Ca Mau commemorates Storm Linda victims

Many local people cry at the ceremony

The southern-most province of Ca Mau today, November 3, held a ceremony to commemorate victims of Storm Linda which occurred 20 years ago.

The storm killed 778 people, left 2,123 missing and injured 1,232 people. It destroyed 107,892 houses, causing a total loss of VND7.2 trillion (USD327.2 million) for the Mekong delta region, including Ca Mau, Bac Lieu and Soc Trang provinces.  

Vice chairman of Ca Mau Province People’s Committee, Le Van Su, speaks at the ceremony to commemorates Storm Linda victims on November 3

Speaking at the ceremony, vice chairman of Ca Mau Province People’s Committee Le Van Su, said that Storm Linda caused huge losses in Ca Mau Province. Over the two past decades, the province has tried its best to overcome the storm consequences.

Huynh Hoang Tuong, chairman of Khanh Hoi Commune People’s Committee, said that relatives of up to 70 families in the commune were killed by the storm. After Linda, the locality paid more attention to weather forecasting and informing local people.   

Late last month, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc conveyed his deepest sympathies to the victims’ families and other survivors in a letter marking the 20th anniversary of the storm.

He urged greater vigilance and proactiveness in the face of increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters wrought by climate change.

Cao Lãnh to get new pedestrian zone

The Cao Lãnh City People’s Committee in Đồng Tháp Province has approved a plan to create a pedestrian zone for local residents and tourists.

The pedestrian zone will be located on Đặng Văn Bình, Ngô Thì Nhậm and Võ Trường Toản streets in Ward 1, which surrounds Văn Miếu Park.

There will be around 180 stores selling souvenirs, food and traditional goods along the pavements. The zone, which will be a total of 990 metres long, will be open from 6-10pm daily.

A private contractor will pay for the infrastructure and in return will be permitted to operate the 180 stores.

The pedestrian zone is expected to be completed for the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday next year.

Four BOT booths to be inspected

The Việt Nam Road Administration will monitor the turnover of four Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll booths in November. 

The booths to be supervised are Km42+730 toll booth on National Highway No.6’s Xuân Mai-Hòa Bình section, Km1148+1300 toll booth on National Highway No.1 in the north of central Bình Định Province, and T1 and T2 toll booths on Highway 1K in southern Đồng Nai Province. 

The supervision will last 10 days until November 20. It aims to assess real turnover at the toll booths and the toll collection system, especially technology, so that inspectors can make proposals to management agencies to deal with shortcomings and violations to promote transparency in road toll collection. 

The BOT investors and enterprises whose booths will be inspected are responsible for ensuring safety of the booths. At least three leaders and three employees must be present during supervision. 

Earlier, the Việt Nam Road Administration inspected and supervised turnover of toll booths such as Tân Phú booth on Highway 20, new Việt Trì Bridge’s booth and Pháp Vân-Cầu Giẽ booth. 

At some booths, the inspection team found there was a difference in turnover before and during inspection. Pháp Vân-Cầu Giẽ toll booth, in particular, was found to have a difference of nearly VNĐ100 million (US$4,350) per day.

Thanh Hoá to play Bình Dương in round 24 early game

FLC Thanh Hoá are second in the V.League table and their chance to win the first-ever trophy is open.

There are three games until the end of the season and their first task will be beating former champions Becamex Bình Dương in today’s round 24 early game.

Thanh Hoá will have the advantage of playing on home turf at the Thanh Hoá Stadium, where they will receive encouragement from thousands of excited supporters.

The hosts received a reward of VNĐ1 billion (US$45,000) following their 2-0 win over Long An, ending their three match drought, last weekend.

Another reward is promised if they win against Becamex Bình Dương in this match.

Their rivals, three-time winners Bình Dương, have not been in peak form in the two recent seasons. In the last five games, they drew four and lost one. The team are third from the bottom, a safe place to avoid relegation.

National head coach Park Hang-seo will be in the stands to watch the match.

According to statistics, Thanh Hoá won one and drew two of their three recent encounters. In the latest match on January 22, the two teams drew 2-2.

