WHO’s social media campaign promotes smoke-free environment

A three-month social media campaign against smoking was launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam in partnership with key tobacco control partners in Hanoi on September 27.

Themed “#Respect,” the campaign aims to promote a smoke-free environment to protect and improve public health. 

It calls on everyone, smokers and non-smokers, to respect the law on tobacco control and respect their and others’ health by ending indoor smoking at public spaces to prevent exposure to second-hand smoke.

The hashtag #Respect was created to help people spread anti-smoking messages on social networks and the public is encouraged to support the campaign by sharing posts, making supportive comments and creating tobacco-related stories with the hashtag.

The campaign’s launch coincided with the third United Nations High-Level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in New York. “This way, we also aim to highlight how smoking remains one of the leading causes of NCDs, and call for political commitment and public support to address the challenge,” said Dr Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Vietnam.

#Respect is a collaborative campaign among organisations championing tobacco-free initiatives in the country. Joining the WHO are Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (TFK), Community Research and Development Services (CDS), the Development and Policies Research Center (DEPOCEN), Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH), HealthBridge Vietnam, Thuongmai University, Vietnam Public Health Association (VPHA) and Vital Strategies.

"There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke," said Tom Carroll, Senior Advisor, Policy, Advocacy and Communication, Vital Strategies. "Engaging social media users and encouraging non-smokers to speak up will help improve compliance with Vietnam's smoke-free laws, protecting the health of smokers and non-smokers, especially women and children.”

According to the WHO, some 40,000 people in Vietnam die each year from tobacco-related diseases, such as strokes and coronary artery diseases. Thirty percent of all heart disease deaths are caused by smoking.

Almost one in two adult males (45.3 percent) in the country are smokers. In addition, nearly 34.5 million non-smokers are exposed to second-hand smoking at home, at restaurants, hotels and in the workplace. 

Vietnam is among countries in the Western Pacific Region that have ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It obliges countries to take steps to reduce the demand for and supply of tobacco products. This includes protecting people from exposure to tobacco smoke, banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, requiring health warnings on tobacco packaging and increasing tobacco taxes.

In 2013, Vietnam also launched the National Strategy on Tobacco Control through 2020, which aims to reduce the smoking rate among youths and adolescents between 15-24 years old from 26 percent in 2011 to 18 percent in 2020, and among adult males from 47.4 percent in 2011 to 39 percent in 2020.  The Tobacco Control Law took effect in the country the same year, prohibiting smoking in indoor public and workplaces.

Thanks to actions made by the Government and tobacco control partners, the prevalence of indoor second-hand smoke exposure in most places significantly declined from 2010 to 2015, including in the home (73 percent down to 59 percent), workplace (55 percent to 42 percent), and public transportation (34 percent to 19 percent). However, exposure prevalence remained high at restaurants (80 percent). 

More than 10 transport works put into use in nine months

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) put into operation 13 works and projects in the first nine months of this year, including major ones such as Cao Lanh Bridge and Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway.

The information was revealed at a conference in Hanoi on September 28 to review the ministry’s nine-month performance and launch tasks for the last quarter of 2018.

The ministry also completed preparations to kick off 15 other works and projects, said Nguyen Tri Duc, Chief of the MoT Office.

In the coming time, the ministry will focus on carrying out key projects such as the eastern part of the North-South Expressway, the Long Thanh International Airport, the expansion of the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and the North-South High-speed Railway.

In addition, it will remove difficulties for and speed up the electronic toll collection project, he added. 

According to the official, the MoT will continue strengthening the management of project quality and accelerating the progress of projects while striving to complete 19 other projects such as Ba Vi-Viet Tri Bridge, Hoa Lac-Hoa Binh Road, the upgrading of National Road 6’s Xuan Mai-Hoa Binh section, the second phase of Phap Van-Cau Gie Expressway, and Cat Linh-Ha Dong Elevated Railway.

The ministry will speed up disbursement for projects, ensuring the fulfillment of the 2018 disbursement plan. It will urgently complete procedures to soon implement projects using 15 trillion VND (643.7 million USD) from the 2016-2020 mid-term standby capital sources.

Seminar mulls building rapid, sustainable development institutions

A national symposium themed “Rapid and sustainable development institutions: International experience and issues facing Vietnam in the new period” was held in the northern province of Vinh Phuc on September 28. 

Speaking at the event, Prof. Ta Ngoc Tan, Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, said that after three decades of reform, Vietnam has gradually refined economic, political and social development institutions. 

Amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Tan said improving competitiveness and building rapid and sustainable development institutions are imperative to Vietnam in the new period. 

Asso. Prof. Tran Quoc Toan said political institutions play an orienting role and economic institutions a central role, while social institutions direct social harmony.

He added that building and effectively implementing quality institutions require synchronous measures to improve the capacity of entities concerned. 

Participants discussed the structure and role of development institutions, their shortcomings, and foreign countries’ experience in the field. 

Concluding the event, permanent Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, Prof. Phung Huu Phu affirmed that feedback at the event will provide an important reference to refine theory on building rapid and sustainable development institutions. 

He asked researchers to collect suggestions to fine-tune draft documents to submit to the 13th National Party Congress.

The event was co-hosted by the Central Theoretical Council, the provincial People’s Committee, the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, the Prime Minister’s economic consulting group and the National Economics University.

Winners of writing contest on Vietnam – Japan ties honoured

At the event 

The People’s Committee of the south-central province of Khanh Hoa held a ceremony on September 28 to honour winners of a writing contest on the land and peoples of Vietnam and Japan. 

The event aimed to popularise Vietnam – Japan ties on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties (September 21). 

Nine months after the launch of the contest, the organising board received over 9,600 entries and presented prizes to 10 winners. The first prize went to Mai Xuan Tuan from staff office of the Khanh Hoa’s public security force. 

Pham Duy Loc, Director of the provincial Department of Information and Communications, said many entries highlight Vietnam – Japan friendship and solidarity, the feelings about the culture and people of Japan, the importance of maintaining and upholding the Vietnam – Japan relations, lessons and measures to foster bilateral special friendship in the new period. 

Others featured Vietnam – Japan, Japan – Vietnam ties since 1973. 

Khanh Hoa is now home to seven projects invested by Japanese firms with a combined registered capital of over 2.7 billion USD, accounting for nearly 74 percent of the total in the locality. Most of projects focus on hydropower, food processing, seafood and tourism.

Seminar seeks to facilitate citizens’ access to information

A seminar discussing the role of journalists and citizens in the enforcement of the Law on Access to Information took place in Hanoi on September 28. 

The event was co-organised by Oxfam International, CARE International and Forland organisation in Vietnam on the occasion of International Day for Universal Access to Information (September 28) and the official enforcement of the Law on Access to Information (July 1, 2018). 

The seminar aimed to raise public awareness of citizens’ right to get access to information. 

Speaking at the event, Pham Quang Tu, a representative of Oxfam in Vietnam, said via the seminar, more people will learn more about tools to exercise their rights to get access to information in the daily life. 

Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, former Director of the Ministry of Justice’s Department of Criminal – Administrative Law, acknowledged that citizens’ access to information remains limited so that they are unable to fully protect their legitimate rights and interests, as well as offer opinions to build and refine legal regulations. 

Journalist Dang Tam Chanh, head of the Tuoi Tre newspaper’s Socio-Political News Division, suggested that the Ministry of Information and Communications should issue detailed guidelines to monitor the enforcement of the law and supplement regulations on dealing with administrative violations by news providers. 

Participants discussed opportunities and challenges in getting access to information, effective experience in the field, thus creating a transparent business environment and improving national and corporate competitiveness.

Public votes for metro line No 3 train design

More than 80 per cent of respondents surveyed about the proposed train design for the city’s metro line 3 rated the plans highly and over 90 per cent of them said they would love to try the new means of transport when the metro line is officially operational. (Photo courtesy of Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board)

More than 80 percent of respondents surveyed about the proposed train design for the city’s metro line 3 rated the plans highly and over 90 percent of them said they would love to try the new means of transport when the metro line is officially operational.

The details were unveiled by Nguyen Cao Minh, head of the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB), at a press conference in Hanoi on September 28.

“With a large majority of respondents giving high credit to the train design selected, we believe that there will be a strong support from local residents for the metro line No 3 when it is officially put into operation”, Minh said.

The survey was conducted by the MRB from September 5-18 to gather opinions on the exterior and interior design of metro line No 3, which is being developed by the French firm Alstom.

Key factors for the public are punctuality, congestion-free, comfortable seats for elderly and people with disabilities, and a modern interior design as well as a good mix of colours, according to the survey.

