Quang Ninh: Management board of undersea tunnel through Ha Long Bay set up

Design model of the undersea tunnel 

A management board of the undersea tunnel at the gateway of the world heritage site of Ha Long Bay has been set up under a decision announced by the People’s Committee of northeastern Quang Ninh province on May 31.

Vu Van Khanh, Director of the provincial Department of Transport, was appointed as head of the board.

The 1.3km-long undersea tunnel project in Ha Long city is estimated to cost 7.875 trillion VND (346.5 million USD).

It will start on Ha Long Street, at the intersection that leads into Sun World Ha Long Park (Bai Chay Ward), and end at the intersection on Le Thanh Tong Street (Hong Gai Ward) – two streets considered as “main axes” on the two sides of the Cua Luc Bay.

The tunnel is expected to help connect transport of coastal roads in Ha Long city. 

This year, Quang Ninh will carry out two key transport projects, namely Van Don – Mong Cai Highway and Ha Long – Cam Pha coastal road.

The 80.2km-long Van Don – Mong Cai Highway with four lanes for vehicles will be carried out under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) form with a total investment of nearly 11.2 trillion VND (492.58 million USD). Fees will be collected for 20 years on the highway.

Meanwhile, the 27 km-long coastal road linking Ha Long - Cam Pha will be implemented under the build-transfer (BT) form, with a total investment of 5.6 trillion VND (246.4 million USD).

Construction of the Vingroup-invested project will begin by the end of June. Once completed, the road is expected to help ease traffic on National Highway 18A section running through Cam Pha city, while forming a modern and comprehensive transport network connecting urban areas in the province.

Together with other local transport projects, including the Hai Phong – Ha Long, Ha Long – Van Don highways, upgrades to National Highway 18, and Van Don international airport, the aforesaid key projects are hoped to improve the province’s transport infrastructure system, thus contributing to local socio-economic development and promoting local tourism and border- and marine-economic potential.

In the meantime, the province is focusing on improving its tourism infrastructure, targeting to welcome 12 million visitors, including 5 million foreigners, this year.

It has invested in building and upgrading many roads to shorten the travel time of tourists to Quang Ninh.

In late April, the final segments of the Bach Dang bridge connecting the northern port city of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh were joined.

The bridge, once operational, is expected to help shorten the distance from Hanoi to Quang Ninh from 175 kilometres to 125 kilometres as well as cut travelling time between the two localities by half.

Quang Ninh is endowed with natural advantages for sea and island tourism. 

The province has a coastline of more than 250 kilometres and some 2,000 islets, two-thirds of the total in Vietnam. The spectacular stretch of coast connects the UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay with majestic natural scenery, Bai Tu Long Bay, Van Don and Co To islands and Tra Co beach with Cat Ba National Park in the northern port city of Hai Phong.

In 2017, a total of 9.87 million tourists visited the province, including 4.28 million foreigners. More than 70 percent of the tourists came via sea and island tours. 

In the first five months of the year, the province served more than 7 million visitors, including 2.5 million foreigners. It expects to welcome 12 million holidaymakers by the end of this year, 5 million of them are foreigners. 

Third Evangelical divinity school to offer higher education in theology

Participants in the event presenting the decision approving the provision of higher education in theology by Alliance Evangelical Divinity School under the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (Southern Vietnam) 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has given approval for the Alliance Evangelical Divinity School under the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (Southern Vietnam) to provide higher education in theology.

The Government Committee for Religious Affairs handed over a decision to this effect to the school in Ho Chi Minh City on June 1.

The decision stipulates that the school’s executive board has the responsibility to provide master’s courses in theology in accordance with the approved plan and admission regulations and comply with related laws and Charter of the church.

The decision vividly shows the support of the Party and State for the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (Southern Vietnam) and the Alliance Evangelical Divinity School, said Vu Chien Thang, Chairman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs.

It demonstrates the recognition for the executive board and trainees to develop a prestigious school, Thang said. 