Other matches of the round will be held on the weekend, with all eyes on top team Quảng Nam versus Quảng Ninh Coal, who are in fourth place, and third-placed Hà Nội FC vs HCM City.

ADB loans support green VN cities

The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Board of Directors has approved US$170 million in loans to help the Government of Việt Nam upgrade urban infrastructure and address climate change, benefiting about 116,000 households in Huế, Vĩnh Yên, and Hà Giang cities.

“Urbanisation has had a positive impact on Việt Nam’s growth. But many cities, even as they continue to be the centre of economic activities, lack key urban infrastructure services and remain vulnerable to climate change, particularly flooding,” said Satoshi Ishii, a Principal Urban Development Specialist at ADB. 

“We look forward to working with the provincial People’s Committees of Thừa Thiên-Huế, Vĩnh Phúc, and Hà Giang - administrative authorities of the capital cities of Huế, Vĩnh Yên and Hà Giang - to make sure that their provincial capitals are green and climate-resilient, while enhancing their economic competitiveness.” 

More than 30 million people live in urban centres in Việt Nam, but the impact of urbanisation is uneven across the country. Unlike the capital Hà Nội and other highly developed urban centres, secondary cities - with populations of between 50,000 to 300,000 - such as Huế in central Việt Nam and Vĩnh Yên and Hà Giang in the northern part of the country are lagging behind. For instance, less than 60 per cent of households in secondary cities have access to clean water and only 10 per cent of wastewater is treated properly. 

The Secondary Green Cities Development Project will help make these urban centres become more livable, environmentally friendly, and climate-resilient. Under the project, Vĩnh Yên City will see the construction of a new wastewater treatment system, 66.1km of drainage control being upgraded, the Đầm Vạc lake being dredged, and 44.5ha of new public green space developed. 

In Huế, there will be 21.9km of drainage pipelines upgraded, 15.9km of road surface and drainage rehabilitated, and 17.2ha of green spaces developed, among others. 

Hà Giang City will have 7km of urban drainage upgraded, 5.6 km of river embankments protected, and the urban road network enhanced to divert increasing traffic. 

Apart from the loans, ADB will also administer a total of $14.1 million in technical assistance - with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment - and $6 million in grant investment from the Global Environment Facility and the Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund. The technical assistance will mainstream a green and resilient city development approach across Government agencies through policy advice and capacity building, and replicate the approach in other cities in Việt Nam. 

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. In 2016, ADB assistance totaled $31.7 billion, including $14 billion in cofinancing.

Vietnam attends 19th meeting of communist and workers’ parties

A delegation from the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) led by Vice Chairman of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Tran Dac Loi participated in the 19th International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties held in Russia’s St. Petersburg city on November 2-3.

The event is part of the activities to mark the 100th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution of Russia (November 7, 1917).

In his speech, the Vietnamese official highlighted the significant role of the October Revolution to the mankind in the world as it shaped new international relations of respecting the national self-determination, bringing equality in society, and freeing human being from fascism.

Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov highly valued countries which are actively pursuing the socialist orientation, including Vietnam – a developing nation in the world.

Exhibition reflects Vietnam-Lao ties through lens of the press

Hundreds of magazines, newspapers, books, documentaries, and photos on Vietnam, Laos and their friendship are on display at the National Palace of Culture in Vientiane, Laos.

The exhibition on Vietnam and Laos through the lens of the press opened on November 2 to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Vietnam-Laos diplomatic ties (September 5, 1962) and the 40th year of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty on Amity and Cooperation (July 18, 1977).

The opening ceremony was attended by Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan, head of the Lao Party’s Commission for Propaganda and Training Kikeo Khaykhamphihoune, and Lao Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdala.

Some 474 newspapers and magazines, nearly 90 books and 240 photos on the traditional relations between the two countries and their peoples, nature and economic achievements are exhibited alongside a collection of documentaries about Vietnam.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdala said the exhibition not only shows the development of the press in Vietnam but also reflects the Vietnamese customs and culture.

