Fire destroys 300 tons of cotton

A fire that broke out yesterday afternoon lasted for 10 hours at a local company that sells cotton in the southern province of Binh Duong, destroying 300 tons of products.

The fire broke out at Ninh Son Company in Hoa Loi Commune, Ben Cat Town, about 2pm yesterday, but lasted till midnight.

More than 10 firefighting trucks were mobilised, but the firefighters were not able to contain the fire for several hours due to the large amount of cotton -- which burns very fast -- stored in the company.

The blaze affected more than 1,000sq.m of the company's storage area. Hundreds of residents, who had rented rooms nearby, were also affected.

Nguyen Thi Phuong Trang, a representative of the Ninh Son Company, said that the 300 tons of cotton had been recently imported and prepared for sale in the domestic market.

The cause of the fire has not been identified yet.

Quang Binh's largest fake fish sauce case discovered

The Quang Binh People's Procuracy has initiated legal proceedings against a man for manufacturing a large amount of fake goods.

It was the largest case of fake fish sauce processing discovered in the province so far, according to the people's procuracy.

The provincial authorities added that in January this year, the accused Ngo Thanh Tam, who lives in Ba Don Town's Quang Long Ward, bought materials of unidentified origin to produce more than 1,800 bottles of fish sauce with fake trademarks of Nam Ngu and Second-class Nam Ngu.

Tam's fake fish sauce was made from low-quality fish sauce mixed with salt, mineral water and added sugar.

His scam was discovered when Tam was transporting the fish sauce to the market for sale.

Police detain man for possessing 20kg methamphetamine

The police said yesterday that they had detained a 48-year-old Vietnamese man for transporting 20kg of methamphetamine in Mong Cai city of Quang Ninh Province.

The man was identified as Tran Hoat Toan, who has a temporary residence registered in Guangxi, China.

According to authorities, Toan had hidden the drugs under the back seat of a taxi with the licence plate 14A-133.07. The drugs were in 15 nylon bags, packed together in a travel bag.  

Toan told the police that he was hired by a Chinese man to transport the drugs to Mong Cai.

The case is being investigated further.

Vietnam increases vaccination to curb measles pandemic

The Ministry of Health March 3 said that upon the complicated development of measles in the world, especially in the Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for policy makers, medical workers and parents in the globe to take their children to hospitals for vaccination in a bid to curb measles pandemic.

As per WHO’s statistics, in 2014 and the first months of 2015, there were over 22,100 measles cases, which threatens the Europe’s target of eliminating the disease. Molecular analysis of measles virus isolates from some cases revealed that the D8 genotype is causing the disease at present.

The outbreak of the disease in Europe is because residents have weak immune system; worse, more and more parents refused vaccination.

Accordingly, the Department of Preventive Medicine issued warning of outbreaks of many cases of measles and pertussis ( or whooping cough) or some other infectious diseases that are due to not full vaccination or not injected vaccine. Worse, more and more babies from 2 to 4 months are infected with whooping cough and children from 9 to 12 months are infected with measles.

The Department pointed out the cause of the rampant outbreak of the disease is that parents are not fully understand the importance of vaccination and schedule of immunization.

Local residents back Long Thanh International Airport project

Nearly all local residents in the areas affected by the Long Thanh International Airport project in the southern province of Dong Nai have expressed their support for the project in an opinion survey.

As many as 4,116 of 4,566 households with 14,400 affected people in six communes – Binh Son, Long An, Suoi Trau, Cam Duong, Long Phuoc and Bau Can – approved the airport construction in the survey recently conducted by the provincial People’s Committee.

The survey also showed the majority of households (3,574) households would want to be relocated to resettlement areas in Loc An-Binh Son and Binh Son if the project is implemented, both of which cover an area of around 282 hectares near the planned airport.

For over 9,200 working-aged individuals, the province said it has designed programmes to help the workforce shift jobs, including the development of three industrial parks close to the future airport.