Pastor Thai Phuoc Truong, head of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam, said the PM’s acceptance for the school to offer master’s courses in theology marks an important milestone in its history. It will help improve the training quality and provide the trainees with both general and higher education in theology, he noted.

The Alliance Evangelical Divinity School is the third among a total of 50 religious training institutions across the country allowed to offer the course of this kind.

Portal on World Technopolis Association events launched

At a press conference to launch the website of the 11th World Technopolis Association (WTA) General Assembly

The southern province of Binh Duong has launched a portal providing official information on 11th World Technopolis Association (WTA) General Assembly & Hi-tech Fair and the 2018 Global Innovation Forum.

The launching ceremony was held by the provincial Department of Information and Communications on June 1 on the occasion of the 20th founding anniversary of the WTA.

The international event aims to share experience in developing sustainable urban areas and managing scientific cities in the world, according to Director of the department Lai Xuan Thanh.

The WTA will announce new ideas to help Binh Duong develop smart cities, he added.

The information at the portal http://binhduong.wtanet.org is available in Vietnamese and English.

Particularly, individuals, organisations and reporters are able to register online to attend relevant events.

Readers could study the establishment and development of Binh Duong province and WTA via the portal.

At the launching ceremony, the Department of Information and Communications announced the decision of the provincial People’s Committee on the formation of an editing department for the portal.

As planned, the 11th meeting of the WTA General Assembly will take place at the Binh Duong Convention & Exhibition Centre from October 10-12 this year.-

Favourable environment sought for social organisations

Solutions and policy recommendations were sought to facilitate the development of social organisations in Vietnam and strengthen their relations with State agencies.

At a programme held by the Research Centre for Management and Sustainable Development (MSD) in Hanoi on May 31, MSD head Nguyen Ngoc Lam said that the programme aims to improve the capacity of social organisations and promote a favourable environment for them to exercise their role.

Dr. Bui Hai Thiem from the Institute for Legislative Studies under the National Assembly Office underscored the role of social organizations in discovering problems in implementing policies, posing pressures in terms of accountability and transparency for the Government.

Thiem noted that in many countries, social organisations take important part in alerting problems in society, creating direct economic activities, gathering and managing intellectual resources, and piloting new development models in small scale.

Nguyen Thi Bach Diep, Vice Director of the Comprehensive Growth Programme said that the relationship between the State and non-profitable organisations (NPOs) affects sustainable financial growth of the organisations.

However, she held that the legal framework has yet to be favourable to support NPOs’ expansion. Meanwhile, budget allocation for social organisations has been shrinking in both value and scale, she added.

Participants at the event shared their knowledge and analysis of the environment for operation of social organisations, aiming to make influences on the maintenance of full financial resources to ensure financial responsibility and resources for their operation as well as profit serving their growth.

They also gave policy recommendations for the creation of an optimal environment for social organisations and foster their partnership with State agencies.

Presumption of innocence in criminal proceedings highlighted

At the seminar (Source: kiemsat.vn)

Ensuring the principle of presumption of innocence in criminal proceedings was the topic of a seminar co-hosted by the Supreme People’s Procuracy of Vietnam, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Embassies of Canada, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland (G4) in Hanoi on May 31. 

The event introduced approaches to ensure respect for the principle of the presumption of innocence in criminal proceedings and shared good practices and experiences on how to ensure; fairness in criminal proceedings.

It also provided a forum for practitioners (including police, defence lawyers, procurators, and judges) and scholars to discuss how to implement the new provisions of the 2015 Criminal Procedure Code of  Vietnam and follow due process in the judicial process.

Speaking at the seminar, Tran Cong Phan, Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy of Vietnam, said the Criminal Procedure Code has the duties to ensure that all offences shall be correctly discovered and fairly, promptly handled; to hinder and prevent crime; to avoid omission of crime, not let innocent person suffers from miscarriage of justice; and to make a contribution to uphold of justice, protection of human rights, citizen rights. 