President reiterates Vietnam’s policy of boosting ties with Japan

President Tran Dai Quang has reiterated the Vietnamese State’s consistent policy of promoting extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia with Japan, considering Japan a trustworthy and long-term partner in diverse areas. 

During a reception in Hanoi on November 2 for Governor of Saitama prefecture Kiyoshi Ueda, President Quang said over the past more than two decades, Japan has always been the largest donor of Vietnam with a total official development assistance amounting to nearly 25-27 billion USD, mostly for infrastructure. 

Japan has been the second largest investor in Vietnam with more than 3,500 valid projects worth upwards 46 billion USD. It is also the sixth largest trade partner with roughly 30 billion USD in two-way trade. 

He suggested providing optimal support for the two countries’ businesses via investment and trade, tourism and labour promotion activities.

Vietnam is improving the business climate to create a level playing field for all firms, he said, adding that the country welcomes Japanese investors, including those from Saitama prefecture, to expand investment in the country. 

The host expressed his wish that apart from infrastructure, Vietnam wants to extend bilateral partnership in fields of Japan’s strength, including high technology, agriculture, industry, and food hygiene to meet requirements of the industrial revolution 4.0. 

Kiyoshi Ueda briefed the Vietnamese President about potentials and strengths of Saitama prefecture in Japanese economy, as well as Saitama’s business operations in Vietnam. 

He said it is his fifth visit to Vietnam since he took office in 2012. The prefecture and the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MoPI) signed a memorandum of understanding to create favourable conditions for Saitama’s firms to do business in Vietnam. 

The Japanese guest said Saitama Office in the MoPI’s Foreign Investment Agency specialises in providing assistance for Japanese enterprises in Vietnam. Among 47 Japanese cities and provinces, Saitama ranks fifth in economic size and gross domestic product and is home to large-scale plants in the fields of industry, technology, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. 

According to him, Saitama’s businesses highly value Vietnam’s business conditions with hard-working workers. 

He wished that the prefecture would receive further support from the MoPI.

At the reception, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Kunio Umeda conveyed a message from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as saying that he is looking forward to meeting President Tran Dai Quang during the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Da Nang city.

UK highly appreciates economic, trade cooperation with Vietnam

Vietnam and the UK boast huge potential for stronger cooperation in technology, energy, infrastructure, construction, goods production and education, said a British trade official.

In an interview granted to London-based Vietnam News Agency correspondent, British Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Edward Vaizey said cooperation with Vietnam, a dynamic economy with impressive growth, will bring in positive results.

As the UK is negotiating to leave the European Union, Vaizey expressed his hope that the UK and Vietnam will reach a free trade agreement (FTA). 

He said that one of his priorities will be to bolster trade with Vietnam and ensure that the British Government sees the significance of a free trade deal with Vietnam, one of the fastest growing economies in Asia.

In regard to the hosting of the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting, Vaizey said it is an important event for Vietnam when leaders from 21 member economies will gather to discuss measures to increase trade among them. 

He stressed that the Asia Pacific is strong enough to reach the Trans-Pacific Partnership despite the US’s withdrawal from the pact, adding that London always supports the removal of trade barriers among economies to bring more choices to consumers and nudge them closer to top-quality products with lower prices.

Vaizey also highlighted the importance of maritime safety so that ships and goods can move smoothly. The UK has a long history of maritime issues and is willing to support the region in fields of its experience, he added.-

Measles infections tend to increase among Hanoi kids

Thirty four children in Hanoi are reported to contract measles in the last two months, including one death and the infectious cases tend to increase in the time ahead, according to the Ministry of Health.

Dr Tran Dac Phu, head of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health said on November 3 that since the beginning of the year, the country has recorded 230 cases of measles infections, down 28% against the same period last year. 

Most of the cases are reported on northern provinces (100), including Hanoi (45), Hai Duong (17) and Nghe An (8). Only one child has been reported death relating to measles so far.