The multi-billion US dollar Long Thanh airport, which was approved by the Government in 2005, promises to be a driving force for socio-economic development in the southern key economic region.

However, specifics are still under discussion and a construction start day has yet to be set.

In the latest discussions of the project at the National Assembly, deputies demanded clarification on many aspects of the project, including the scale of the airport, passenger estimate calculations, and the reclamation of 2,250 hectares not directly related to the airport.

Vietnam seeks groundwater supply for better living standards

Vietnam will source groundwater to supply local needs in mountainous provinces and those with scarce clean water reserves nationwide.

The move is part of Decision 264/QD-TT recently approved by the Prime Minister.

Accordingly, the groundwater-sourcing programme will be conducted between now and 2020 sustainably and together with the construction of relevant water supply structures.

As many as 1,333 localities in 44 provinces and cities across the country are the targeted beneficiaries of its future outcomes.

Vietnamese in Cyprus, Laos celebrate traditional New Year

Overseas Vietnamese in the Republic of Cyprus have joined a gathering on the occasion of the traditional Lunar New Year in Limassol coastal city.

Featured activities included Vietnamese folk songs, dancing, and folk games.

Addressing the event, Limassol Mayor Andreas Christou said he is honoured to attend the event, saying that the programme contributes to introducing and promoting Vietnam’s cultural diversity.

Local authorities remain willing to support overseas Vietnamese living in the city, contributing to strengthening the cooperation between the two countries, especially in economics, he affirmed.

As the Vietnamese Honour Consul to Cyprus, a city with around 12,000 Vietnamese nationals, George Christophides pledged to do his utmost to ensure the legitimate rights of the Vietnamese citizens living there.

On March 3, overseas Vietnamese in Xiangvang village, Nongbok district of Khammouane province, Laos also gathered in Vientiane to welcome the Year of Goat.

Speaking at the ceremony, acting Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Laos Nguyen Duy Trung said Xiangvang, where President Ho Chi Minh lived and worked during his revolutionary cause in Laos, continues to be a meaningful site in the history of Vietnam-Laos relations.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Manh Hung said he hopes the Vietnamese community in Laos will enhance unity, strictly abide by Lao law, and contribute to nurturing and further deepening the bilateral relations.

For his part, Lao Deputy Minister Somsavat Lengsavath called on those living in Xiangvang and Vientiane to continue contributing to the development of both nations.

Bac Giang deepens ties with Japanese partner

A total of 70 cherry trees (Sakura), a renowned symbol of the Japanese nation, was gifted to and planted in northern Bac Giang province during a ceremony on March 3.

The trees were presented to the province by the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association’s chapter in Chukyo, Japan.

At the ceremony, Bui Van Hai, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said Bac Giang looks to create favourable conditions for Japanese businesses investing in the locality.

Ambassador Fukada Hiroshi underscored that there are 20 Japanese companies currently operating in Bac Giang and expressed his hope that the ties between his nation and the locality will be further deepened.

Fatherland Front begins supervision of tax, customs procedure reform

The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) will begin supervising the tax, customs and social insurance procedures reforms in 2015.

Accordingly, from now through the end of June, the VFF and its member organisations will supervise tax and social insurance activities in the major economic areas of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The customs sector will be supervised during the last six months of this year, stated President of the VFF Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan at his working session with officials from the Finance Ministry on March 3.

Nhan said that the programme will be carried out in 2015 and 2016 with the aim to improve the business climate and tax and customs procedures.

He requested the Finance Ministry to assign officials to coordinate with the VFF to design a specific work plan, including producing initial results by June and summarised results by October, ultimately reporting to the National Assembly and Government.

Supervision of the Vietnam Fatherland Front is essential to swiftly implement simplified policies and ensure enterprises benefit from these policies, affirmed Finance Minister Dinh Tien Dung.

According to the 2014 Business Climate Report conducted by the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation, the time spent on tax procedures in Vietnam was 872 hours for each small- and medium-sized enterprise annually. It also took them 21 days to complete export procedures and another 21 days for import procedures.

