The Nhon Trach water supply plant's first phase, which funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in the southern province of Dong Nai has proved effective, contributing to improving local living conditions and benefiting production activities of enterprises, a local official has said.

Speaking at a working session with representatives from JICA on February 13 to review the efficiency of the project, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Van Vinh said the project became operational from 2014 with a maximum capacity of 100,000 cu.m of water per day.

It was constructed at a total investment of over 2 trillion VND (88 million USD), including 7.6 billion JPY (over 66.9 million USD) in official development assistance (ODA) from the Japanese Government. 

Dong Nai currently has a population of three million and 31 industrial parks, which creates a huge demand for water, Vinh said, adding that the locality is forecast to need about 1 million cu.m/day of water for daily use of locals and for production and business activities by 2020. 

However, water supply systems in Dong Nai have met only about 400,000cu.m/day, he noted. 

Kenichi Inazawa, a JICA expert, stressed the importance to assess the efficiency of the project in bringing benefits to local people, as well as its contribution to the locality’s socio-economic development and the business community, and its impact on the environment. 

JICA continued to provide Dong Nai with 14.9 billion JPY (131 million USD) in loan to carry out the second phase of the project.

The second phase is expected to complete in 2021. Once completed, the plant's capacity will be increased from 100,000 cu.m to 200,000 cu.m per day.

Da Nang’s training programmes satisfy regional quality standards

The University of Science and Technology under the University of Da Nang received the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) certifications for its two training programmes on February 13.

The certified are the advanced programme in electronic and communication engineering and the advanced programme in embedded systems, which were respectively opened here in 2006 and 2008.

They met 18 standards of training quality, earning the highest scores among the 65 programmes that have undergone AUN-QA examination in Vietnam.

By having its programmes tested under AUN-QA standards, the university, based in the central city of Da Nang, wants to renew its commitment to ensuring training quality.

Speaking at the granting ceremony, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Bui Van Ga highly valued the university’s achievements, stressing that personnel training is critical to national development. 

Quality verification is compulsory for all universities to standardise their training and research activities. It is also important to publicising their training quality so that those who want to pursue higher education can choose a suitable university for them, he added.

The Da Nang University of Science and Technology plans to register for AUN-QA verification of seven other training programmes in 2018.

OVs in New Zealand meet in lunar New Year

The Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand has organised a meeting in the early days of the lunar New Year for overseas Vietnamese (OVs) in Auckland, New Zealand, where two-thirds of 6,000 Vietnamese in New Zealand live.

Ambassador to New Zealand Nguyen Viet Dung extended best wishes to the expats and wished the Vietnamese community in New Zealand in general and in Auckland in particular to continue unity and assist each other in preserving national culture, language and identity.

He also hoped the community would make more contributions to the homeland and play the bridging role to promote friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and New Zealand.

The Ambassador briefed the community on Vietnam’s economic, political and social achievements and spotlight in the diplomatic relationship between Vietnam and New Zealand, highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh’s visit to the country that helped promote friendship and cooperation between the two countries, especially in trade.

The two countries set out the goal of bringing the two-way trade to 1.7 billion USD by 2020.

Con Son-Kiep Bac Festival: Ritual prays for peace

A heaven and earth sacrifice ritual was held on February 13 at Ngu Nhac Mountain in Con Son – Kiep Bac special national relic site in the northern province of Hai Duong.
The activity, which is part of the Con Son – Kiep Bac Spring Festival 2017, takes place annually on the 17th day of the first lunar month with the aim to pray for peace, prosperity and development.

After the ceremony, local authorities presented five types of cereals including corn, rice, bean, peanuts and millet to participants.

Ngu Nhac Mountain, located in Le Loi commune, Chi Linh district, consists of five sacred peaks stretching over 4 km. Five shrines were built on top of the peaks, namely Bac Nhac (North), Trung Nhac (Middle), Dong Nhac (East), Tay Nhac (West) and Nam Nhac (South) to worship the gods of five directions.

The local authorities decided to restore the shrines on August 8, 2004 to promote cultural values of the relic and attract more visitors. The construction finished on February 2016 with a pedestrian path system leading to the mountains.

