More opportunities for Can Tho to expand ties with US

US Embassy delegation take photo with delegation from Can Tho city People's Committee (Source: baocantho.com.vn)

The strong diplomatic relations between the US and Vietnam are opening up opportunities for the two countries’ localities and businesses to connect and seek cooperation opportunities.

The statement was made by US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink at his working session on June 4 with leaders of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on investment potential and prospects to boost collaboration between the city and US agencies, partners and enterprises.

Kritenbrink said US investors want to set up comprehensive and long-term partnerships with Can Tho as it is the centre of the Mekong Delta region.

The US Embassy will support Can Tho and other Mekong Delta localities to gain access to the US’s Sustainable Agriculture Programme, he said.

Once joining the programme, Vietnamese businesses will have a chance to plant and develop farm produce in the US, and share and learn from US businesses’ experience in applying technology in production, he added.

The diplomat also mentioned cooperation potential in rice export between the US and Can Tho firms.

According to him, his country is stepping up the import of new rice varieties from Asia to meet increasing domestic demand. Therefore, Can Tho, with its quality varieties, is a leading choice for US agro-businesses in Vietnam.

In the field of health, the US Embassy will propose the US Department of Health and Human Services set up an emergency operations centre (EOC) in Can Tho. The first EOC in the southern region was inaugurated in Ho Chi Minh City in August 2017.

If the proposal is accepted, Can Tho will play an important role in disease studies and coordinate with Ho Chi Minh City’s EOC in preventing diseases from breaking out in the southern region, he stated.

Regarding environmental production and climate change response, the embassy will work with relevant offices to organise a visit for Can Tho’s scientists and researchers on the environment to US regions which have delta structure similar to the Mekong Delta so as to learn from the American country’s experience in responding to natural disasters, sea intrusion and landslides, Kritenbrink stated.

The delegation will be offered a chance to visit the US’s research centres and labs to learn how the country applies advanced technologies in climate change response, he added.

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Vo Thanh Thong agreed with the US Embassy’s plans and proposals, affirming that cooperation with the US is a focus of sustainable economic development and investment attraction strategies of Can Tho.

Thong committed to further improving investment and business environment by intensifying administrative procedure reform and economic restructuring.

He expressed his hope that the embassy will organise regular meetings between the city and US businesses and investors.

USAID pledges to help Vietnam in civil judgment enforcement

At the workshop (Source: VGP)

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) will make every effort to assist Vietnam in improving the efficiency of civil judgment enforcement, said a USAID official. 

David Anderson, director of the USAID’s state administration project, said at a workshop in Hanoi on June 4 that the agency has cooperated with the Ministry of Justice and other ministries, agencies and businesses of Vietnam to complete a legal framework for business activities.

Such efforts paid off, he said, citing the World Bank’s Doing Business report which showed Vietnam jumped 14 places in the business environment rankings in 2017 compared with the previous year. 

However, there remains much work to do to raise the efficiency of the settlement of contract disputes, including civil judgment enforcement, the official noted. 

Other delegates at the workshop pointed out bottlenecks in regulations and administrative procedures in civil judgment enforcement. 

Le Thi Kim Dung from the General Department of Civil Judgment Enforcement under the Justice Ministry mentioned sluggish settlement of complaints and prolonged enforcement due to inadequate legal documents. 

Given this, she suggested issuing more legal documents to enable executors and judgment enforcement agencies to participate in or access information about the judgment process, making enforcement work easier. 

Lawyer Nguyen Hung Quang underlined the need to clearly stipulate administrative procedures in civil judgment enforcement to save time and money. 

He said performing administrative procedures online will improve efficiency and be welcomed by citizens and businesses. 

Many experts at the workshop proposed clarifying the responsibility of agencies and organisations to coordinate in implementing the requests of civil judgment agencies, revising relevant legal regulations and popularising laws. 

According to Nguyen Van Son, deputy head of the General Department of Civil Judgment Enforcement, between October 2017 and March 2018, some 635,198 civil cases were brought to court, an increase of 8.82 percent year-on-year.