To improve the business climate, the Government issued Resolution 19 last March to streamline procedures for enterprises to prepare, file and pay taxes in an average of 171 hours annually, in line with that of the ASEAN 6 bloc including Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Meanwhile, the time required for export and import procedures will be cut to 14 days and 13 days, respectively.

As of January 1, tax payment time was slashed by 370 hours. All customs departments across Vietnam have used the Vietnam Automated Cargo and Port Consolidated System and the Vietnam Customs Information System (VNACCS/VCIS).-

Hospitals to revise waiting systems

By June, all hospitals across the country, from city to district levels, will have to set up a waiting system for patients based on numbers.

The move follows a Ministry of Health's plan to reform administration and healthcare procedures to slash the waiting time for patients.

Hospitals must also install enough seats for all those waiting.

Rabies deaths lowest in a decade

The number of fatalities caused by rabies last year was 66 nationwide, the lowest for the last 10 years, reported the Department of Preventive Medicine last Saturday.

Last year, more than 399,000 people had vaccinations after being bitten by dogs suspected of being rabid, an increase of 11 per cent over 2013.

The Ministry of Health will work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to promote campaigns against the disease, which is often borne by dogs and cats.

New policies to ring in widespread changes

A slate of new policies taking effect this month will introduce significant changes in labour relations, telecommunications, securities trading, surrogacy rights and other issues.

One of these, Decree 05/2015/ND-CP, carries implementation guidelines for the Labour Code, with one of the amendments requiring employers to compensate workers for delays of more than 15 days in paying their regular wages.

Meanwhile, Circular No 22/2014/TT-BTTTT issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications will change the telephone area codes of some provinces and cities including the capital city.

Ha Noi's area code will change from 4 to 24, that of HCM City from 8 to 28, Da Nang's from 511 to 236, Hai Phong's from 31 to 225 and Can Tho City's from 710 to 292. Under the new changes, landline numbers will have seven to eight digits while that of mobile phones will have 10.

The Finance Ministry's Circular 01/2015/TT-BTC regulates, among other things, that valid registration forms submitted by companies to the Ha Noi Stock Exchange will be processed and approved in five days.

Decree No.08/2015/ND-CP on Customs procedures and inspections contains provisions that will take effect on March 15. Enterprises that meet Decree-regulated conditions will enjoy certain exemptions from inspections, except in cases some violations are suspected, in which case random checks will be carried out.

The Government's Decree No.09/2015/ND-CP, taking effect on March 10, regulates an eight per cent increase in the pension of commune-level officials. The Decree also mandates increases in social insurance payments and monthly allowances for retired State employees and members of the armed forces. The right of infertile couples to have children via surrogacy under specific conditions takes effect on March 15.

Bac Giang deepens ties with Japanese partner

A total of 70 cherry trees (Sakura), a renowned symbol of the Japanese nation, was gifted to and planted in northern Bac Giang province during a ceremony on March 3.

The trees were presented to the province by the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association’s chapter in Chukyo, Japan.

At the ceremony, Bui Van Hai, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said Bac Giang looks to create favourable conditions for Japanese businesses investing in the locality.

Ambassador Fukada Hiroshi underscored that there are 20 Japanese companies currently operating in Bac Giang and expressed his hope that the ties between his nation and the locality will be further deepened.

Nam Dinh: Loan agreement with Kuwait Fund signed

The Ministry of Finance and the Kuwait Fund signed a loan agreement for a project to upgrade the irrigation system in the northern province of Nam Dinh on March 3 in Hanoi.

The project has a total investment capital of about 19 million USD, with 13.6 million USD in loans. It will focus on upgrading irrigation infrastructure of two major channels in the coastal district of Hai Hau.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Deputy Finance Minister Truong Chi Trung said the Kuwait Fund has provided Vietnam with 147.9 million USD to date in loans for 12 projects.

