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Hundreds flee transformer fire in Ba Ria Vung Tau
A fire broke out on September 3 from a transformer station of a 20-storey apartment in Le Loi street, Thang Nhi ward, Vung Tau city in the southern province of Ba Ria Vung Tau, causing power outage for the whole building.
Hundreds of residents fled the Vung Tau Centre Apartment Building in panic through fire escapes. People from neighboring areas said they saw black smoke billowing from the transformer station while the basement and stairways were covered by clouds of smoke.
As soon as the alarm was raised, fire engines and hundreds of fire fighters were mobilized to the scene to extinguish the blaze and prevent explosion risks due to short circuits.
The apartment residents had not been able to return home till 10pm. Vung Tau-Sai Gon Trade Joint Stock Company is the investor of the Vung Tau Centre Apartment Building, which has been put into operation for nearly two years.
Fire destroys Quang Nam scrap warehouse
Relevant forces mobilized 14 fire engines, three tank trucks and hundreds of fire fighters to the scene of a fire at a scrap warehouse in the central province of Quang Nam.
At 9:15pm on the evening of September 2, a huge fire broke out at a 4,000 square metre scrap warehouse owned Tran Van Quy, who resides in Da Nang city. Local residents made great efforts to extinguish the blaze, which rapidly spread to neighbouring areas due to the flammable materials such as wood, paper, plastics and cloth stored inside the warehouse.
As soon as the alarm was raised, the Quang Nam and Da Nang Departments of Fire Prevention and Fighting dispatched 14 fire engines and relevant forces to combat the fire during the night.
Nguyen Xuan Ha, vice chairman of the Dien Ban town People’s Committee said the blaze had been all but completely brought under control on the morning of September 3 but there is a risk of it flaring up again.
No fatalities were reported but the fire completely destroyed the warehouse. The cause of the incident is still under investigation.
VNA to host 44th OANA Executive Board meeting in early 2019
At the 43rd meeting of the OANA Executive Board in Tehran, Iran.
Delegates to the 43rd meeting of the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) Executive Board have agreed on Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s proposal to host the 44th meeting in early 2019 while highly evaluating VNA’s active contributions to the organisation over the past time.
The agreement was reached at the 43rd meeting of the OANA Executive Board which opened in Tehran, Iran, on September 3, where the delegates discussed solutions to enhance the organisation’s operations in the current situation.
On behalf of the Iranian government, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi attended the opening ceremony. The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi, who is also a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee.
In his opening remarks, Managing Director of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) of Iran Zia Hashemi said after 57 years of development, OANA has now become the provider of two-thirds of information in the globe but it has failed to gain influence on the international arena as expected.
OANA needs to restructure and renovate itself by mobilising the capacity of all members in a bid to become a more active organisation, he said.
OANA President Aslan Aslanov, who is General Director of the Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC), suggested holding a conference or a workshop as part of the Executive Board meetings bringing together all member agencies in order to exchange experience.
He also proposed establishing a training academy for professional staff and recommended OANA members to equip themselves with ideas and technological knowledge to cope with new challenges.
Speaking at the meeting, VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi emphasised the importance of sharing information among OANA member agencies as it will help improve connections, narrow the gap of awareness of events and issues, and enhance mutual understanding.
The information of each agency has its own features, creating its values and strength, hence the cooperation and sharing of news will bring a more comprehensive and profound view about the same event or matter, Loi said.
The VNA General Director also highlighted the importance of diversifying communication platforms to increase the spread of news in line with the development of technology as well as changes in the way of accessing information of the public in the digital era.
Loi affirmed that the development of technology and the public’s increasing demand for information have forced each agency and OANA in general to continuously innovate and improve the efficiency so that voices from the Asia-Pacific region could play a decisive role in the global cooperation and development process.
At the meeting, the delegates also agreed upon a number of basic contents of the 17th OANA General Assembly which is scheduled to be held in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, in November 2019.
On the sidelines of the meeting, VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi had working sessions with OANA President Aslan Aslanov, OANA Secretary General Vulgar Seidov, and IRNA Managing Director Zia Hashemi to discuss preparations for the upcoming meeting of the OANA Executive Board in Vietnam.
The VNA General Director also granted an interview to IRNA about relations between Vietnam and Iran as well as between the two news agencies.
Sa Pa welcomes nearly 50,000 visitors during National Day holiday
Sa Pa district in the northwestern province of Lao Cai welcomed 47,000 visitors from August 30 to September 2 during the National Day holiday, 15,000 more than the same period last year.
According to Do Trong Nguyen, head of the Office of Culture and Information of Sa Pa district, of the total, 3,100 were foreigners and 43,900 were Vietnamese.
Nguyen attributed the rise to the ongoing Sa Pa Autumn Festival that runs from September 1 until October 30 with various activities, including a photo exhibition, a street festival and activities to explore the culture of Mong, Tay and Xa Pho ethnic minority groups.
Located 350km northwest of Hanoi, Sa Pa is 1,600m above sea level, with average temperatures of 15-18°C. The town is dominated by the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, which is home to Indochina’s highest mountain of Fansipan at a height of 3,142m above sea level.