More than 1,000 people were randomly selected to participate in face-to-face interviews. Most respondents are those living and working close to the planned eight elevated rail stations of metro line 3, Nhon-Hanoi Station section, including school and college students, office workers and the elderly and equally distributed by gender.

Aside from face-to-face surveys, the MRB also collected ideas from the public via online publications and the social media page of Hanoi metro. Results from these surveys showed that most people surveyed appreciated the design for its aesthetics, dynamism and comfort.

Doan Viet Dung, country director of French firm Alstom, said the colours of the trains are inspired by rice field and dragon fruits – the typical agricultural products of Vietnam.

Each train can carry up to 950 people and emit the lowest amount of carbon dioxide. The low floor makes it easier for passengers to board and get off the trains, especially those carrying hand luggage and people on wheel chairs.

With such social and environmental benefits, the metro line No 3 was expected to attract a lot of passengers, he said, adding that once the design is officially approved by Hanoi People’s Committee, Alstom will start production.

The metro line No 3, connecting Nhon and Hanoi Station, will span 12.5km, running through six districts: Nam Tu Liem, Bac Tu Liem, Cau Giay, Ba Dinh, Dong Da and Hoan Kiem. It consists of 12 stations including eight elevated and four underground.

According to the MRB, the Nhon – Hanoi Station section will be in commercial operation on the elevated 8-km route by early 2021, departing from Nhon and travelling to S8 Station (Cau Giay). The remaining 4.5-km underground section will be put into operation by the end of 2022.

The total investment for the project is nearly 36 trillion VND (1.5 billion USD).

Winners of Vietnam-Russia painting contest honoured

Winners of the contest and the organising board in a group photo (Source: photobaoquocte.vn)

A ceremony was held in Hanoi on September 29 to reward winners of the third international painting competition entitled “I draw Vietnam – I draw Russia”.

The contest received 407 submissions from 359 children of the three age groups – 6 to 8, 9 to 12, and 13 to 16.

After three assessment rounds, three young painters obtained the first prizes. They are Duong Tue Nhi, 6, from the northern province of Vinh Phuc, Pham Anh Vu, 10, from Hanoi, and Tran Minh Trong Nhan, 13, from Ho Chi Minh City.

The organizers also presented five second, six third and 30 consolation prizes to outstanding contestants.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Trinh Quoc Khanh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association (VRFA), said the contest ran in Vietnam and Russia simultaneously.

He noted the Russian edition recorded 270 entries, adding that the winners in Russia will soon be announced and honoured.

Khanh said the paintings reflect Vietnam – Russia relations through different lens. According to him, they introduce the people and land of the two nations and describe the life of Vietnamese and Russian children.

He said the VRFA and relevant units will work to organise more activities to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries’ younger generations.

Sergey Tanakov, Counselor at the Russian Embassy in Vietnam, stressed the special meaning of the contest to bilateral ties.

He said the significant number of submissions showed Vietnamese youths’ love for and interest in their country and Russia. 

Tanakov said the embassy will support the organisation of the contest in coming years and plans to hold more similar activities.

Fire engulfs kiosks in Hanoi

On September 27, a huge fire ripped through a number of kiosks in Lai Xa hamlet, Kim Chung commune, Hoai Duc district in Hanoi.

According to a local witness, the blaze broke out at 7pm, destroying 10 kiosks including restaurants and grocery stores. The fire rapidly engulfed the kiosks that contained a lot of flammable materials, making people flee the area in panic.

Some locals said they heard loud explosions at the time when the inferno broke out.

Relevant units rushed to the scene to tackle the blaze when the fire alarm was raised, said a representative from Hoai Duc district People’s Committee.

Fire fighters, police and 10 fire engines were immediately mobilized to extinguish the fire. The cause of the incident is still under investigation.
Hand, foot, mouth disease rises in HCM City

The number of patients with hand, foot and mouth disease has sharply increased in Ho Chi Minh City.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that since early 2018, over 30,000 cases of hand, foot, mouth disease have been reported in 63 provinces and cities along with 42,600 cases of dengue fever, of which nine patients have died.

In August, 1,010 patients went to hospitals for dengue fever, an increase of 41.46% compared to previous months. 4,511 patients were admitted for hand, foot, mouth disease, doubled the previous month.

According to the Centre for Preventive Medicine in HCM City, there have been 12,282 dengue fever cases and 3,195 hand, foot, mouth disease cases. There are currently no vaccines to protect against both dengue fever and hand, foot, and mouth disease.