These loans, used for infrastructure building projects in rural provinces, have contributed to the localities’ economic development and poverty reduction objectives, he added.

Many projects have yielded effective results, such as the Dau Tieng and Van Dinh irrigation systems and the Dac Ta-Ngoc Linh road.

Citizen reception centre improves complaint settlements

The Hanoi-based Centre for Citizen Reception has proposed a plan to implement the inspection coordination programme for the more efficient settlement of public complaints and denunciations at the grassroots level.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee, Government Inspectorate, Ministry of Justice, Vietnam Lawyers Association, and Vietnam Bar Federation are expected to join the programme.

This move intended to serve the organisation of the Party Congresses at all levels in the run up to the 12 th National Party Congress, President of the VFF Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan was told while working with officials from the centre on March 3.

The Centre will receive citizens on a regular basis, create a legal framework, and complete relevant documents for the implementation of regulations featured in the Law of Citizen Reception.

In 2014, the Centre received nearly 41,000 people, an annual increase of 68.5 percent. Localities across the country received over 324,000 citizens, up 4 percent against the previous year.

Nhan described the reception of citizens and the settlement of public complains and denunciations as one of the key tasks of the VFF to protect the legitimate rights and interests of people.

The parties involved should discuss measures to handle complaints and denunciations in a timely fashion to reduce the number of people travelling to the capital-based citizen reception centres and supervise the settlement of common complaint cases at the local level, he suggested.

Vietnam Blind Association meets in Da Nang

The Vietnam Blind Association (VBA) held the fourth executive board meeting, term VIII (2012-2017) was held in the central city of Da Nang on March 2.

In 2014, the association provided 28.5 billion VND (1.35 million USD) in loans to over 6,000 households with blind family members and 54 manufacturing firms engaging provincial- and district-level blind associations to create jobs and improve income for 6,700 blind labourers nationwide.

Looking forward, the VBA plans to allocate 30 billion VND (1.43 million USD) in loans to support 7,000 households and create jobs for 7,500 people.

The VBA has chapters in 52 provinces and cities with over 66,440 members.

Thanh Hoa border guard receives Hero title

The border guard of the central province of Thanh Hoa was presented with the “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces in the Reform Period” title on March 2 for its tireless efforts in protecting national sovereignty and border security.

The title was bestowed by Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan on the occasion of the 56 th founding anniversary of Vietnam’s Border Guard (March 3, 1959).

Addressing the event, Senior Lieutenant General Ngo Xuan Lich, Chief of the General Department of Politics under the Vietnam People’s Army, said the Thanh Hoa border guard has fulfilled its mission to protect 192 kilometres of land borders, 102 kilometres of coastline, and 23,000 square kilometres of offshore waters.

It has also effectively engaged in improving public awareness, disaster aftermath mitigation, poverty alleviation, and the fight against cross-border crimes, he said.

The officer asked the force to successfully carry out its assigned tasks and improve the skills, spirit, and morality of its staff. It was also requested to coordinate with other State agencies, consolidate the community’s trust, uncover sabotage schemes, and fight criminal activities.

Thanh Hoa border guard must also work closely with the neighbouring Lao province of Houaphan to develop bilateral relations, Lich added.

Tien Giang could lose forest buffer to climate change

The mangrove forest in Tien Giang's province Go Cong coastal region could disappear forever if effective solutions are not identified and implemented immediately, worried officials say.

They say that the forest, which acts as a crucial buffer protecting sea dykes, preventing flooding, facilitating agricultural production and protecting the life and livelihoods of thousands of residents, is threatened by climate change impacts.

The online newspaper of Voice of Viet Nam (VOV) reports that the region has about 700ha of preventive forest of mainly mangroves and ban (Sonneratia pagatpat) and mam (avicennia) trees.

The report does not mention human actions that have led to deforestation, but cites officials as saying rising sea water levels have "killed" or eroded parts of the forest, narrowing its area.