Sa Pa has many natural scenic sites such as Ham Rong Mountain, Thac Bac (Silver Waterfall), Cau May (Rattan Bridge), Bamboo Forest and Ta Phin Cave. The hill town is home to six main ethnic minority groups, including Kinh, Hmong, Dao, Tay, Day and Xa Pho with various traditional festivals and unique cultural practices.
Currently, Sa Pa has nearly 500 accommodation facilities with some 6,000 rooms for about 13,000 tourists. Homestays in villages have also become attractive to visitors.
Ha Giang retreat on H'mong King Palace land rights dispute
Authorities in Ha Giang Province have admitted wrongdoings in issuing land use rights for the H'mong King Palace to a local authority department.
Vuong Duy Bao, former deputy head of the Culture Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, had sent a letter to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc to ask for help in returning the palace built by his great grandfather Vuong Chinh Duc who was known as the H'mong King in Ha Giang.
Bao said the family wasn't informed about the fact that the palace was recognised as a national cultural and architectural heritage site in 1993 until officials asked them to move out so that they could turn it into a museum in 2002.
Even though they were apologised to and given the promise that their house would not be used by the public, in 2012, Ha Giang Province People's Committee then granted the land use rights where the palace is situated to Dong Van District's Department of Culture.
"We are still alive and living in this place. It's unacceptable that the land use rights were given to the Dong Van Department of Culture," Bao said. He went on to say that he had never sold or given away the palace to anyone.
On August 23, Vice-chairman of Ha Giang Province People's Committee Tran Duc Quy said they would recall the wrongly-issued certificate, ownership of the palace and other property on the land. "It's wrong to issue the certificate to the Dong Van District's Department of Culture. We'll revoke that decision," he said.
According to Quy, they reviewed state-owned lands in 2012 and issued a certificate of land use rights to a local agency for better management. When Vuong family moved out of the palace in 2002 for renovation, Bao's father was given VND320m (USD13,700) and six other households of the Vuong family living there were given VND30m each to build houses.
However, Quy admitted that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism already agreed not to convert the house for public use. He also denied corruption in this case, citing lack of research and expertise. Quy said the authorities wouldn't give the certificate to Bao yet. "If Bao can prove his legitimate inheritance right then we'll give him the certificate," he said.
Lying some 130 kilometres north of Ha Giang Town, the century-old palace is still the largest construction in the area and a unique special architecture style.
According to a tour guide who is also a woman member of the King's family at the palace, Vuong Chinh Duc (1865 - 1947), known as the king of the H'mong or Meo ethnic minority group in the area, built the palace which cost 150,000 Indochina silver coins equivalent to VND150 billion (USD 6.61 million). Duc earned his fortune from growing and trading opium.
The palace is built from stone, fir wood and terracotta tiling in a combined Chinese, French and H'mong traditional architectural style. Covering a total area of 1,120 square metres, the palace was used as a residence and fortress during the Vuong Dynasty.
Lao Cai border guards maintain sound partnership with Chinese peers
The formation of a “harmonious friendship and twin relationship” between the Border Post of Lao Cai International Border Gate and its Chinese peers in September 25, 2013 marked a milestone in border guard diplomacy along the Vietnam-China shared border.
Colonel Do Ngoc Tuan, Chief Commander of the Lao Cai Border Guard High Command, said that the Border Post of Lao Cai International Border Gate is the only unit that shares twin relations with three Chinese border guard units – namely Hekou Border Police Station, Hekou Border Guard Battalion, and Hekou Border Police Company.
The officer said that following the signing of agreements, the two sides have held regular art, culture, and sport exchange activities to celebrate special events from each country.
The two sides have coordinated closely in controlling entrance and exit activities, as well as in the prevention and combat of cross-border crimes. Each year, Vietnamese and Chinese border guards assisted in freeing and sending home hundreds of trafficked children and women.
The Border Post of Lao Cai International Border Gate and the Hekou Border Police Station have worked together to spread awareness of border and border gate laws and regulations amongst locals living in this area and people crossing the Lao Cai-Hekou international border gate. This has drawn public attention to the consequences of strictly abiding by the law and engaging in criminal prevention; safeguarding State security; and building a shared border of peace, stability, and development.
Colonel Tuan said that since the first quarter of 2016, the two sides have developed their “friendship envoy” model, a title honoring an official of the Border Post of Lao Cai International Border Gate voted by Chinese people and an official of Hekou Border Police Station chosen by Vietnamese people.
The model has helped improve officials’ serving attitude and build the serving culture for officials of both sides, he said.
He added that the two sides have also organised a contest to study three legal documents relating to border control, drawing a large number of border guards and locals from both sides.
Major Nguyen Dinh Quang, Commissar of the Border Post of Lao Cai International Border Gate, said that a campaign to find excellent Party members has been launched by the Vietnamese Border Post and Hekou Border Police Station, contributing to enhancing the quality of services on both sides.
On July 25, the two units also held their second political exchange this year in Hekou, in China’s Yunnan province.