Celebrity chef relives Obama's street food experience in Hanoi

Anthony Bourdain shared the excitement of his $6 dinner with the then president.

The Hanoi bun cha shop that hosted Barack Obama in May last year has been thriving ever since, with many people sitting down to eat with pride, shock and curiosity.

But did it really impress Obama himself?

Anthony Bourdain, who selected the restaurant and accompanied the then U.S. president, described how incredible the experience was.

“I have never seen anyone so happy to be drinking beer out of the neck of a bottle, sitting on a low plastic stool eating what was essentially street food classic in Hanoi with chopsticks,” Bourdain said in a recent New Yorker Radio Hour interview.

Bourdain said he was permitted to choose the restaurant, although the White House would have preferred a hotel banquet.

Huong Lien, the destination selected, was a beloved family restaurant near Hanoi's Old Quarter that serves bun cha, a combination of grilled pork patties, cold dipping sauce, fresh vegetables and rice vermicelli.

As a working-class venue, the restaurant was not particularly clean or fancy, but “it was a uniquely Hanoi thing,” Bourdain said.

They drank the local Hanoi Beer straight from the bottle.

The restaurant itself did not know who was coming at first, but hundreds of locals gathered on the streets outside that night trying to catch a glimpse of the president eating a US$6 dinner.

Obama was the third US president to visit Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War, after Bill Clinton in 2000 and George W. Bush in 2006.

Smuggled wood seized in Hà Nội

Nearly 1 tonne of highly valuable timber was seized on a truck by police in the capital city on Monday.
Hoàng Thị Hiền, the driver, from Ninh Bình Province’s Gia Viễn District, said she was hired to transport the timber from Ninh Bình to Băc Ninh Province.

She could not show any papers relating to the origin of the timber, which is known as hương or Pterocarpus macrocarpus . The truck and its cargo, are being held by police pending further investigation.

Pterocarpus macrocarpus is a durable wood resistant to termites. It is used for furniture, construction, as well as tool handles.

Last week, a timber smuggling case was uncovered by a joint team of the traffic police and investigation police from Hà Nội’s Thường Tín District. The team stopped a car travelling across the district’s Hiền Giang Commune and found over 1.2 tonnes of rare wood, known as bách xanh or  Calocedrus macrolepis.

Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Thanh, the owner, failed to show legal document for the timber’s origin. She told police that she bought it from Sơn La Province.

Calocedrus macrolepis is a rare, valuable wood. It is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as vulnerable. Police are investigating the case.  

Kiên not allowed to referee this weekend

Referee Nguyễn Trung Kiên will be not on duty during the sixth round of the national V.League tournament following his mistake on Sunday.

Kiên awarded a controversial goal to Quảng Nam in a match against Sông Lam Nghệ An, which according to the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) strongly affected the final result of the match.

It was in the 72nd minute that defender Thiago of Quảng Nam jumped to manage a ball, but in doing so pushed goalkeeper Trần Nguyên Mạnh to the ground. His action prevented Mạnh from defending the net.

All the Sông Lam Nghệ An defenders stopped playing as they thought it was a mistake and waited for a whistle from referee Kiên, who, however, let the match go on. Dos Reis Claudecir of Quảng Nam took advantage of the moment and netted the ball, making the score 3-2 for his team. Quảng Nam then went on to score another goal to win 4-2.

Sông Lam Nghệ An decided to officially complain to the VFF, with club president Nguyễn Hồng Thanh saying: “Thiago wrestled Mạnh down. It was in front of referee Kiên’s eyes, but he allowed the goal to stand. His decision affected the result of the match.” 

Thanh said referee Kiên called him and coach Nguyễn Đức Thắng to apologise to the players for his mistake.

VFF is waiting for the official video of the game and will make a final decision on the fine later, but Kiên will not be allowed to referee this weekend.

Quảng Namm, which are currently in second place, will face Khánh Hòa on Saturday, while Sông Lam Nghệ An, in ninth place, will compete against Quảng Ninh Coal.