Action month on environmental protection launched in Binh Dinh

Participants at the launching ceremony 

An action month on environmental protection was launched in the south central province of Binh Dinh on June 4, themed “Resolving pollution caused by plastic and nylon”.

The event was part of activities to mark World Environment Day on June 5. 

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan said the event aims to encourage people to change their daily habits to minimise the impacts of plastic and nylon waste on the environment and health. 

Statistics show that each household in Vietnam uses about 1kg of nylon bags a month. 

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City each discharge about 80 tonnes of plastic waste and nylon bags into the environment each day. 

Plastic bags are very difficult to decompose, polluting the soil and water environment and hindering the growth and development of plant species. 

Burning plastic bags creates emissions of dioxin and furan, which harm human health, Nhan noted. 

Nhan affirmed the determination to raise public awareness of the importance of preventing the pollution of plastic and nylon bags.

He called on ministries, political and social organisations and citizens to work to change the bad habit, thus protecting the environment. 

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Ho Quoc Dung affirmed the locality will promote action programmes to protect the environment. 

The Canadian Embassy in Vietnam said about 300 million tonnes of plastics is produced globally each year, half of which is used to create single-use products like bags, bottles and straws. One million plastic bags are used every minute. 

According to earthday.org, 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastic has been produced since plastic was introduced in the 1950s. The amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity. 91 percent of plastics waste isn’t recycled. And since most plastics don’t biodegrade well, all that plastic waste could exist for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Some 8 million metric tonnes of plastic winds up in the oceans each year. That’s enough trash to cover every foot of coast around the world with five full trash bags of plastic compounding every year.

A recent international survey revealed that Vietnam is one of the five countries in the world discharging the most plastic waste, with about 1.8 million tonnes dumped each year.

An Giang: meeting marks World Environment Day

A meeting took place in Long Xuyen city, the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, in response to World Environment Day (June 5) and a national week on clean water and rural sanitation.

Beginning in 1974, the UN’s World Environment Day is now celebrated in over 100 countries. The theme for 2018 is beating plastic pollution.

At the meeting, Vice President of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) Nguyen Thi Tuyet pointed to the fact that Vietnam disposes 12 million tonnes of waste on an annual average, which will be 20 million tonnes in 2020.

Of the total waste, 2,500 tonnes are plastics, which seriously harm the land, water and air, she added.

Tuyet and Vice Chairman of the An Giang People’s Committee Lam Quang Thi called for sectors, party members, public servants, VWU members and youths to take greater part in environmental protection and awareness-raising campaigns related to the issue.

Thi said the national week and World Environment Day will help boost the local completion of environmental criteria in building new-style rural areas.

He acknowledged good outcomes of a host of environmental campaigns by the provincial chapter of the VWU, like those calling for people to say no to single-use plastics and to build green and clean streets.

After the meeting, more than 1000 youths and VWU members walked together along main streets in Long Xuyen to spread their environmental protection message.

Similar meetings were also launched in other provinces and cities nationwide in response to World Environment Day (June 5).

45th anniversary of Vietnam-UK ties celebrated in HCM City

A ceremony to mark the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-UK diplomatic relations and the 92nd birthday of Queen Elizabeth II was held on June 4 by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) in collaboration with the Vietnam-UK Friendship Association (VUFA)’s chapter in Ho Chi Minh City.

Chairman of the VUFA-HCM City Tran Hung Viet expressed his respect for the Queen and delivered the best wishes to her on the 92nd birthday. 

Vietnam and the UK have enjoyed a fruitful relationship which has been reflected through regular exchange of high-ranking delegations, sound bilateral trade, and robust cooperation between enterprises from both sides.

On the occasion, Viet thanked the UK General Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City and the UK Business Association in Vietnam for their close cooperation and support for the VUFA-HCM City so that it can well perform the role of connecting people from both sides in the fields of culture and education.

The association committed further contributions to bolstering people-to-people exchanges between Ho Chi Minh City and the UK, helping enhance the traditional relationship between the two countries, he noticed.

