Army chopper crash death toll rises to 20

One of the soldiers injured in the Mi171 army chopper crash in July has died, raising the death toll in the incident to 20.

Lieutenant Nguyen Hoang Anh, 33, passed away in the morning on September 2 after suffering 52 per cent burns, respiratory burns, brain injury and a broken leg. He was being treated at the National Institute of Burns in Ha Noi.

The Institute is treating another survivor of the crash for multiple injuries, 53 per cent burns and respiratory burns.

The army chopper crashed on July 7 with 21 people on board, comprising three crew members, two trainers and 16 soldiers, during a parachuting exercise.

Sixteen people died on the spot, two succumbed to injuries in the hospital later and two (including Lieutenant Hoang Anh) died after receiving several weeks of treatment.

Another capsized raft victim found

Di Linh commune police in the central highlands province of Lam Dong have found the body of Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, 24, the last of a family of three killed when a raft overturned on Monday.

Huyen, together with her brother Nguyen Van Quang, 26 and his wife, Vu Thi Bich Tuyen, 23, used a homemade raft of 14 barrels to cross the Da Dang river.

However, strong whirlpools flipped the raft over and drowned the whole family.

The bodies of Quang and Tuyen were retrieved earlier.

Communal officials have given Quang's family VND10 million (US$480) to help with funeral expenses.

Authorities step in to save old trees

The Ha Noi People's Committee has asked Ha Noi Urban Railway Management Unit to try to avoid chopping down many old trees to make way for a future metro line.

Last month, Le Huy Hoang, deputy director of the unit, caused a public outcry when he revealed that more than 30 huge, ancient trees in Kim Ma Street in Ba Dinh District would have to go to make space for the line from Nhon to Ha Noi Railway Station.

The trees took more than 40 years to grow to their present size.

Hoang said his unit was working with a contractor for a detail solution for moving the trees to Ha Noi Railway Station in October if approved by the city authority.

As stated in the metro line project which has been approved by the city authority, more than 30 perrenial trees will be chopped down.

At present, there are more than 200,000 trees representing 150 different species throughout Ha Noi.

The section of rail line from Nhon to Ha Noi Railway Station is about 12.5 kilometres long, including 8.5 kilometres elevated and four kilometres underground.

Total investment in the project will be US$1.57 billion. Work began in 2010 and will finish by November, 2018.

Two Chinese nationals arrested for illegal money transport

Police in the southern province of Tay Ninh announced the prosecution of two Chinese men on September 3, who had been arrested for illegally carrying Vietnamese cash into Cambodia.

Tan Zheng, 45, and Liu Wei, 27, have been charged with the illegal transportation of money across state borders, according to article 154 of the Criminal Code.

On August 29, 2014, local police forces, together with customs officials and border guards, stopped a foreign car with the registration number 1954-2 at the Xa Mat border gate in Tan Bien district. The car, driven by Tan Zhen, was searched, and three suitcases and a box were found, containing VND18.2 billion (US$860,000) in cash.

Tan Zheng claimed he had been hired by Liu Wei to smuggle the money across the border, and that Wei was waiting for the money on the Cambodian side. When Zheng failed to show up, Wei crossed into Vietnam, where he was arrested by the police.

Around 1.6 million Hanoi kids to be vaccinated against measles

About 1.6 million children under 14 from the capital city of Hanoi will be vaccinated against measles and rubella as part of a 2014-2015 vaccination campaign launched by the municipal Health Department.

According to Dr. Nguyen Nhat Cam, Director of the city’s preventive medicine centre, this will be the largest-scale campaign, targeting children in 30 districts in the city.

The three-phase drive aims to bring the rate of local children of this age group receiving measles-rubella vaccines to 95 percent, he said, adding that it will be implemented from mid-October 2014 to January 2015.

The centre will guide communal and district health workers on how to organise and monitor the campaign, as well as preserve and use vaccines safely.

As many as 1,642 cases of measles were reported in Hanoi earlier this year, 14 of which were fatalities.

During the outbreak, vaccination proved effective. With 73,639 children aged from nine months to under-10 given shots, the outbreak was put under control by the end of May.

License of transport company revoked after accident

The license of Sao Viet, whose bus had a tragic accidents in Lao Cai, has been revoked after the discovery of violations by the operator.

The Hanoi's Department of Transport decided to withdraw the license on September 2. The bus was scheduled to carry passengers on a return trip from Lao Cai to Hanoi, but it continued to pick up more passengers to Sapa.