Beyond reach

Housing for low-income people has long been a tough question for HCMC, and this problem is tabled for discussion once again when the city’s top leader, upon inspecting condos costing roughly VND100 million each in the neighboring province of Binh Duong this past week, pondered whether such affordability can be realized in the city.

Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Dinh La Thang in a meeting on the topic later last week urged relevant agencies in the city to look for solutions so as to develop condos priced at VND5-7 million a square meter for sale or rent to poor people.

The approach is meant to enhance social security and public welfare in the mega-city, given the fact that hundreds of thousands of migrant workers as well as poor city residents are living in slums on and along canals and substandard rented homes.

The answer, however, is nowhere available.

Unlike Binh Duong Province where the cost of land acquisition is low, HCMC has seen land prices skyrocketing over the years, which has caused the housing price to surge beyond reach of the poor. In the past few years, authorities have made efforts to lure investors to develop budget condos whose prices are under VND1 billion a unit or less than VND15 million a square meter. However, responses from property developers have been lukewarm, and the number of such budget condos is too small to meet the demand.

Tran Trong Tuan, director of the HCMC Department of Construction, advocates the idea of building low-priced condos for the poor, but admits that it is impossible to build units at around VND100 million each.

Tuan says that the development of such low-priced condos is possible only if property developers are given land at no charge, and the costs of developing auxiliary facilities such as roads, power and water supplies, and schools are excluded. He furthers that while the development of low-cost condos may help satisfy the demand in the short term, such projects will spoil the master urban planning in the long term.

In an interview with Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper, the HCMC Department of Construction leader asserts that given all realities in HCMC, budget condos should be priced at VND500 million to VND1 billion a unit, which is still a tough question to answer.

As HCMC has become overcrowded with little land left for developing low-cost condos on a large scale, authorities should take a different approach, offering houses for rent for the poor at subsidized rates. The policy to offer affordable homes for all poor people is beyond reach.

Con Son heritage site to undergo large-scale restoration

The Government has approved a project to restore and preserve the heritage site of Con Son Pagoda in the historical and architectural complex of Con Son-Kiep Bac in Chi Linh Town in the northern province of Hai Duong, reports Vietnamplus.

Many vestiges in the complex will be restored, or with new constructions added, such as Ngoc Well, a path leading to Bodhisattva worshipping altar, and a yard with a total area of around 266 square meters. Other facilities in the project include systems of lighting and water drainage.

The restoration and preservation project would require over VND36.5 billion, to be executed over a three-year period from 2017 to 2020. The project is aimed to maintain the values of the special national heritage site and to help educate people on the history and culture and religion of the locality.

Sherwood Residence wins 2017 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award

Sherwood Residence has been named a winner in the “Top 25 Hotels for Families - Vietnam” category of the 2017 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards for hotels, ranking fourth out of 25.

In the 15th year of the award, TripAdvisor has highlighted the world’s top properties based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from travelers worldwide. Winners were identified in the categories of Top Hotels, Luxury, Bargain, Small, Service, B&Bs and Inns, Romance and Family.

Sherwood Residence has been named the winner of the Travelers’ Choice award from the TripAdvisor community for the fourth year in a row.

Sherwood Residence is a luxury serviced residence building on Pasteur Street in District 1, HCMC offering full-serviced five-star accommodations with two and three-bedroom apartments and penthouse units. For all of the 2017 Travelers’ Choice Hotel winners, visit https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Hotels.
  
More high-speed ferries to HaTien- Phu Quoc put into service

Thanh Thoi Joint Stock Company has just opened new cruise route of Ha Tien- Bai Vong in Ham Ninh commune of Phu Quoc district, Kien Giang. 

The company has opened six high speed ferries to meet demand of traveling and transporting cargo to Phu Quoc island district.

Thanh Thoi high speed ferry is one of the most modern one in Vietnam able to transport the large number of passengers and all vehicles from Ha Tien to Phu Quoc island district.

In order to arriving in Phu Quoc island district, around 10 ferries dock at Da Chong, Vinh Dam and Bai Vong port. And 10 returning ferries run from Phu Quoc to Ha Tien.

