in the Middle East and Oceania.

Vietnam appeals to UNFPA for help on population policy

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan asked the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to support Vietnam on sustainable population development and management.

While receiving the Representative of UNFPA, Ritsu Nacken, in Hanoi on May 28, the VFF leader said the research conducted by the UNFPA Office on population and labour in Vietnam is particularly useful for long-term population planning.

He proposed the fund share its experience in the field to help Vietnam outline a strategy for managing the population and investigating the implementation of population policies.

Currently, the two sides work together to analyse international experience and evaluate population development in Vietnam, while also compiling a report on the development of human resources, which will be submitted to the Government in August.

In 2016, UNFPA and the Government of Vietnam will discuss the implementation of healthcare policies for the elderly.

If the declining birth rate in China and Japan is anything to go by, Ritsu Nacken said, Vietnam could lose out a number of development opportunities in the future.

She added that UNFPA was not only concerned over population issues that are related to health but also to the development of human resources in the long run.

UNFPA has been active in Vietnam since 1977. The fund has been working on improving public access to sexual and reproductive health services, supporting the collection and use of high-quality population data, facilitating policy dialogue, and helping the Vietnamese Government in developing, implementing and monitoring evidence-based policies related to sexual and reproductive health, population and development, and gender.

Vocational training key to Ben Tre development

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta Province of Ben Tre is focusing on training skilled workers to meet the enterprises' demand for labour to help social and economic development.

The province has more than 79,000 people of working age, with 35,000 or 44.4 per cent in rural areas.

About 19 vocational training centres receive 9,000 workers annually, and focus on skills such as accounting, working as a tourist guide, electrical repair work and information technology, as well as driving and garment making.

However, workers receiving proper jobs after training account for just 14 per cent.

The shortage of skilled workers is a problem faced by several enterprises.

At a meeting held to find solutions to develop workers' skills on Tuesday, Director of Planning and Investment Department Nguyen Truc Son said vocational training centres lacked close co-ordination with enterprises in training workers. The enterprises should also help students to access modern equipment to improve their skills, because the training centres lack such facilities, he said.

Son added that many graduates could not meet the demand of enterprises due to shortage of skills.

Companies wasted their time and money to re-train their employees again.

It is estimated that at least 8,000 workers will be needed by the end of this year in industrial zones.

Nguyen Van Nuoi, a representative of industrial zones' management board, proposed that vocational training centres should co-operate with companies in training skilled workers to meet the companies' demand.

At the meeting, an official of the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs also said the training should ensure quality, quantity and proper skills, as per the demand of the labour market.

In addition, awareness about activities organised for career training for students and local residents should be increased, an official said.

Deputy Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Tran Ngoc Tam said the Planning and Investment Department should review the list of career training sessions and predict the labour requirement linked to the enterprises' demand.

More healthcare staff quit smoking, survey finds

Only 6.68 per cent of HCM City's healthcare staff smoked cigarettes in 2014, compared to 10 per cent in 2011, according to a survey by the city's Health Department's committee for tobacco harm prevention.

Trần Lam Lan Hương, the committee's deputy director, said the rate was expected to drop to 6 per cent by the end of this year.

Huong spoke on Wednesday at a workshop that reviewed the committee's activities over the last year in HCM City.

Trịnh Văn Hiệp, a medical doctor and member of the committee, told Viet Nam News that many hospitals, health clinics and preventive health centres had urged staff to quit smoking since the passage of the law on tobacco harm prevention in 2013.

He said that patients and relatives at hospitals were also strongly encouraged not to smoke, and told they could be fined for violating the law, which prohibits smoking in public places such as hospitals.

However, Luu Van Hoa, a member of the Mekong Obstetrics Hospital's steering board for tobacco harm prevention, said that it was difficult to impose fines on patients and their relatives who smoke on hospital grounds.

To curb smoking, hospitals in the city have resorted to a variety of measures.

Hoa said his hospital had delayed the salary of one employee who had violated the smoking ban.

Hiep of the city's Health Department said that many people in the country still did not understand the law. More communication campaigns would be carried out nationwide, he said.

Smoking is also prohibited at schools, Hiep said, adding that hotels and restaurants allow smoking only in designated indoor areas.

At least 400 hotels and restaurants in HCM City, most of them in districts 1 and 3, have implemented the smoking regulations, he said.

In a related matter, the city has set up three clinics that offer smokers detoxification counselling and treatment with medicine. The hospitals are Pham Ngoc Thach, Gia Dinh and Hoc Mon.

By the end of this year, two more clinics, at Thu Duc Hospital and Traditional Medicine Institute, will be established to help people give up smoking.

The city's committee on tobacco harm prevention also plans to provide detoxification training for doctors who work at clinics at industrial parks and export processing zones.

At a workshop on the same issue held in Ha Noi on Wednesday, speakers said that detoxification counselling and medical treatment would be carried out initially at Bach Mai Hospital in Ha Noi.

It would then be implemented at the National Lung Hospital, Ha Noi Oncology Hospital and Hue Central Hospital in Thua Thien Hue Province.

Residents in Ha Noi can call a free hotline 18008066 for counselling on how to quit smoking.

Asso. prof Dr Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the Ministry of Health's medical examination and treatment department, said that a survey conducted by the ministry last year showed that more than 47 per cent of men and 1.4 per cent of women in the country were smokers.

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