Five million yen cash returned to scrap buyer

Scrap buyer Huynh Thi Anh Hong was on June 2 recognized as the official owner of more than five million yen (US$42,073) she found in a scrap loudspeaker she had bought more than a year ago, according to local media.

She bought the loudspeaker for some VND100,000 (some US$4.6) and found such a huge amount of Japanese currency hidden in a box inside the old loudspeaker on March 21 last year. She handed the cash to the police immediately after strangers surrounded their rented home in Tan Binh District, claiming they were owners of the money or asking for a share.

A week later, some people showed up at the police claiming they were owners but failed to show convincing evidence . However, the police told Hong in late April that she could not take the money back since a woman named Pham Thi Ngot had claimed just a few days earlier that the money belonged to her husband Afolayan Caleb.

However, the police of Tan Binh District dismissed Ngot’s claim after they had found that her South African husband had falsified documents when he lived and worked in HCMC from 2010 to 2013, according to Tuoi Tre newspaper.

Under the current regulations, the 38-year-old scrap buyer, born in the central province of Quang Ngai, could own the cash if no one claimed it by April 28, a year after the police issued a notice to find the owner of the money.

The finder is entitled to keep money classified as “ownerless.”

Hong said she had deposited the money at a bank in HCMC’s Phu Nhuan District and would use part of the money for charity.

Prime Minister formalises VTC-VOV merger

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has signed a decision to officially merge television broadcaster VTC with national radio broadcaster the Voice of Vietnam (VOV).

Under the decision, VTC’s staff, assets and financial obligations will be handed over as is from the Ministry of Information and Communications to VOV, which is tasked with ensuring the continuous and effective operation of VTC.

The merger of VTC and VOV is expected to enable the two broadcasting agencies to join forces for better development.

Following the merger, VTC will be responsible for running the National Assembly Television Channel, which has been on air since January 6 and is currently run by VOV.

VTC was formed in 2004 as part of the Vietnam Multimedia Corporation and was the first provider of digital television service. It was split in 2014 to become an agency under the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Illegal sand mining continues to damage environment

Many localities in Vietnam continue to be blighted by illegal sand mining, which is damaging the environment and affecting local residents, with authorities seemily powerless to stop them.

Illegal mines have been ravaging Da Den Lake at Chau Pha Commune, Thanh Thanh District since 2001. Heavy machinery is now being used, with mining operations running throughout the night.

Tran Dinh On, chairman of Chau Pha Commune, said that local authorities set up an inspection taskforce which fined violators and confiscated their equipment, but the problem continues.

Ngoc Thuy Commune on the Red River in Hanoi’s Long Bien District is a hot spot of illegal operations.

Local residents have reported illegal sand mining to their authorities, but little has changed.

Dong Nai and Binh Duong provincial authorities have also been unable to control sand over-exploitation on the Dong Nai River.

Illegal operations can make VND10m a night.

Along the Ma River in the northern mountainous province of Son La's Song Ma District, sand is transported away by open trucks, leaving sand clouds that affect local residents.

The problem has worsened in recent years despite efforts by local authorities.

Many other rivers across the country, including Thu Bon River in Quang Nam Province, Lo River in Phu Tho Province and Thi Vai  are in the same situation.

Good, needy students in northwestern mountains honored

In response to the Action Month for Children and the International Children’s Day, the Youth Communist Union, the National Fund for Vietnamese Children and the People’s Committee in the mountainous northern province of Yen Bai held a ceremony to honor good children in Yen Bai Town.

These children in some mountainous districts in the North have gained good result in studying though their families are poor.

900 children from low-income families in the Northern provinces of Yen Bai, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Hoa Binh, Son La, Lao Cai and Yen Bai attended the honoring ceremony. On this occasion, they have chance to take a trip to historical and cultural monuments in Yen Bai.

At the ceremony, representative from the Fund for Vietnamese Children gave 200 scholarships each worth VND1 million (US$46) and presented of AIA Insurance Company to children in specially disadvantaged families but have good results in studying from 6 northwestern provinces.

With the government’s care, thousands of children are supported; however, of 26 million children under 16 year old, 1.5 million which are from disadvantaged families need more attention of the government and the community.