UK Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City Ian Gibbons, for his part, thanked the Ho Chi Minh City chapter of the VUFO for organising the event, highlighting that 2017 was a successful year for Vietnam-UK bilateral ties when Vietnam welcomed many delegations from the UK.

More UK high-ranking officials will pay visit to Vietnam in the coming time to tighten the cooperative relations between the two countries, he said.

People-to-people exchange through education is one of the most significant aspects in the bilateral ties, he underscored, lauding the VUFA-HCM City’s efforts in promoting the good friendship between the two sides.

As of April 2018, Vietnam and the UK enjoyed over 2 billion USD in two-way trade, with 1.75 billion USD of which coming from Vietnamese exports.

Last year, 285,000 British people visited Vietnam, including 116,000 arrivals to Ho Chi Minh City. Currently, there are more than 10,000 Vietnamese students pursuing study in the UK.

Sports contest helps autistic children have fun

Children with autism play tug of war at a programme called Day for Angels held in HCM City. 

Children with autism spectrum disorders in HCM City and neighbouring provinces competed against each other in running and swimming races, tug of war, and other sports at an event held on Saturday in the city by the Việt Nam Autism Network and the city Department of Culture and Sports.

Participation in physical activities is not easy for such children because of their conditions. 

Many received assistance from their parents and volunteers to help take part in the competition.

Phạm Thị Kim Tâm, deputy chairwoman of the Việt Nam Autism Network, said the programme, Day for Angels, was held to create a playground for autistic children to play with each other.

They gained confidence and interacted with people through the programme, she said, adding it also aimed to improve public awareness of the condition.

Nguyễn Thanh Tâm, director of the city’s Integrated Education Support Centre for Children with Disabilities, said when public awareness improved, more programmes could be organised for children with autism to have a good time and socialise. 

The programme gave parents of children with autism a chance to meet each other and share experiences in supporting them.

Trần Quốc Bửu of Đồng Nai Province brought his six-year-old son to the event, saying he wanted to help improve his social interaction.

Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer and Michael Rosanoff, assistant director of research and public health of Autism Speaks in the US, said on their website that sports and physical activities improve fitness, motor function and behaviours in individuals with autism.

The social implications of participating in sports and exercise are important advantages, they said, adding that physical activity can promote self-esteem, increase general levels of happiness, and can lead to positive social outcomes, all highly beneficial for individuals with autism.

Severe penalties needed to check speeding on HCM City roads: officials

Speeding is one of the major reasons for road accidents in HCM City, authorities told a review meeting held a few days ago. – Photo: Zing.vn

HCM City’s Traffic Safety Committee and traffic police have called for making penalties for speeding more severe at a meeting held to review a two-month traffic campaign that had run until March 31.

During the campaign, held to educate the public and clamp down on speeding, officers caught 7,368 vehicles speeding, including 2,320 private cars, 1,109 trucks, 180 buses, and 49 taxis. The number was almost a fourth up from the same period in 2017.

At the meeting, held on Thursday, traffic police officials said they faced many difficulties in tackling speeding, especially due to the poor quality and obsolete speed guns.

“When drivers are stopped, they ask to see the images and speeds recorded, but due to the poor quality, [they] are not clear and it takes us a lot of time to deal with them,” an official said.

They suggested that drivers should be asked to verify the data when they come to pay the fine and not on the road.

A traffic police official from District 3 said speeding was the main reason many accidents occur in his district.

Nguyễn Văn Thương, deputy head of the Road and Railway Traffic Police Division, was quoted as saying by Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) newspaper: “In Bình Chánh District, 12 roads have been allowed to increase speed limits and it leads to serious violations.”

The Department of Transport promised to review the traffic situation and adjust speed limits.

The Traffic Safety Committee announced it would closely co-operate with relevant authorities to patrol and detect speeding and penalise drivers.

“Fines should be increased significantly for speeding violations to reduce accidents,” a representative of the committee said.

