Overseas Vietnamese to parade on National Day

Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Van Pha had a meeting with overseas Vietnamese delegation yesterday who returned their home land to celebrate upcoming National Day (September 2).

The delegation includes 30 Vietnamese expatriates from 10 countries who represented for approximately 4, 5 million Vietnamese people living and working throughout the world.

Despite of living and working abroad, Vietnamese expatriates always keep close watch toward the country's development as well as contribute to the country's economic development and integration, Deputy Chairman stressed at the meeting.

The expatriates expressed their desire that Vietnamese Communist Party, State and relevant agencies will continue creating best conditions for young overseas Vietnamese to work in their home land.

Deputy Chairman said: “Pursuant to Resolution no 36/NQ-TW, overseas Vietnamese play an important role in linking Vietnam and the other countries as well as strengthening friendly cooperative relations between Vietnam and the countries worldwide. The Party, State and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee have always created favorable condition to support Vietnamese communities abroad in the previous times”.

During the 7 day visit, overseas Vietnamese delegation will join in events such as visiting President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Presidential Palace, offering flowers and burning incense to late General Vo Nguyen Giap and late President Ho Chi Minh at the K9 historical site, a parade to mark 70 years of August Revolution and National Day.

Moreover, the delegation will visit historical sites and famous landscapes of Vietnam such as the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi, Tran Temple in Nam Dinh province and Friendship border gate in Lang Son and others.

Hanoi closes 40 streets for National Day parade

Vehicles were not allowed to enter 40 streets in downtown Hanoi on August 29, from 4 p.m. to midnight, as the areas are reserved for the National Day parade's final rehearsal.

The city's police department has announced that similar closure will also take place from 9 p.m. on September 1-2 noon next week when Vietnam celebrates the 70th anniversary of the historic day, September 2.

Most of the affected streets are in Ba Dinh District, where the main venue Ba Dinh Square is located.

They include Hung Vuong, Chua Mot Cot, Ba Huyen Thanh Quan, Hoang Hoa Tham, Hoang Dieu, Kim Ma and Tran Phu.

The rest are in Hoan Kiem District, including Trang Thi and Trang Tien Streets, and some in Tay Ho District.

Nguyen Chi Thanh Street in Dong Da District will also be closed to vehicles, police said.

Around 35,000 people will participate in the parade.

HCMC to need 23,000 workers in September

Ho Chi Minh City will need around 23,000 new workers in September according to the Center for Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labor Market Information (FALMI) after surveying 1,650 enterprises in the city.

Demand will be in textiles and footwear, real estate, architecture and construction engineering, transport and warehousing, marketing and sales, and food processing.

Deputy General Director of FALMI, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, said that Ho Chi Minh City is need of unskilled, basically-skilled, vocationally-skilled, and graduate staff, which represent 28, 25, 20, 27 per cent of demand, respectively. There will also be a wide range of part-time jobs for 5,000 workers in entertainment, tourism and restaurants.

According to the City People’s Committee, in August 193,083 people found jobs, an increase of 1,665 people year-on-year. There are 79,490 new workplaces, 7,020 more than in August last year.

During August the city provided welfare to 61,769 unemployed people, a decline of 9,830 against the same period last year.

The demand in September is said to be down to the improving business conditions of enterprises.

Mekong Delta region needs more over 8,000 medical workers

Can Tho Medicine University in Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has opened more faculties to train medical workers, aiming to meet increasing demand for the region.

Since then, the rate of medical workers increased from 4.26 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants and 0.22 pharmacists per 10,000 inhabitants in 2008 to 6.17 doctors and 1.13 pharmacists per 10,000 inhabitants in 2014.

To ensure the target of 9 doctors and 2 pharmacists per 10,000 inhabitants, Can Tho Medicine University should train further 5,800 doctors and 2,400 pharmacists by 2020.

In 2015, the Ministry of Education and Training approved a proposal by the Southwestern region Steering Committee and Can Tho Medicine University to receive 150 students into faculties of tuberculosis, leprosy, mental diseases, forensic medicine and surgery.

Dengue infection cases on upward trend

The country has recorded around 20,000 dengue fever cases in the first 8 months, said the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health on August 26.

As the infection cases are on upward trend compared to last year, the Department reported that the disease killed 12 people. However, it decreased by 33.7 percent and mortality rate dropped by 50.6 percent if compared to the average infection cases from 2010 to 2014, said Dr. Tran Dac Phu, head of the Department of Preventive Medicine.

Currently, the number of infected people has increased in some districts in the North and Central Vietnam including Ho Chi Minh City, the southern provinces of  Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Soc Trang because of long lasting rain. In the capital city of Vietnam, 820 dengue fever cases have been reported so far.

The Department leader said that there have been various dengue fever viruses circulating in Vietnam; hence, people can re-contract the disease and they can be worse in the second illness.

According to the World Health Organization, around 100 nations and territories across the world having dengue fever with around 2.3 -3 billion people on risk of contracting the disease because they live in the region to have dengue transmitting mosquitoes.

Annually, approximately 50 – 100 million people contract dengue fever in the globe and the mortality is 2.5 percent. In the Southeast Asian nation, the disease usually happens in the South and it is periodical disease in the North. The disease will have more infection cases from July to November.

Patients enjoy health insurance even on holidays, days off from Sep 1

One of the most important content of the circular set by two ministries of Health and Finance is that patients will enjoy medical insurance on holidays and days off, the Ministry of Health announced on August 24.

The circular takes effect on September 1, 2015.