"Principle of presumption of innocence is institutionalised from regulations of the 2013 Constitution. It is an important principle for respecting and protecting human rights, citizen rights in criminal proceedings,” he said.

“The G4 is proud to support Vietnam’s efforts toward ensuring that due process and the presumption of innocence under Vietnam’s 2015 Criminal Procedure Code are better understood by legal practitioners.  These principles are fundamental to justice and the development of a prosperous society” said Ping Kitnikone, Ambassador of Canada to Vietnam, Chair of G4. 

In his opening remarks, Kamal Malhotra, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam, noted: “While the presumption of innocence is a simple principle to understand, its legal and practical application has faced challenges. The new Code of Criminal Procedure will contribute in some ways to improving the application of presumption of innocence”. 

The four embassies are long-standing political, economic and development partners of Vietnam. The principle of presumption of innocence is stated in Vietnam’s 2013 Constitution and in the 2015 Criminal Procedure Code.

Adjustments suggested to draft decree on forest law enforcement

At the workshop 

A consultative workshop on the draft Decree detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Forestry took place in the northern province of Quang Ninh on May 31.

The event was jointly organsied by the Vietnam Administration of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

According to Nguyen Van Bong, the provincial Department of Forest Protection, the criteria for forest identification in Article 4 of the draft Decree should be re-examined. 

Participates said if trees on the hill and those in the mangrove forests are required to 5metres high and 1m above, respectively, many areas in the country will basically no longer be forest.

As stipulated in the draft, there will be very few forest trees with a height of over 1m. Thus, many forest areas and special-use forests (SUF) such as mangrove and coastal forests will not be identified as forest anymore, they stressed, adding that it is necessary to re-consider this technical criteria. 

Nguyen Quang Vinh, director of the Department of Forest Protection of Lao Cai province stressed the need to clarify the role of the management boards of special-use forests for buffer zones, especially those near the core forest zones. 

It should be stipulated that investment projects must be approved by the SUF management board because there are projects that affect the core forest area, he said. 

Consultant Pham Xuan Phuong said that Article 36 of the draft Decree related to forest allocation and lease is unclear.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development need to be responsible for allocating forest and land, while the Department of Natural Resources and Environment shall assess and supervise the work, Phuong added. 

Participants also suggested clarifying the concept of "first forest allocation" and reviewing the allocation of natural forests to households and individuals as they are forest destroyers.

Pham Van Dien, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, said comments given at the event are very exact. 

The drafting board will collect opinions to serve the drafting of not only the Decree but also another decrees and circulars for the Law on Forestry, Dien stressed.

Tobacco causes socio-economic burden: Minister

Smoking at public place 

Smoking has created an economic burden to not only smokers and their families but also society, said Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien at a meeting held in response to the World No Tobacco Day in Hanoi on May 31.

Minister Tien highlighted that non-communicable diseases contribute to 73 percent of all deaths nationwide and smoking is one of the major causes.

“Tobacco smoke costs Vietnamese smokers 31 trillion VND (1.36 billion USD) per year,” she said.

Meanwhile, treatment for five major diseases - lung cancer, gastrointestinal-respiratory cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart attack, and stroke, caused by smoking, are estimated at 24 trillion VND (1.05 billion USD), she noted.

“Prevention of smoking is challenging as tobacco is an addictive product and giving up smoking is difficult if the smokers are not determined.”

In Vietnam, more than 47 percent of Vietnamese men smoke and as many as 30 million people are regularly exposed to smoking every day, reported Head of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Luong Ngoc Khue.

According to Dr. Kidong Park, World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Vietnam, Vietnam is among the top 15 countries offering the lowest prices for tobacco. One pack of cigarette ranges between 6,000 VND and 20,000 VND. 

The low prices of tobacco products result from the country’s low tax levied on tobacco. The tax per retail price in Vietnam is over 35 percent, compared to the world average of 56 percent and the WHO’s recommendation of 70 percent. 