A part of a project area on Ha Noi's Dong Da Lake was being misused, Vice-Chairman of Dong Da District People's Committee Nguyen Hoang Giap said.

The land had reportedly been allotted for upgrading an entertainment section in the area.

Giap said at the monthly press conference yesterday that the project investor, Ha Thuy Investment and Development Joint Stocks Company, should set things right and cease violating regulations by the end of this month.

"The district authority will impose strict punishment if the company does not follow its commitment on the speed of completion and content of the project," Giap said.

The entertainment centre was built on an islet on Dong Da Lake in 1999.

The municipal People's Committee had approved a project in 2009 for improving and upgrading the centre to meet the leisure demands of local residents, as the centre was in a bad condition.

Ha Thuy Company was allowed to develop facilities such as a swimming pool, playground, walking trails and public toilets.

The company completed some of the work, including the construction of a two-storey building and a swimming pool.

However, the building was being used as a restaurant, while part of the swimming pool was being used for aquaculture and the area meant to be a sports ground was being used to set up nine wooden booths.

Vice-Chairman Giap said the district People's Committee has asked O Cho Dua Ward People's Committee and relevant agencies to complete the documents relating to the company's violations.

It was proposed to fine the company up to VND 200 million (US$9,100).

The local residents had complained for years about the presence of the restaurant on the islet on Dong Da Lake, as it occupied almost the whole islet, reducing the area meant for public relaxation.

HCM City head urges transport project progress

The HCM City leadership has ordered the speedup of three major transport infrastructure projects that have been delayed.

Le Hoang Quan, chairman of the city People's Committee, was speaking with the project managers while visiting the construction sites of the metro line No 1 between Ben Thanh Market in District 1 and Suoi Tien Tourist Park in District 9, Ha Noi Highway expansion and the Tan Son Nhat – Binh Loi Road or the outer beltway over the weekend.

Saying the delays in those major works had affected HCM City's transportation and socio-economic development, he told them to make sure the works were completed on schedule.

He approved a request by the Management Authority of Urban Railways (MAUR) to bring the Tan Cang (Binh Thanh District) – Suoi Tien portion of the metro line into operation ahead of its 2020 deadline.

The widening of a 15km section of the Ha Noi Highway from Sai Gon Bridge to Dong Nai Bridge is scheduled for completion in mid-2016, and the outer beltway by April 30 next year.

Bui Xuan Cuong, the head of MAUR, told Quan that work on the 19.1km metro line No 1 linking Ben Thanh Market with Suoi Tien Tourist Park had been hindered because the tender for the construction of the underground section from Ben Thanh Market to the HCM City Opera House had been delayed due to changes in the Construction Law.

Changes to the locations of the ventilator and underground commercial centre had also delayed work by five months while MAUR had to get permission to move 18 trees on Ton Duc Thang Street (in District 1) to build a road to the construction site, he said.

Work was underway elsewhere and the 17km Tan Cang to Suoi Tien section could be completed by the end of 2018 – almost two years ahead of schedule — he said.

According to the contractor for the Ha Noi Highway expansion, though work on the 15.7km section had begun in April 2010, only 47 per cent had been completed.

An executive said moving out households affected by the project in Districts 2 and 9 and Binh Duong Province had been a major challenge.

The outer beltway work also faces site clearance issues, and only 91 per cent of the work has been completed so far though it began in 2008 and was scheduled for completion in 2012.

The HCM City Department of Transport has said difficulties include the relocation of underground works beneath the construction sites such as sewer systems.

Quan also ordered the department to reorganise traffic so that metro line No 1, on completion, could operate efficiently right from the outset.

Hospital saves child's life after he consumes chemical

The General Hospital in the southern Binh Phuoc Province saved the life of a child after he consumed a chemical from a bottle.

Ten-year-old Tran Minh Hoang mistook the chemical, which is used to enhance the growth of rubber trees, for water and drank it.

He was hospitalised on Monday with the symptoms of vomiting, pale face and serious digestive trouble.

After making their diagnosis, doctors took emergency action to save the child. He was reported to be out of danger after several hours.