The circular says that any medical facilities provide examination and treatment on holidays and days-off to meet increasing demand, their patients will enjoy health insurrance if they announce to social insurrance agencies. Besides, medical facilities must ensure enough personnel and publicize the fee that patients must pay because it is not covered by insurance.

Children in North Vietnam have pertussis in hot weather

Though the weather in the North Vietnam is scotching, hospitals in Hanoi received many children suffering whooping-cough and pneumonia.

Medical experts said that the peak season of the disease falls on winter when the weather is cold. The complicated development of pertussis caused concern amongst parents.

The Central Children Hospital in Hanoi said that since the beginning of August, many children having whooping cough were taken to the hospital. In two past weeks, the hospital had admited 10 children having whooping cough each week.

The figure increased double compared to previous time. From the beginning of 2015, the hospital has treated around 300 whooping cough children, increasing two times compared to the same period last year.

Meantime, the number of children with whooping cough in the Central Tropical Disease’s Pediatric Faculty also increased dramatically. The hospital received 9 children in a week.

According to medical workers, the disease develops amongst children who have not been vaccinated yet.

Although doctors often required parents to  take their children to hospitals for vaccination as scheduled to prevent the fatal disease.

Worse, whooping cough is mistakenly diagnosed with other disease; hence parents should not buy medicine willingly but should take children to hospitals for treatment.

Da Nang holds tsunami response drill

A tsunami response drill was organized on August 27 in Da Nang, focusing on medical relief.

Under the theme “Island health,” the drill was jointly hosted by the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Health, the People’s Committee of Da Nang, and the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM).

The event is within the Pacific Partnership 2015 Mission (PP15) which took place in Da Nang from August 17-28.  

The event drew the attendance of U.S. Ambassador in Viet Nam Ted Osius and Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien.

According to the scenario, at 3 p.m., an earthquake happened offshore of Da Nang. Local authorities would be informed about heavy waves submerging fishing vessels and destroying buildings in the coastal areas.

The tsunami caused massive deaths and injuries. Relief forces immediately appeared to provide first aid and establish field hospitals.

A large number of ambulances, small vessels, helicopters would be mobilized to evacuate victims to hospitals in the city or U.S. hospital ship USNS MERCY.  Patients would be given medical treatment.  

Da Nang in particular and coastal provinces and cities in Viet Nam in general frequently suffer from natural disasters. Hence, emergency relief and natural response play an important role, contributing to minimizing heavy losses of lives and properties.

The drill is expected to support Viet Nam in assessing the initial scene, mapping out response plans, and receiving experience in medical treatment for victims and scarce resource allocations.

“UK in my eyes” contest comes back

A “UK in my eyes” contest will come back in its third edition with Vietnamese people of all ages encouraged to join to share their memories about the UK’s culture, landscapes and people.

The program is organized by British Council in Vietnam, the Vietnamese Students’ Association in the U.K. (SVUK), Vietpro and VnExpress.

Vietnamese people working and living in the country or overseas, students and travelers should share their emotions and thinking, and unforgettable moments in the UK via essays or images.

A judging panel consists of journalist Le Quoc Vinh, CEO of Le Media, and Mai Lan Van, chairwoman of SVUK.

Since the contest’s second edition in 2013, British Council has launched a website at http://ukinmyeyes.vn where over 200 essays and video clips by local students can be found, and where young people can browse for scholarships and explore school life in Britain.

According to Cherry Gough, country director of British Council in Vietnam, “UK in my eyes” is not only a contest but a connection of many generations of Vietnamese people who have had chances to live, study, work and share the same love for the UK.

The Facebook page of the UK in my eyes has 70,000 members.

This October, British Council will also host the UK Education Day 2015 featuring over 70 universities and colleges in Hanoi, Danang and HCMC.

Further information about the contest can be found at http://vnexpress.net/tin-tuc/the-gioi/nuoc-anh-trong-mat-toi.

Ho Chi Minh City acts to protect the environment

As many as 300 trees have been planted in the Can Gio mangrove forest in Ho Chi Minh City as part of a programme to protect the environment of the city and the vicinity.

The “Action for a Green Planet” programme, launched on August 29, is jointly implemented by the Youth Social Work Centre in Ho Chi Minh City , and the ATZ Healthy Life Company.

It aims to plant additional 50,000 trees across the city and nearby provinces by 2020.

A number of other activities will be organised, including the “parks without garbage” campaign launched in the downtown parks, and communication drives to raise public awareness of environment protection.

The programme is expected to contribute to a healthy living environment for local residents, thus improving the adaptation to climate change, said the organisation board.

It will also help protect the environment, forest, and species in reserves, especially in the current fast industrialisation and modernisation, it added.

Strict management required for industrial explosives use

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong emphasised the importance of stricter management over industrial explosives as the product has the potential to negatively affect the country’s security, defence, social order and safety.

Speaking at the ministry’s conference on August 28 to review the management of industrial explosives and explosive precursors from 2009-2015, Vuong said that industrial explosives are a special commodity and hold an important role in economic development as an essential material in mining and construction.

According to Cao Anh Dung, Deputy Head of the ministry’s Industrial Safety Techniques and Environmental Agency, all activities relating to industrial explosives from production, maintenance, transportation and usage to import and export must be licensed by authorised state agencies and are subject to strict safety regulations.

In the next five years, the ministry will continue improving legal documents with a focus on adjusting technical regulations in line with international practices.

It will also expand communications to raise awareness among those involved to avoid losses and misuse.

According to the ministry, Vietnam now has eight manufacturers of industrial explosives and explosive precursors with a total capacity of 130,000 tonnes a year.

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