According to the statistics from the Hanoi Department of Preventive Medicine, the number of children infected with measles has increased slightly in Hanoi over the last two months, scattering in 21 districts. Mr Phu said spring and winter is the time for the increase in respiratory diseases including measles. The rate of vaccination over the last 3-4 years reached 97%.

Popular symptoms are high fever, rashes on the body, serious coughing, and conjunctivitis. Doctors have advised that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the disease from affecting children. 

Visitors to Dijon International Gastronomy Fair love Vietnam

The Vietnamese pavilion has captured great attention from visitors to the Dijon International Gastronomy Fair which is being held in Bourgogne, France on November 1-11.

The pavilion features an ancient market with 20 stands introducing traditional handicraft products and tourism promotion programs of Viettravel and Vietnamtours. Guests to the gastronomy area have not only enjoyed special Vietnamese dishes but also watched traditional art performances presented by Vietnamese artists. 

At the opening ceremony, Dijon Mayor Francois Rebsamen highlighted the enthusiasm and effort of the Vietnamese Cultural Centre to join the fair as a honourary guest. He underscored that with diversified culture, Vietnam, as a country of rivers and forest is always a tourist attraction for French people. 

Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Ngoc Son thanked the organizing board for choosing Vietnam as a honourary guest and considered it a confirmation of sound development of bilateral ties since the two countries establised strategic partnership. 

Ambassador Son said France is taking the lead in the number of European visitors to Vietnam. The fair will help boost tourism cooperation and culture exchange between the two countries, he added.

The annual event is one of the six largest fairs in France, luring more than 600 pavilions of exhibitors and thousands of visitors across France and the world.

Crafts from 24 provinces on display

The 2017 CraftViệt Fair featuring craft products from 24 provinces and cities will be held from November 9 to 13 in 489 Hoàng Quốc Việt Street.

The fair, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, will feature 250 booths displaying such products as Chu Đậu ceramics, Bát Tràng ceramics and Đông Hồ painting.

The fair aims to enhance trade promotion, add value to traditional craft products, attract investment to expand production of  craft villages as well as encourage villages to fully tap their tourism potential.

Visitors will be able to witness skilful artisans at work on silver carving, mother of pearl inlay, rattan and bamboo weaving or ceramics making.

This year, CraftViệt also features the Việt Nam Tea Space where tea producers and tea companies from areas such as Thái Nguyên and Sơn La introduce their fine quality tea products. Visitors can sip tea while watching calligraphists at work.

A conference will also be held on developing craft village tourism and the supply-demand of argricultural products.

Upgrade for war-time road to Điện Biên Phủ

The People’s Committee of the northern province of Điện Biên has approved the upgrading of a road to the headquarter of Điện Biên Phủ Campaign in Mường Phăng  Commune.

The project is part of the tourism infrastructure development plan to support the greater Mekong Sub-region of Điện Biên Province. It has a total investment VNĐ70 billion (US$7.48 million) from Asian Development Bank (ADB) loans and other funds from the local budget.

The road has a total length of more than 17km, beginning from Điện Biên Phủ City’s Tà Lèng Commune to the provincial highway of Nà Nhạn-Mường Phăng.

The project includes the upgrading and expansion of road surfaces with asphalt concrete, drainage, the building of a bridge - and traffic safety works.

There will be two rest places with parking plots and souvernir shops.

The project will serve as a link between Điện Biên Phủ City and tourism sites.

The project will promote the war-time Điện Biên Campaign headquarters, helping alleviate poverty.

The project is expected to be completed in 2019.

The headquarters of Điện Biên Phủ Campaign were used by General Võ Nguyên Giáp in his highly successful campaign to eject the French from Việt Nam 60 years ago. 

Young folk artists get boost

About 75 people will take part in a traditional art competition in southern Đồng Nai Province from November 4 to 11.

Titled National Young Cải Lương (Reformed Theatre) and Dân Ca Kịch (Folk Singing) Artist Competition, the event will present extracts from popular stage works by young artists from about 20 professional theatres and troupes throughout the country. Each performance will last about 25 minutes.

The competition will be held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Department of Performing Arts in co-ordination with Việt Nam Theatre Artists Association and Đồng Nai Province.