For instance, numerous key spots along the sea dyke stretching more than 200km from Tan Thanh Commune to Vam Lang Commune in Go Cong Dong District are no longer protected by the forest, which has led to sea water encroachment that has penetrated the base of the dyke.

Forest trees are being uprooted or dying of other causes, the VOV report says.

It cites an official of the Tien Giang Dyke and Preventive Forest Management agency as saying there are at least 10 spots in Go Cong Dong District's Tan Dien Commune where the forest has been eroded by between four to 10 meters.

Provincial authorities say they have made all-out efforts to popularise afforestation and forest protection activities, intensified patrols to spot violations of the forest of the sea dyke, to patrol, examine and deal with any violations to forest and invested hundreds of billions of dong to build concrete dykes.

These activities are designed to defend a 3,500m-long dyke major portions of which have lost the protective buffer provided by the forest.

However, the province lacks the resources to reforest the areas affected by excessive salination. Without feasible solutions, the preventive forest along Go Cong coastal region is very likely be erased, the report says.

Tiny shops cling to Hanoi of old - and prosper

Hanoi's Old Quarter, with its mix of centuries of architecture and families that have lived there for generations, is a popular draw for tourists and locals alike, mostly curious about the many tiny shops, some only a few square metres, that squeeze out on to the streets.

Rents in this part of Hanoi are high -- three square metres can cost VND5-8m (USD238-380.9) month -- but the tenacity and creativity of the precinct's shopkeepers generate good incomes.

The Old Quarter is rarely quiet, or still, but it cannot escape time. Redevelopment is already underway, with tens of thousands of families being relocated as old buildings are torn down to make way for new office and apartment blocks.

Near Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter retains much of the original street layout and architecture of 19th century Hanoi, when the city consisted of some 36 streets. Each street was dedicated to particular merchants, and households specialised in trades such as silk traders, jewellery, and metalwork.

The Old Quarter now is confined to 10 administrative wards of Hoan Kiem District, covering a total area of 81 hectares, its high population proving too much for existing infrastructure.

Hanoi wants to reduce density to 500 people/ha by 2020, from 823 people/ha in 2010. Its plans will require the relocation by 2020 or up to 6,550 households, or 26,200 people, in a two-phase programme -- 1,530 households are to go to the Viet Hung Urban Area in Long Bien District from March until the fourth quarter of 2017, with the second phase running from 2018 to 2020.

Critics fear the plan will rob Hanoi of a unique cultural asset and major attraction for visitors -- that the days of the tiny shopkeepers may be numbered -- but many believe they will survive such new challenges, as they have in the past.

HCM City to crack down on truck overload

The government of HCMC has shown its resolve to prevent trucks from transporting more goods than the load limit this year.

The city’s vice chairman Nguyen Huu Tin told a review meeting on traffic safety last Friday that relevant regulations have been made available and that transport inspectors and traffic police have been better equipped to improve controls on overloading in the city.

Traffic inspectors and police should be held responsible if overloaded trucks are detected, he noted.

Le Hong Viet, deputy chief inspector of the HCMC Department of Transport, proposed at the meeting that the city invest more in equipment to better control truck loads.

The city’s transport inspectors have been provided with some 16 mobile and electronic weighbridges and devices. According to Viet, inspectors handled over 23,300 cases last year and imposed total fines of over VND103 billion.

However, overloaded trucks are still found on the road in the city as their drivers often choose the roads without weighbridges available. Moreover, many vehicles do not stop when weighbridges are busy.

To effectively control overloading, Viet proposed installing automatic weighbridges at the city’s gateways and build facilities for law enforcement forces to enable them to work around the clock.

Khuat Viet Hung, vice chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, told the meeting that transport inspectors should check vehicles at warehouses and depots only and other units should be responsible for inspecting vehicles on the road.

Other major points discussed at the meeting was building parking lots in the city’s downtown area. Tin stressed that parking lots would help restore vehicular traffic in the center of the city.