He recommended that Vietnam should apply the special consumption tax of 2,000 VND to 5,000 VND on a pack of cigarettes as part of efforts to reduce the smoking rate among Vietnamese men from 47 percent to 39 percent by 2020.

The same day, a workshop was held on the occasion of the World No Tobacco Day by the Ministry of Health and Bach Mai Hospital.

Forty five percent of the under-five children having medical checkups at the hospital were exposed to smoking and 93 percent of the pregnant were second-hand smokers, according to a study conducted by Bach Mai hospital. 

Experts said that smoking makes it harder for women to get pregnant. Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have a miscarriage as well.

According to the latest report from the Ministry of Health, all 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam have developed non-smoking areas, while 1,200 training courses on non-smoking have been held.

Smoking bans were instituted at 1,200 schools nationwide, and 51,000 labourers have given up smoking.

Scholarships for Vietnamese students with excellent start-up ideas

At the ceremony reviewing the programme "Accompanying Vietnamese start-up youths"

The Vietnam Youth Federation and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee have granted scholarships to three Vietnamese students with excellent start-up ideas to join the “Smart Cities” course in Israel.

The scholarships were presented at a ceremony reviewing the programme “Accompanying Vietnamese start-up youths” in Hanoi on May 31.

Permanent Deputy Chairwoman of the federation’s Central Committee Nguyen Thi Thu Van said the programme aims to promote the start-up ecosystem and innovations in Vietnam through the provision of scholarships for outstanding students.

Hoang Hau Phuong Dong (born in 1995), one of the three winners, had the idea of helping low-income people to enjoy vacations with their beloved people through the hire-purchase system with travel companies.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Quynh Nga (born in 1995) had an idea of building a training centre for workers in different sectors to improve quality of human resources.

Hoang Tam Anh (born in 1996) presented a project supporting people with disabilities and those from difficult backgrounds in connecting with businesses.

The course in Israel equips students with ideas to start a business and apply information technology in developing smart cities.

It will take place at Tel Aviv University in Israel from July 25 to August 28 this year.

The scholarships, worth 130 million VND each, cover tuition fees, air tickets, and visa fees, living and traveling costs within three weeks.

Nearly 4,000 youngsters registered to join the course, with 100 start-up ideas on smart city development and hi-tech agriculture.

Programme 135 pays off in northern mountainous provinces

A ditch is built with assistance from Programme 135 in Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province

The implementation of Programme 135 under the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction has considerably contributed to socio-economic development of northern mountainous provinces over the last two years.

The assessment was made by participants in a workshop held in Lao Cai city of Lao Cai province on June 1. The event was an occasion for 19 northern mountainous provinces to share their experience in the implementation of the programme.

Data revealed at the workshop show that by the end of 2017, the rate of poor households in the region dropped to 13.12 percent, down 5.36 percent from 2015. The provinces with the fastest poverty decline are Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai and Ha Giang.

In Hoa Binh, people’s active engagement is one of the key factors to ensure the effective implementation of the programme, an official of the province said, noting that grassroots authorities have been instructed to step up disseminating the State’s policies and call for people’s joint efforts in the programme.

Meanwhile, Lao Cai province has worked to ensure democracy in the work by boosting people’s participation in the planning, preparation, implementation, supervision and examination of projects under Programme 135.

Quang Ninh province was said to have used policies and resources in an appropriate manner to enhance the effectiveness of assistance provided by this programme. In the 2016-2020 period, seven communes of Quang Ninh have escaped from the particularly disadvantaged situation and exited from Programme 135. 

Meanwhile, five and 12 communes have registered to accomplish the programme in 2018 and 2019, respectively, so the province is expected to have no communes benefiting the programme in 2019, a Quang Ninh official reported.

Launched in 1999, the Government’s Programme 135 aims to boost socio-economic development in particularly disadvantaged communes in ethnic minority-inhabited and mountainous areas.

In 2017-2020 period, the programme covers 2,139 extremely disadvantaged and border communes in 46 provinces nationwide.