It aims to give young actors an opportunity to exchange performing experiences and to encourage others. 

It will also allow cultural managers and heads of art units to review the development of arts and artists to create policies to boost Vietnamese traditional art genres. Gold and silver medals will be awarded to the best actors.

The opening ceremony will be held at 8pm on November 4 at Đồng Nai Conference and Event Organisation Centre at No1 Nguyễn Ái Quốc Road. Participants will include young actors from traditional art theatres and troupes, such as Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương Theatre, Huế Folk Singing Theatre and Hà Nội Cải Lương Theatre. 

Playwrights, directors, musicians and choreographers will be honoured at the competition. 

Cải lương originated in the south in the early 20th century. It is a blend of southern Vietnamese folk music and songs and modern spoken drama. It reached its peak around the 1930s and became popular throughout Việt Nam. 

Year-end tourism festival underway in Hanoi

A year-end tourism festival is being held at the Ly Thai To flower park by Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi from November 3 to 5, providing useful tourism information as well as promotions.

With the support and participation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Tourism Administration of Singapore, and the Korea Tourism Organization, the festival is expected to feature 60 booths from businesses in the tourism sector, such as aviation, transport, travel companies, hotels, trade, and services, etc.

The biggest attraction is promotions offering discounts of 40-50 per cent on thousands of tours along with a series of attractive gifts from leading tour operators Regular tours and hotel bookings are also available.

Travel agencies will provide information on attractive tours during the New Year and Lunar New Year holidays. 2017 marked a new step in the outbound segment, with more tours being offered from Hanoi to explore new lands such as Israel, Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt, at prices starting from VND25.5 million ($1,100).

Vietnam is expected to enjoy a compound annual growth rate of 9.5 per cent between 2016 and 2021 for outbound travel to emerging Asia-Pacific destinations, according to the “Future of Outbound Travel in Asia Pacific 2016 to 2021” report from MasterCard. The Vietnam Tourism Association has said that 6.5 million Vietnamese people traveled abroad last year, an increase of 15 per cent over 2015, and they spent $7-8 billion. Thailand, China, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore were the most popular choices. Tours to Europe, the US, and the Middle East have also been launched, and the number of tourists has increased.

A wide variety of entertainment activities will be organized at the festival. They include studying the geography, customs, and cultures through games, food tastings, dressing in traditional costumes, and playing folk games from Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and elsewhere.

The annual festival is a good opportunity for tourism agencies to directly introduce their tours, services, and products with promotional programs to potential customers and offer great deals to those who love to travel and discover new places.

“HeForShe” campaign launched in HCM City

Many Vietnamese celebrities participated in the “HeForShe” campaign promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in Ho Chi Minh City on November 1-2.

The movement is part of the "Action Month on Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence against Women and Girls", launched by the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City in 2017.

The event is co-organized by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, and Sunrise Vietnam.

Attending in the movement were the 3rd runner-up of Miss International 2015, Thuy Van; actresses An Nguy, Alex Nguyen, Lan Huong Glee; singers Ricker Nguyen, Hoang Ton, Doan Tuan Anh; VJ Dustin Nguyen; models Thanh Truc Truong, Duong Mac Anh Quan; designer Lam Gia Khang; scriptwriter Tran Khanh Hoang and journalists.

HeForShe is a solidarity movement developed by UN Women Women to engage men and boys as advocates and agents of change for the achievement of gender equality. Launched in September 2014, the campaign has been held in many countries with the participation of UN women's goodwill ambassadors, world renowned actresses Nicole Kidman, Emma Watson và Anne Hathaway.

More parking lots near airports, ports should be built: PC67 head

Head of the road and railway traffic police division (PC67) lieutenant colonel Huynh Trung Phong yesterday said at a meeting that it is urgent to build a parking lot near Tan Son Nhat Airport to reduce traffic gridlock in the airport for long-term use.

A meeting about solutions for ten traffic complex areas was held by PC67.

According to the Traffic Safety Committee in the city, since the beginning of the year, more traffic congestion and accidents have taken place.