“With advanced technology and only 200 square meters of land, we can build an automated multi-story car park,” Tin said.

Tin emphasized the importance of developing underground car parks in the city.

He said work is expected to start on an underground parking lot at Le Van Tam Park in District 1 on April 30 and the city will speed up the implementation of another one at Trong Dong Theater area, also in District 1.

Hue University offers postgraduate scholarships to Lao students

The Hue University will award scholarships to Lao students who want to get a Master’s degree in health, education, foreign languages, economy, science, agriculture and forestry and the environment.

Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Toan, rector of the university, said the school will grant six two-year full ride scholarships, worth VND94 million (US$4,402) each, and 18 two-year scholarships valued at VND48 million (US$2,201) each.

Priority will be given to those who graduate from a Vietnamese university.

The scholarship programme aims to help train high-quality human resources for the Lao provinces of Saravane and Xekong and universities and colleges, particularly Savannakhet and Champassak universities which have cooperative agreements with the Hue University.

Around 370 Lao students were enrolled at 15 universities and colleges in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue in the 2013-2014 academic year.

Over the past years, the central province has trained hundreds of Lao students for Laos’ central and southern provinces.

US to provide $8mil for UXO removal in central VN

This year the US government will grant US$8 million for clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over in the central province of Quang Tri during the war before 1975, a senior American official has said.

Vietnam hosts first ASEAN Meeting on UXORose Gottemoeller, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security for the U.S. State Department, revealed the grant during her working visit to the province on Monday.

At a meeting with leaders of the provincial administration, the under secretary expressed her delight at the outcomes of the cooperation between the U.S. and Vietnam in general and the province in particular in dealing with war consequences.

She told her hosts that in 2015 the US government will provide $8 million for activities to detect and clear UXOs left by the war in the province.

She expressed her hope that Quang Tri and Vietnam in general will no longer suffer from the consequences of UXOs in the future.    

Quang Tri was the first province in Vietnam to be allowed by the Vietnamese government to pilot an international cooperation program to clear UXOs with the PeaceTrees Vietnam Organization in 1996.

The province then cooperated with many other organizations, including MAG, NPA, RENEW, CPI, SODI, and APOPO for the same purpose.

Over the past 20 years, with funding from the U.S. government, non-governmental organizations have helped clear 8,399 hectares of land in Quang Tri and safely removed and destroyed 556,448 UXOs.

Gottemoeller highly valued the ongoing model of overcoming bomb and mine consequences in Quang Tri, saying that it can be applied to other UXO-contaminated areas around the world.

According to statistics announced at the Development Partnership on Mine Action Conference held in Hanoi on March 14, 2014, accidents caused by UXOs left over in Vietnam had killed more than 42,000 people and injured about 62,000 since 1975.

This means UXO-related accident kill 1,500 people and maim another 2,300 every year.

Addressing the conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said over 20 percent of the country’s total land area had been contaminated with UXOs and many accidents related to UXOs had occurred, causing casualties and affecting the use of land, forest and water resources, and the life of people.

Since the war ended in 1975, the Vietnamese government has spent US$80-100 million resolving UXO issues every year and has received support from domestic as well as international organizations.

The premier appealed to international donors, ambassadors of other countries and international friends to continue supporting the Vietnamese government’s efforts to surmount the impact of UXOs.

Unusual outbreak of dengue fever kills 3, infects thousands

Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces are battling an unseasonal spread of dengue fever, with thousands of cases reported including three deaths last month.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health showed that the country has recorded more than 5,200 infections so far this year, including 3,640 infections in February, mostly in the south.

The three dead patients were from Dong Nai and Long An, both neighboring HCM City. There have been 27% more cases compared to the same period last year, when there was only one dead patient.

Children receive treatment for dengue fever at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Dengue fever is a tropical disease spread by mosquitoes, with symptoms including high fever and joint pain. According to the World Health Organization, severe cases need to be treated as soon as possible to avoid lethal complications.