A family member of the boy said the child had followed his father, who was spraying chemicals on rubber trees in Dong Phu's District's Tan Lap Commune.

Hoang was very thirsty and drank the chemical from a bottle, while his father was at work and did not see him.

The doctors said Hoang was in stable condition and still in hospital for further treatment to avoid complications.

Smuggled cigarettes a serious health hazard

Vietnamese consumers must become more aware of the health dangers of illicit tobacco products, including smuggled cigarettes, experts urged at a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City on May 2.

Organised in response to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) World No Tobacco Day 2015 on May 31, the seminar was held by Suc Khoe & Doi Song (Health & Life) newspaper in collaboration with the Vietnam Gender Medicine Association.

WHO recently launched a "Preventing Illegal Tobacco" campaign to call on countries to eliminate illegal cigarettes.

Mai Ba Tien Dung, deputy chairman of Vietnam Gender Medicine Association, said there had been an alarming increase in the number of illegal cigarettes in Vietnam.

Many of the smuggled cigarettes contain coumarin, a fragrant organic chemical which can be addictive.

Coumarin is a toxic substance that has harmful effects on the nervous system, heart, blood vessels, liver and animals. It can also cause cancerous tumors, especially those related to male reproductive health.

The Vietnam Ministry of Health, as well as the US Food and Drug Administration, have banned the use of coumarin in cigarettes.

According to a survey conducted by the Vietnam Tobacco Association, more than 850 million packs of cigarettes are imported illegally into Viet Nam, of which JET & HERO brands account for 85 per cent.

Nguyen Dinh Truong, head of the Vietnam Tobacco Economic Technical Institute, said the concentration of toxic substances, especially coumarin in smuggled cigarettes such as JET and HERO brands, was too high, causing serious danger to consumer health.

Smuggled JET and HERO cigarettes do not have legal stamps, and do not print health warnings with pictures. They also do not specify expiry dates or the place, date or year of manufacture.

Truong Van Ba, deputy head of National Steering Committee 389, said cigarette smuggling was a challenging problem to manage.

It had threatened the country's politics and social security, he said.

Each year, smuggled tobacco creates a loss of, on average, about VND6,500 billion (US$309 million) to the State budget.

Smuggled tobacco also causes a loss of 18,000 tonnes of raw material output per year, and unemployment for more than 5 million labourers.

Requiem for Vietnamese martyrs held in Ukraine

A requiem for Vietnamese martyrs who dedicated their lives to the fight for island sovereignty and territorial integrity took place in Truc Lam pagoda in Kharkov city, Ukraine on May 31, in conjunction with the Buddha’s 2259th birth anniversary.

Vu Huy Duong, General Secretary of Vietnamese Association in Ukraine , delivered a speech recalling the brave sacrifices of soldiers in their struggle against foreign aggressors in the northern border area and Co Lin, Gac Ma and Len Dao islands in 1988.

Earlier, Buddhists and Vietnamese nationals in Ukrainian cities offered incense to the deceased.

Ukrainian guests also voiced their condemnation of China ’s current violation of Vietnamese sovereignty in the East Sea.

The requiem saw the attendance of Buddhist followers from the Vietnamese community in Kharkov, Kiev, Odessa and Cherkasi cities.

The Director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies of Ukraine, Tatiana Zaiats was also present.

Tay Ninh: Infrastructure funding yields socio-economic progress

Funding for infrastructure development in the southwest province of Tay Ninh has proved effective, evidenced by substantial socio-economic improvements.

The Tay Ninh People’s Committee said since 2006, nearly 1.55 trillion VND (68.55 million USD) sourced from State and local budgets has been spent on developing infrastructure in 20 communes bordering Cambodia.

Of the sum, over 600 billion VND (27.42 million USD) was spent on building more than 900 kilometres of roads, and around 200 billion VND (9.14 million USD) was allocated for facilities within economic zones at Moc Bai and Xa Mat border gates and auxiliary border gates.

The province funded school constructions and repairs with 313 billion VND (14.3 million USD) while another 56 billion VND (2.56 million USD) was earmarked for upgrading and equipping clinics with technical equipment, the committee said.