Close friendship and partnership with Chinese counterparts have helped the Lao Cai border guards show strong performance in managing and safeguarding the national sovereignty and building a shared borderline of peace, friendship, stability, cooperation, and common development, Quang added.
SLNA to face Thanh Hóa in National Cup’ semi-finals today
Sông Lam Nghệ An are ready to face Thanh Hóa in the semi-final’s second leg of the National Cup today. — Photo vnbongda.vn
Sông Lam Nghệ An (SLNA) will take on Thanh Hóa in the semi-final’s second leg of the National Cup today.
The game will be held at Vinh Stadium in the central province of Nghệ An.
Earlier, Thanh Hóa lost to SLNA 2-3 in the first leg at, Thanh Hóa Stadium. It will be a tough task for visitors as they must beat SLNA by two goals.
SLNA are in good form as they rank third in the national premier league with 32 points, while Thanh Hóa are in fourth place with 30 points.
SLNA are full of confidence after eight back to back wins in the V.League. After five weeks of rest, SLNA want to continue their undefeated run to reach the final of National Cup.
In the line-up of SLNA, there will two midfielders Phan Văn Đức and Phạm Xuân Mạnh who have competed in the Asian Games (ASIAD) in Indonesia in which Việt Nam came to fourth place for the first time ever.
Đức and Mạnh missed the ceremony to honour the Vietnamese sports delegation for their success at the ASIAD held in Hà Nội on Sunday to return home to prepare for the upcoming game.
“I and Đức want to return home soon to play for SLNA. We will have a thick competition from ASIAD, National Cup and then V.League, however, we are familiar with this move. We are young and ready to play against Thanh Hóa,” said Mạnh.
The other semi-final between Bình Dương and Hà Nội will take place on October 3 at Gò Đậu Stadium in the southern province of Bình Dương.
Dioxin treatment technology to be piloted at Bien Hoa airport
The High Command of Chemistry’s Centre for Environment Treatment Technology and Japan’s Shimizu Corporation held a ceremony in Hanoi on September 4 to announce a memorandum of understanding on the cooperation and plan to pilot dioxin treatment technology at Bien Hoa airport, based in the southern province of Dong Nai.
The activity aims to overcome the consequences of the toxin left over from the war and study technologies to master dioxin treatment.
A representative from Shimizu Corporation introduced soil washing technology for dioxin treatment, a combination between soil washing and burning technology which could reduce waste and bring about higher economic efficiency.
The project will begin in November 2018, while the field soil washing will be carried out from mid-January to April 2019.
The area surrounding Bien Hoa aiport contains high levels of the chemical and is considered one of the country’s dioxin hotspots. According to assessments from Vietnam and the US, some 500,000 cu.m of dioxin-contaminated land in the airport need to be treated, requiring a large amount of capital and technology.
HCM City: Summer volunteer campaigns prove effective
The summer volunteer campaigns launched by the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union’s Ho Chi Minh City chapter have proven effective, Deputy Secretary of the chapter Ngo Minh Hai said at a conference in the city on August 30.
Local youths have actively engaged in voluntary activities in districts on the outskirts of HCM City as well as border localities in the south-eastern, south-western, central and Central Highland regions and Laos.
The local youth union opened training programmes, transferred science-technology, and provided farming techniques for farmers while supporting youngsters in rural areas in doing business, introducing job opportunities for over 9,000 young people, and training social skill practices for 86,000 others.
Young volunteers also got involved in upgrading 50km of rural roads and repairing a dozen of bridges, while contributing to building clean, safe and civilised apartment blocks and bus stations.
They presented gift packages worth 2.4 billion VND (102,729 USD) to more than 14,000 locals and youngsters from difficult backgrounds, repaired and replaced electric equipment for 1,200 poor households, and granted 332 scholarships to needy students.
Particularly, in the Lao provinces of Attapeu and Champasak, 97 volunteers from HCM City provided health check-ups and medicine for 4,500 disadvantaged people.
They also handed over 21 computers to Champasak youth union, 11 computers to Attapeu and Champasak provinces, and three houses to poor Lao youngsters.
Smart city connection – solution to address challenges in Mekong Delta
At the workshop
Connecting smart cities is considered an effective solution to addressing urbanisation and development challenges in the Mekong Delta, experts said at a workshop in Can Tho city on September 4.
The event was held by the UK’s Salford University and the Dragon-Mekong Institute of Can Tho University under the Researcher Links programme of the Newton Fund.
Participants discussed smart city initiatives, including the internet of things (IoT), cyber physical systems and ambient intelligence, meaning electronic environments that respond to the presence of humans.
They suggested setting up links between research institutes and businesses from Vietnam and the UK to improve urban areas.
Professor Hisham Elkadi from Salford University said the key to solving urbanisation problem is developing based on Industry 4.0 and IoT.
Meanwhile, Ngo Ba Hung from Can Tho University presented an overview on smart cities based on Big Data, which means all infrastructure such as roads, electricity and water systems are operated via high technology.
He recommended prioritising ensuring cyber information security via building a computer emergency response team.
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