Dr. Phan Trong Lan, head of the Pasteur Institute in HCM City, said the beginning of the year used to be the low season of dengue fever.

But experts have detected high concentration of the virus since late last year in HCMC and nearby provinces.

Doctors at HCM City Children’s Hospital No.1 just saved a 7-year-old boy from Long An who suffered respiration failure and liver damage after having high fever for three days.

They had to put him on a respirator and provided blood transfusion for more than a week. Doctors said parents should watch out for abnormal conditions at their children to send them to hospital early.

Vietnam reports an average 100,000 dengue fever cases including 100 fatal cases each year.

Most of the victims are children.

The country has been testing a dengue fever vaccine provided by Sanofi Pasteur, a division of the multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi.

ActionAid promotes ethnic minority rights

The National Assembly’s Committee for Ethnic Affairs (CEA) and ActionAid International in Vietnam on March 3 inked a cooperative agreement aimed at promoting the rights of ethnic minority people in the 2015-2017 period.

In accordance therewith, the two sides have agreed to expand a sustainable livelihood model for ethnic minority youth that has been successfully piloted in central Nghe An province.

They will also conduct surveys on Vietnam’s commitments to the rights of ethnic minority people and promulgation of laws and policies to ensure the rights of ethnic minority children.

CEA Vice Chairman Hoang Xuan Luong thanked ActionAid International for its past assistance for ethnic minority groups in Vietnam in supporting language learning, building sustainable livelihood models and personnel trainingin 30 provinces and cities.

Luong expressed his hope that ActionAid International would continue to support and share sustainable livelihood model experience to help ethnic minority people escape poverty in the future.

New bridge over Mekong takes shape

Steps towards the creation of the My Thuan 2 Bridge, connecting the Trung Luong My Thuan Can Tho expressway over the Mekong Delta Tien River, are underway.

Project Management Unit 7 (PMU 7) recently submitted a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) proposal to the Ministry of Transport, in hopes of moving forward the timely project.

Construction of the bridge will have to begin soon as the My Thuan Can Tho part of the expressway project was scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2016.

It will take 6.4km and six-lanes to connect the two Mekong provinces of Vinh Long and Tien Giang and the new bridge will sit just 1.2km upstream from its predecessor, My Thuan Bridge.

In order to facilitate waterway traffic under the bridge, PMU 7's proposal recommended four different options with costs ranging from VND7.1 trillion ($US334 million) to VND9.76 trillion ($458 million), and a return of investment time from around 25 to 29 years.

Director General of PMU 7, Nguyen Chung Khanh, said the waterway traffic plans were carefully designed to minimise collisions, but that "further studies are required before we can come up with truly permanent solutions for waterway traffic."

As for bridge tolls, Khanh said vehicles might only have to pay one inclusive fee, which will cover the Trung Luong-My Thuan-Can Tho expressway and the two My Thuan Bridges.

Green solutions for profitable by-product of rice production

Every year, Vietnamese farmers burn millions of tonnes of rice stubble in the field instead of recycling them, a setback for the country’s orientation towards green development.

In a bid to address the issue, the International Rice Research Institute held a workshop on maximising the use of rice production by-products to generate additional profit for locals, in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on March 3.

According to figures revealed at the workshop, the regional rice industry discards more than 22 million tonnes of straws, 4.5 million tonnes of rice husks, and almost 2.2 million tonnes of bran.

The institute pointed out a number of sustainable measures to tackle these concerns. For instance, with advanced technology, straws can be transformed into ethanol, eco-friendly products, construction material, and domestic animal food. Rice husks, used as combustible material, is a potential export option to Japan, China or the Republic of Korea, valued at around 500 VND per kilogram.

Associate Professor Dr. Duong Van Chinh, Director of the Dinh Thanh Agricultural Research Centre, said the use of technological advances during the harvest process will increase the quality and commercial value of by products.

VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VIR