It added electricity systems, border markets, water supply and irrigation stations and cultural centres in recent years.

Provincial authorities said thanks to infrastructure development and favourable conditions for cross-border business activities, local socio-economic situation has progressed.

The gross domestic product of the 20 border communes has increased by an average of 11.8 percent annually since 2006 while agro-forestry-fishery production value has expanded by 6.4 percent each year and the service industry has enjoyed an annual 9.5 percent pace.

Per capita income in these localities has exceeded 2,000 USD, helping reduce the rate of impoverished and near-poor households to 4 percent by late 2014, the provincial People’s Committee noted.

However, it admitted funding for the border communes has met just over 50 percent of real demand due to limited local budgets, adding that roads serving border trading activities in Tan Bien, Tan Chau, Ben Cau, Chau Thanh, and Trang Bang districts have decayed and need repairs as soon as possible.

At a recent working session with the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Economic Affairs, Chairwoman of the People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy asked for finances for upgrading a 240-kilometre border belt road and building an expanded section of the National Road 14C traversing Chau Thanh border district to boost trade activities and defence-security cooperation in border areas.

Nghe An responds to sea and island week 2015

A meeting was held at Quynh Phuong beach in the central province of Nghe An on June 3 in response to Vietnam’s Sea And Islands Week 2015 (June 1-8), World Environment Day (June 5), and World Ocean Day (June 8).

Addressing the event, Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dinh Viet Hong called on individuals and organisations to raise awareness of protecting the environment and natural resources as well as sea and island sovereignty.

A campaign to clean the beach was also launched with the participation of thousands of volunteers.

Sea and Islands Week 2015, themed “Blue Ocean, Green Planet”, aims to raise community awareness on the strategic role of seas and islands in safeguarding the nation and its development.

It is also expected to promote the strength of the nation to stimulate positive action and contribute to successfully realising economic development plans and the protection of sovereignty over seas and islands.

Care and treatment for children with HIV-AIDS

The Ministry of Health and the Fund for people living with HIV-AIDS visited and presented gifts to affected at the Social-Labour-Education No.2 in Hanoi’s Ba Vi district on June 2.

The centre is currently caring for 77 orphans infected with HIV/AIDS.

According to Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long , there are about 4,000 children nationwide having HIV/AIDS.

He said the Ministry pledges to provide treatment with live-saving antiretroviral drug (ARV) for all the affected children.

The deputy minister has also called on local government agencies to develop social policies and services that ensure the rights of children with HIV-AIDS and to reduce stigma and social discrimination against them.

Extended MoU opens up opportunity for Vietnamese workers

The first 37 Vietnamese workers entered the Republic of Korea (RoK) on June 2 thanks to an extension of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Vietnam and the RoK on April 10 this year.

Of the labourers, 19 people came to the RoK for the first time after passing the Korean language examination in December 2011. The other 18 returned to the country for employment at RoK’s enterprises.

Under the MoU on supplying and receiving Vietnamese workers to the RoK under the Employment Permit System (EPS), 5,400 Vietnamese labourers are eligible to register for jobs in the RoK and a maximum of 2,900 will be chosen to work in the manufacturing and construction sectors in the host country.

The agreement covers workers who have not been chosen by RoK employers in the past, despite passing Korean language examinations by March 2014. It also supports the reconsideration of workers who returned to their homeland within the allotted time and passed language examinations after December 2011.

The MoU presents jobs opportunities in the RoK for new Vietnamese employees as well as workers with concluding labour contracts, especially in the context of the RoK’s initiatives to reduce illegal residence in the country.

According to the RoK Ministry of Employment and Labour, about 10,000 foreigners will be allowed to return to the country for employment, nearly doubling the 5,600 figure in 2014.

Binh Dinh to develop waste water treatment facility

Authorities of the central province of Binh Dinh hope to improve environmental sanitation and facilitate production and businesses operating in the locality through building concentrated waste water treatment plants in local industrial parks (IPs).

According to the management board, the locality is home to nine IPs, six of which have concentrated waste water treatment plants.