Worse, pavement encroachment is more complicated. In the third quarter, 214 traffic accidents have been reported in the city killing 196 people and injuring 51 others.

In addition, in the first nine months, more seven “black spots” of traffic accidents have been reported, bringing total spots up to 18.

Lieutenant colonel Phong said that there are remaining 10 congestion spots in the city especially serious traffic congestion on roads leading to Vietnam’s busiest airdrome Tan Son Nhat in Tan Binh District and Cat Lai Port in district 2.

It is forecast that traffic snarls in the two areas will continue occuring from now to the end of the year because demand for travel will increase.

Policeman Phong said that the roads leading to the airdrome is often congested because people pour to Truong Son Street which is connected to Pham Van Dong Street to come back their houses in Tan Binh, Go Vap and Binh Thanh districts.

Traffic is slow moving inside the airport also leading to congestion in streets Truong Son, Truong Chinh, Cong Hoa, Pham Van Dong, Hoang Minh Giam, Hoang Van Thu streets especially gridlocks occurring in Truong Chinh and Cong Hong street in noon.

Therefore, Mr. Phong said that from now to the end of the year, policemen will work around the clock to control traffic and handle violations focusing on working parking of cars adding that police officers in Tan Binh District have to work all time in Truong Son street to provide timely handling.

Moreover, the airport traffic controllers should be held accountable for traffic congestion inside which leads to traffic problem outside.

Similarly, PC67 head asked Cat Lai Port managers not to let traffic snarls inside and to build more parking lots so that lines of vehicles will not obstruct traffic outside.

He suggested the Department of Transport to make special lane for trucks at container terminals because these trucks merge with other vehicles leading to severe congestions especially in rush hours.

Vehicles banned to travel in HCMC’s metropolitan on November 4

To ensure traffic order in the celebrations of Russian Days in Ho Chi Minh City, the municipal Department of Transport has banned all vehicles to travel in Dong Khoi Street in district 1 from 6pm to 10 pm on November 4. 

Drivers can travel in certain routes instead; for instance, the first route is Dong Khoi- Ly Tu Trong – Hai Ba Trung - Dong Du (or Mac Thi Buoi )- Dong Khoi.

Drivers should take heed to traffic signs in roads or as per traffic policemen’s guidance.

HCMC in severe shortage of interpreters

There has been a critical shortage of qualified interpreters and translators with adequate skills once foreign investors  have poured more capital into Vietnam.

At a forum on Why it is difficult to find qualified interpreters and translators yesterday in HCMC , recruiters said the demand of skilled translators and interpreters  is becoming stronger than ever because the city needs over 1,000  interpreters and translators. 

Despitemany schools providing translation and interpreting training, the workforce shortage of the industry is serious.

Recruiting companies explained for increase in recruitment lately that the Southeast Asian country had signed as many as bilateral agreements  with their foreign partners.

Additionally, morvestment projects have poured into the country resulting in a surge of qualified translators and interpreters. Moreover, local enterprises which want to expand their investment and export to foreign countries are in need of employing these people.

Deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City Center of Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labor Market Information (FALMI), Mr. Tran Anh Tuan said that salary of interpreters and translators is very high at VND10-15 million per month; even the rate for high-ranking conferences is paid in up to hundred dollar an hour yet finding a skilled ones to meet enterprises' demand for different fields is not easy. It is more difficult to look for an qualified interpreter for business negotiations and talks.

Head of Human Resource Department of Manpower Group Vietnam Ms. Vo Thi Bich Thuy said that while many companies wanted to recruit good interpreters and translators through her company; especially textile and garment corps which have demand for hundreds of interpreters and translators in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Manpower just satisfied half of demands even it recruited these people who worked in foreign countries as laborers. 

Letalone, restaurants, hotels and cosmetics companies are also in need of special employees.

Conference participants pointed out the cause of shortage is schools have few quota for training and do not catch the market demand.

Art performance marks Russia's October Revolution in Hanoi

An art performance titled “Ten days that shook the world” marking 100th anniversary of the Russian October Revolution (1817-1917) will be broadcast live on VTV1 channel at 8.10 p.m. on November 4.