Some days, over 200 patients were admitted to the Children's Hospital 1, over 50% have EV71 virus which can cause illness ranging from mild through to serious with life-threatening complications such as respiratory failure and heart failure. Ten patients are on ventilators, five need hemodialysis and one died seven hours after being admitted. EV71 is also the virus that caused hand, foot, mouth outbreak in 2011.

From September 14 to 20, 286 patients were admitted to hospital because of hand, foot, mouth disease, an increase of 47% compared to the same period in the previous month. Dr Nguyen Minh Tien from City Children's Hospital said they received 48 in-patients each day. Two cases have turned for worse and need ventilators. The Children's Hospital 2 is also in the same situation.

A parent from Binh Duong Province said her oldest son had had hand, foot, mouth disease before and was treated quickly. But her 3-year-old daughter was not so lucky. She had a high fever last week and was admitted to Children's Hospital 2. But she had seizures and fell into a coma overnight.

Meanwhile, the northern region is dealing with 1,101 measles cases. 383 confirmed cases are in Hanoi, 168 in Lao Cai and 154 in Thanh Hoa Province. According to the Vietnam National Hospital of Paediatrics, they have received 500 patients, 90% of them are children under five and haven't been vaccinated.

There are also a number of hand, foot, mouth disease cases.

Authorities warn over feeding monkeys on Son Tra Peninsular

A monkey eats cakes given by visitors on Son Tra Peninsular

Many visitors to Son Tra Peninsular in the central city of Danang still feed monkeys despite warnings from authorities.

Lao Dong Newspaper has received a short clip from a reader of monkeys being fed by visitors in Son Tra Nature Reserve, including children. The animals were given cakes and sweets. 

A representative from the local forest management board said initially, people often just see them, and then gradually they feed them, so the monkeys are familiar with this.

“Earlier some monkeys appeared near the place where the place where the clip was filmed. We warned nearby guesthouses and hotels of this to prevent them from entering there and also restrict visitors from feeding them,” he said.

He added that, however, recently another group of monkeys continued coming to the area.

“We are only are responsible for warning visitors of the risks of feeding the monkeys, but many people still try to do this. To date, there are no sanctions for these people,” he noted.

Many people rushed to Son Tra Peninsular to capture photos of red-shanked douc langurs, raising concerns that this would affect their environment.

In 2015, a woman was attacked by a monkey when she was visiting Son Tra Peninsular.

According to experts, more effective measures should be adopted to protect Son Tra Nature Reserve.

Local donates Tibetan bear to rescue centre

Animals Asia on Wednesday saved one Tibetan bear which has been kept for 15 years at a farm in Lao Cai Province.

The Forest Protection Department and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had issued and official document to ask for a rescue of a bear donated by a local family in Lao Cai Province. Animals Asia then quickly completed procedures with Lao Cai Forest Protection Department and the owner to take the bear to Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre.

According to the owner, his family has raised the bear since 2003 when it was still a cub. The cage is clean and the bear can move around. He also visited Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre and saw how the bears were taken care of before donating the bear.

In his letter, he expressed a desire to give the bear to the rescue centre so that it will be able to live in a more suitable environment.

Two bears have been transferred to the Hoang Lien Rescue and Conservation Centre. There are still four bears being kept at private farms. The Animals Asia has been helping Hoang Lien Centre with veterinary expertise and technical assistance since last year.

Last month, the Animals Asia successfully rescued five bears from Tien Giang Province, making it a total 199 rescued bears. According to the Forest Protection Department, nearly 800 bears are still being kept at private farms in Vietnam and only a few hundreds of bears left in the wild.

Vietnam Business Coalition for Women Empowerment launched

The Australian Embassy in Vietnam on Thursday launched the Vietnam Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (VBCWE), a coalition of large employers committed to ensuring gender equality within their businesses and beyond. 

The Coalition was formed with the support of Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian Government.

According to the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Craig Chittick, when more women join the labour market and the working environment is conducive, when women stand equal chances to get appointed to the top jobs, and when businesses close the pay gap between men and women, our economies grow more strongly.

“By promoting gender equality at work, these companies are gaining higher productivity and a better competitive advantage,” he stressed.

VBCWE will lead efforts to create workplaces where women and men have the same opportunities to contribute and advance in their chosen careers. The seven founding members of the VBCWE are Deloitte Vietnam, Maritime Bank, Electricity Vietnam (EVN), SASCO, GARCO 10, Traphaco and Unilever Vietnam. Together, they have an estimated 120,000 Vietnamese employees. The Coalition is chaired by Mdm Ha Thu Thanh, Chair of Deloitte Vietnam, and the Vice Chair is Mdm Ton Nu Thi Ninh.