MOLISA and Bloomberg join hands to prevent child drowning

Representatives pose for a photo at the cooperation agreement signing ceremony. 

A cooperation agreement on child drowning prevention has been signed between the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and the Bloomberg philanthropy.

Speaking at the signing ceremony on Friday afternoon, MOLISA Deputy Minister Nguyễn Thị Hà said that in the period of 2010-13, about 2,800 children drowned every year. The number of child drowning cases decreased in the period of 2015-17, with about 2,000 cases annually.

“However, the number remains high and drowning is the biggest cause of fatalities in children. Studies show that Vietnamese children drowning at rates higher than in other Southeast Asian countries and eight times higher than in developed countries,” said Hà.

Families’ and community’s awareness of the issue was limited, she said. Supervision of children, especially in rural and poor remote areas, is often limited as they play outside.

Localities lack swimming teachers and infrastructure for teaching the skill, so children don’t know how to be safe near water and their surroundings contain many latent risks.

Deputy Minister Hà said that during the past few years, different organisations such as the World Health Organisation and the Bloomberg philanthropy have actively supported Việt Nam in preventing child drowning. Hà expressed her belief that in the future, with help from the organisations, child drowning prevention projects will be implemented effectively in different provinces and cities.

Kelly Larson, director of the public health programme under the Bloomberg philanthropy, said that since 2012, the philanthropy had assisted child drowning prevention programmes in Bangladesh and Philippines.

The programmes have been conducted well in the two countries over the past five years.

Larson said she hopes that with cooperation between MOLISA and the Bloomberg, the work of child drowning prevention would achieve effective results.

13th Hoa phượng đỏ summer campaign kicks off

Students in the Hoa phượng đỏ summer campaign in HCM City learn new things at a science booth. 

The 13th Hoa phượng đỏ (Red Flamboyant) summer campaign officially began on June 3 in HCM City with thousands of students taking part in enriching activities, meeting new friends and learning valuable experiences.                                               

The campaign activities include cleaning the city, learning various skills and taking part in charitable activities for the disadvantaged, all of which help students experience the real world and learn life skills.

More than 40,000 HCM City students and teachers are taking part in the annual campaign.

Nguyễn Tất Toàn, member of the Executive Committee of Hoa phượng đỏ, said: “The campaign aims to enrich the lives of students and teachers, promote the spirit of volunteering, and provide students with opportunities to learn life skills and become more mature.”

The opening event at District 1’s HCM City Youth Culture House attracted around 3,000 students and young teachers from 24 districts in HCM City.

There were booths for science projects, calligraphy lessons, traditional music, and presentations on life skills such as self-defence and sexual health, all of which were crowded with students eager to learn new things.

Some members of the campaign also spent Sunday morning cleaning the streets off rubbish and inappropriately placed posters in several districts.

Toàn said that this year the campaign would have more activities for disadvantaged  children, visits to poor households, and fundraising events.

The campaign will also organise fairs, field trips, presentations and other events to help students learn about science, robots, foreign languages, safety skills and other everyday skills.    

This year the campaign aims to attract an additional 5,000 members.

Nguyễn Quỳnh Anh, a 10th grader from Trần Đại Nghĩa High School for the Gifted, said: “I joined the campaign this year because I can take part in many great activities like helping kids and gain experiences. And this is also a great opportunity to hang out with my peers from other schools.”

“I have taken part in the campaign for three years and its activities such as helping poor people and children and learning about our history. My communication skills have improved and I am not as shy as before.” said Phạm Lê Gia Khiêm, a 12th grader from Hoàng Hoa Thám High School.

Thái Thanh Thanh, a 10th grader from Bình Phú High School, said: “We had a presentation on self-defence, which was very persuasive and can help us protect ourselves against assailants. The campaign’s other activities also help me broaden my perspective and network, as well as provide me with knowledge, public speaking skills and other skills, which can be useful for my future career in media.” 

ommunist Youth Union and Đầm Sen Park, will organise a programme to discuss children’s healthcare.