Binh Thanh vows to relocate polluting facilities

The People’s Committee of HCMC’s Binh Thanh District will coordinate with relevant agencies to step up the relocation of facilities causing serious environmental pollution, and those at high risk of fire in residential areas.

The district authorities this year will complete the relocation of three large pollution-causing facilities in the district, including Nam Phong food processing factory, Vissan Joint Stock Company, and Gia Dinh Textile & Garment Corporation, said Ho Ky Lan, head of the district’s Natural Resources and Environment Office.

Nam Phong has stopped slaughtering activities but its processing operation remains active, Lan told the Daily on the sidelines of a meeting to discuss socio-economic tasks of the district on February 9.

Meanwhile, Vissan subject to compulsory relocation this year has written to the district authorities proposing delaying its relocation until 2018.

In addition, Gia Dinh Textile & Garment Corporation has shut down the knitting and dyeing process since the end of last year.

The relocation of the polluting facilities is part of the city government’s plan to deal with all facilities causing serious environmental pollution in residential areas, Lan added.

Work begins on new Mien Dong coach station

Saigon Transportation Mechanical Corporation (Samco) last week broke ground for package No.1 of the new Mien Dong coach station in District 9, HCMC.

Currently, a piling test is being done so that construction of technical works and a terminal could start early in the second quarter for completion late this year to replace the existing Mien Dong Coach Station in Binh Thanh District to reduce traffic congestion in the inner-city area, a representative of Samco as the project owner said.

After the station is moved to District 9, its existing premises in Binh Thanh District will be used to build public transport facilities such as a parking building, not for commercial development, said HCMC Party chief Dinh La Thang at a visit to the station in January.

The city will not build any shopping mall in the area, Thang added.

The new Mien Dong station is envisaged having four sections. Section A covering 122,000 square meters will house parking sites for vehicles, and other public and auxiliary works including a 26-storey building.

Section B will comprise a two-storey building with bus stops, Section C will have a 5-storey building for goods storage while a 15-storey service-trade building will go up in Section D.

The new station which will be located between the city’s District 9 and Binh Duong Province’s Di An Town in an area of over 16 hectares would require total investment of around VND4 trillion (US$176 million).

Upon completion, the new station will be connected with bus routes, especially the city’s first metro line connecting Ben Thanh Market and Suoi Tien Park. Therefore, passengers can travel by either bus or metro to enter the city’s center or travel to outlying districts.

HCM City Party chief wants to speed up lying of pipeline

Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Dinh La Thang has urged the People’s Committee to begin work on laying a pipeline to bring water to the city from Dau Tieng Dam in Tay Ninh province. 

“Dau Tieng is very important for HCM City because it ensures water security and safety,” Thang said during a visit to the reservoir on February 14. 

Currently water from Dau Tieng is taken to HCM City through open channels for agricultural, industrial and household use. 

“It is not safe and wastes water, especially when water is not needed for irrigation but the lake gates are still opened.” 

Ho Van Lam, General Director of the Saigon Water Supply Corporation, said the pipeline is estimated to cost around 10 trillion VND (450 million USD). 

Thang said, “It is a big investment and the corporation should draw up a proposal in the second quarter of this year to solicit investment.” 

During his visit, Thang also called on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to amend the operational regulations for the lake which are over 30 years old. 

“Related authorities must protect it better because HCM City and several neighbouring provinces use water from it.” 

Thang expressed concern about hundreds of households, mostly ethnic Vietnamese coming back from Cambodia, who are living on the dam water and generating wastewater. 

“Factories should not be allowed to discharge their waste into the lake and raising fish in cages should be banned.” 

He called on the authorities to install equipment to monitor the lake’s environment. 

He instructed HCM City authorities to release billions of small fishes (there are 500 million available now) in the reservoir to feed local residents. 

The Dau Tieng-Phuoc Hoa irrigation system, with 270sq.km of water surface, is the biggest irrigation system in Vietnam and supplies water to HCM City and Tay Ninh and Long An provinces. It irrigates over 108,000ha. 

On February 10 the Government had issued a decision recognising Dau Tieng as a construction of national importance.

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