These companies have committed to: closing the gender pay gap; progressing women into leadership and management positions; progressing female work force participation; investing in family-friendly working conditions; having managers drive gender equality; and being strong advocates of gender equality among peers.

VBCWE is supporting coalition members to achieve EDGE Certification, a global standard to assess businesses’ policies and practices against gender equality benchmarks and help companies take steps to create more equitable and profitable workplaces. 

“By having gender equality in all employment opportunities, companies attract and retain talent. In return, the employees improve productivity and business efficiency. Gender equality policies will help improve image and brand, an important invisible asset of our companies,” said Ha Thu Thanh. “The Vietnam Business Coalition for Women’s Empowerment is using EDGE Certification as a tool to provide a rigorous approach within our companies.” 

Gender equality is a priority for both Australia and Vietnam. The Australian Government is committed to promoting women’s economic empowerment as a significant driver of economic growth and prosperity especially in the South East Asian region. As one of the Australian Government’s initiatives, Investing in Women aims to increase and improve women’s participation in South East Asian economies, particularly in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar. It has been estimated that Vietnam’s economy could grow by an additional 10% (USD40bn) by 2025 with improvements in gender equality.

In addition to working in partnership with businesses, Investing in Women works with impact investors to develop better access to financing for women’s small and medium enterprises. The initiative also collaborates with governments to foster an environment where women have the same opportunities to succeed in the business world as men and works with advocacy partners to tackle harmful social norms, which limit women’s ability to participate in the economy.
Safe Motorbike Riding Campaign launched in HCM City

British Consul-General Ian Gibbons speaks at the launch event. 

The British Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City on September 27 launched a motorbike safety campaign themed “#KnowSafetyNoAccidents.”

The campaign aims to raise awareness of riding motorbikes correctly and how to minimise the risk of serious accidents, and encourage personal responsibility when choosing to ride a motorbike.

It is one of the British Consular Team’s efforts to reduce the number of British citizens involved in accidents. This campaign is also an integral part of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s commitment to minimising risks to British nationals overseas through reducing preventable incidents, said British Consul-General Ian Gibbons. 

According to Tran Huu Minh, Deputy Chief of the Office of the National Traffic Safety Committee, Vietnamese agencies have issued regulations on converting international driving licences for foreigners in Vietnam. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO)’s statistics show that on average one person dies every hour due to road accident in Vietnam. Motorbike accidents are the leading cause of death, severe injury and emergency evacuation of foreigners in Vietnam. 

Road conditions differ significantly from those in the UK, with many drivers failing to adhere to road traffic rules and patchy enforcement of traffic laws leading to the accidents.

After the launch, the Safe Motorbike Riding Campaign will offer an information booth at British Business Group Fun Run events in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on September 30 and November 4 to raise awareness of the campaign.

Trans-Vietnam cycle journey touted among world’s top charity challenges

British newspaper The Telegraph has listed 20 of world's most popular charity challenges, including a bicycle ride from Vietnam's north to south.

The 2,000-km (1,242 miles) ride between the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City through “beaches, temples and rice paddies” would be an unforgettable experience, it said.

The journey from Hanoi heads first for Hue, which has gained fame for “ancient temples and tombs” before stopping at Hoi An, an ancient town lined with “riverside cafés, colonial architecture and a patchwork of rice paddies and sandy beach.”

The cyclists continue by pedaling down to Da Nang and My Son, which is a UNESCO heritage site in the central province of Quang Nam and home to Cham remains, before dropping by Nha Trang’s beaches. 

“The last stop is Ho Chi Minh City where there’s time to reflect on your achievement,” the newspaper said.

The Telegraph list of 20 must-try charity challenges also include a trek up the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, a nine-day trek along the Great Wall of China and a bike ride from London to Paris. 

Readers of leading global travel website TripAdvisor last month ranked Vietnam third in the 10 top adventure destinations around the world.

A global report published last month by the United Nations World Tourism Organization ranked Vietnam’s tourism growth as fourth in the world, with the country's visitor numbers growing at one of the fastest rates in the world.

Vietnam was also chosen “Asia's Leading Destination” at the 2018 World Travel Awards in Hong Kong.