The event will present to audience reports on historical events of the Russian October Revolution, the Russian communist revolutionary and politician Vladimir Lenin, the 900-day long siege of Leningrad during World War 2. These documentaries were shot in Russia.

Visitors will also have a chance to enjoy music performance featuring Russian popular songs, such as Moscow nights, Victory's Day and more.

In related news, the Russian Cultural Week celebrating 100 years of Russia's October Revolution is also held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 30-November 5. The event aims to bring Vietnamese audience and the Russian community in the city an exciting moment in music with a realistic look on the Russian culture and people

Visitors will have a chance to learn more about musical instruments, photography and tools of the Vietnamese – Russian cultures and enjoy Russian cuisine at a buffet dinner.

Vietnam is highlight of international tourism and gastronomy fair in France

Vietnam’s area is the highlight of the 87th International Tourism and Gastronomy Expo, which is taking place in Dijon city, France (DIJON CONGREXPO) from November 1-12.

Vietnam is attending the expo as a guest of honour to introduce the land, people, culture and gastronomy of the country to French and international friends.

Mayor of Dijon François Rebsamen said that Vietnam’s area will certainly be an attractive and interesting destination at this year’s fair for visitors who love the country.

Vietnamese enterprises are introducing agricultural products, handicrafts, garment and textile products, food, and tourist destinations at over 20 pavilions.

Notably, visitors are provided with information, as well as publications, on famous destinations, types of tourism, the typical products and travel projects in Vietnam at a booth chaired by the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France.

In addition, 16 Vietnamese artists will give six performances of traditional art forms (around 15-20 minutes each) per day during the fair.

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Ngoc Son emphasised that through events, such as the DIJON CONGREXPO, Vietnam can attract more French and international friends, as well as investors, in the time ahead.

DIJON CONGREXPO is one of the six largest international fairs in France and has been held annually since 1921. Each year, the event attracts around 200,000 visitors and 600 enterprises and units from 80 countries around the world.

Health experts share experiences on cancer control

More than 300 local and international health experts shared scientific research and experience on cancer diagnosis and treatment at an international conference on cancer control that began in Hà Nội today.

“Cancer is a burden all over the world, especially in low and middle income countries. In Việt Nam, there is an increasing burden of cancer across the country, drawing attention from the whole society,” Deputy Minister of Health Lê Quang Cường said at the event.

“However, with the strong leadership of national leaders and international support, Việt Nam has made several achievements in cancer control.” Cường added.

“For example, we have seen an increase of 5-10 per cent in cancer patients diagnosed in early stages, along with decreased cancer mortality rate of several cancers such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, oral cancer and colorectal cancer. Community awareness on cancer prevention and early detection and quality of cancer treatmet have also improved.”

At the conference, participants focused their discussions on proposing the direction and strategy of cancer control, as well as conducting comprehensive training and sharing opportunities in cancer control.

They said the forum was an opportunity for local and international experts to discuss the current situation and consolidate the objectives of cancer control, targeting the direction and strategy in Việt Nam.

A cooperation agreement on cancer research and treatment was signed between the Việt Nam National Cancer Institute, the Korean National Cancer Center Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, the Institute of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, and the Hà Nội Medical University at the conference.

According to GLOBOCAN - a project of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) provides estimates of cancer, at national level, for 184 countries of the world every year, Việt Nam reports more than 126,000 new cancer cases and some 94,000 cancer deaths. Most patients visit hospital for cancer examination and treatment when they are already in an advanced stage, which is very late and costly in terms of treatment.

At the national level, the Prime Minister has approved the national strategy on cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and COPD, as well as asthma and other non communicable diseases, during the 2015-25 period, with strong investment in local community and primary healthcare.

Việt Nam has set targets of improving adult awareness on cancer consequences and prevention to 70 per cent, reducing adult smoking by 30 per cent and heavy drinking by 10 per cent, improving early cancer detection to 40 per cent and decreasing cancer deaths below the age of 70 by 20 per cent, compared with 2015.