In order to meet the increasing demand of waste water treatment in the Phu Tai and Long Minh IPs, local authorities invested over 33.1 billion VND (1.52 million USD) in building a modern treatment plant with a capacity of 2,000 cubic metres per day for the two IPs.

Currently, as many as 110 enterprises operating the parks have their waste water treatment systems connected to the plant.

A similar facility with a first-phase capacity of 500 cubic metres per day was also constructed in the Nhon Hoa IP with a total investment of over 12.4 billion VND. It became operational in July 2014 with 25 out of 26 enterprises in the park connecting to the plant.

In the Nhon Hoi IP, the first phase’s construction of a 2,000 cubic metre-capacity waste water treatment plant has been completed, expected to attract investors in the park.

Land clearance work for waste water treatment projects is also being conducted in the Cat Trinh and Hoa Hoi IPs.

The facilities not only create favourable conditions for enterprises to effectively and sustainably operate in the locality, but also bring better sanitary conditions to locals.

Vietnam promotes tourism in Argentina

A conference on promoting Vietnamese tourism in Argentina was convened by the Argentina Tourism Association (Armat) and the Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina on June 2.

Representatives from travel companies showed interest in launching new tourism products to Vietnam.

The event provided opportunities to connect enterprises working in tourism and hospitality in a bid to boost the number of Argentinean tourists to the Southeast Asian nation.

Representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina briefed on the main features of the country’s history, diversified culture, abundant cultural heritage and tourism potential.

During the event, a film on Vietnam’s people and its economic development in recent years was screened.

Vietnam has thrived to become an attractive destination for Argentinean holiday-makers. In 2014, 10,000 Argentinean tourists arrived to the country, and in the first five months of 2015, Vietnam welcomed over 5,000 tourists from the Latin American state, up 20 percent compared to the same period last year.-

Health Ministry enhance treatment of diseases in hot season

As the country has been under the grip of a heat wave the Ministry of Health yesterday sent an urgent dispatch to its departments and hospitals, asking to increase personnels to ensure for treating people in the hot weather.

The Ministry ordered its city and provincial departments of health to increase information to raise awareness of people and employers how to protect themselves from effects of heat including sunstroke, dehydration, stroke, food poisoning, high temperature and convulsion.

Hospitals must arrange enough chairs and fans in airy spaces and provide free drinking water for patients. Hospital managers have to enhance personnels and improve treatment procedures to decrease waiting time for patients.

The Ministry also urged hospitals and medical workers to improve their behaviors and try to avoid the case in which two patients lie on one bed. More fans should be installed in patients' rooms.

Medical workers are asked to be ready for providing treatment to those who are struck by heat. At the same time, hospitals must focus on prevention measures against diseases including dengue fever, hand-foot-mouth, encephalitis and other infectious diseases.

Free publications help Lai Chau with poverty reduction

Hundreds of ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau have risen out of poverty through access to farming innovations and incentives unveiled in newspapers and magazines distributed free of charge.

The provision of daily and monthly publications to the ethnic, mountainous and especially disadvantaged areas is pursuant to a Prime Ministerial order.

Giang A Sinh - a Mong native from Then Pa village, Ta Leng commune - shared his success story of receiving a government preferential loan which he decided to invest in raising fish, pigs and goats and currently earns over 100 million VND (4,580 USD) per year.

He learnt about the preferential loan policy and farming model all from newspapers.

Even officials and Party members have offered useful production expertise to share with residents.

Chairman of the People’s Committee of Pa Vay Su commune, Phong Tho border district Hang A Tua said Vietnam News Agency’s daily Tin Tuc (News) and bilingual editions of the Pictorial Dan toc va Mien nui (Ethnic and Mountainous Regions) have been popular with readers, introducing them to effective farming models and accurate country contexts.

Ma Cang Dinh, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Nung Nang commune, Tam Duong district, said more illustrative images should be printed in these editions, making it easier for locals to engage with the publications given the persistently high rates of illiteracy in impoverished and border areas.

Last year, over 1.5 million issues of 24 different papers reached nearly every local commune, according to the provincial Committee for Ethnic Affairs.

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