Representatives of Hanoi's Department of Transport said that, not only did the bus not follow its schedule, it was carrying more people than allowed. The bus had 46 sleeping chairs, but was actually carrying 53, including the driver. The department acknowledged worries that the accident could adversely affect the tourism industry in the area.

Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang, ordered departments of transport in Lao Cai and Hanoi to suspended the operation of Minh Thanh Phat Transport, the general administration of Sao Viet Company for pending investigation.

On September 1, the bus, carrying 53 passengers from Hanoi to Lao Cai and then to Sapa, returned to Lao Cai unscheduled. Presumably, the bus driver meant to avoid an oncoming vehicle, but instead plunged into crevasse, killing 12 immediately and injuring 41.

There was also a video clip below that was recently-posted which purportedly shows the scene. It depicts the bus going on the wrong side of the road and just narrowly avoiding the oncoming car. The clip was recorded on July 11, and the location is said to be near where the accident happened.

No heavy traffic jams seen at gateways to HCMC on holiday

Unlike the previous years, people coming back to HCMC after the National Day holiday did not have to suffer traffic congestion at the gateways to the city.

There was no congestion on Belt Road No.2 in HCMC on September 2 afternoon when more vehicles were en route to the city except a minor jam caused by several broken cars at 4:30 p.m. Drivers of passenger cars and other vehicles moved forward smoothly on the already-opened section of the HCMC- Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway.

Nguyen Long Hai, a citizen living in District 3, said he drove his car as usual after a vacation in Vung Tau City. He said his family left the southern city earlier than others for fear of traffic jams on the way back to HCMC on the National Day holiday.

Nguyen Viet Tan, director of Vietnam Expressway Services Engineering Joint Stock Company, told the Daily that the number of vehicles on the expressway increased 70% on the National Day occasion compared to normal days.

Every day, there were some 20,000 vehicles on the expressway during the holiday, mostly cars and passenger vehicles. Only a small number of heavy-duty trucks has used this route because it has just opened to this kind of vehicle since last Friday.

There were more motorcycles on the road leading to HCMC via Cat Lai ferry station at 5 p.m. on September 2 than normal days as people rushed to the city from Dong Nai Province. However, motorcycle riders and car drivers did not have to wait in long lines to board the ferry as seen in previous years.

Nguyen Thanh Tuan, director of Cat Lai Ferry Enterprise, said the number of vehicles going through Cat Lai has tumbled since the HCMC-Long Thanh section of the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway was opened to traffic. This was why there was not any congestion at the ferry station.

Traffic jams did not occurred at the intersection of Binh Trieu and National Highway 13.

However, many motorcycle riders had to move slowly on the section of National Highway 1A in Binh Chanh District when they came back from Mekong Delta provinces.

HCM City private hospital to ease shortage

A privately-run general hospital with modern equipment and facilities was inaugurated in HCM City on Tuesday.

With 30 consulting rooms, Xuyen A General Hospital can provide consulting and medical services to 1,500 patients per day.

The modern equipment and advanced technology used at the hospital would help Xuyen A improve medical-care services to people at a time when tight State budgets cannot allow investment in modern State hospitals, said Dr Nguyen Van Chau, general director of Xuyen A General Hospital.

Chau said that Xuyen A hospital's current charge for health exams was VND20,000 (US$90cents), the same as the one in public hospitals, and the minimum charge for rooms was VND50,000 ($2.3) per day.

The hospital is located near the city's northern gateway where three public hospitals, including Cu Chi General Hospital with 1,000 beds, Cu Chi District Hospital with 150 beds and Hoc Mon General Hospital with 550 beds, are often overloaded.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said it would help ease the pressure of overloading exerted on public hospitals and at the same time accelerate the Government's policy to privatise the nation's health sector.

The hospital's affordable treatment costs would allow it to provide services to more low and medium-income patients, she added.

The hospital was built on an area of 44,500 square meter with an investment of VND800billion ($37million), Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper reported.

Landslide bulldozes riverbank

Strong floods have washed out 400 sq.m. of land along the bank of the Tien River in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap's Long Thuan island commune's An Hoa Village.

The landslide also damaged a local road and threatened 65 households living nearby. Families in this rural Mekong Delta area were instructed to evacuate, said Kha Van Lien, vice chairman of the communal People's Committee.

The committee finished a resettlement area for this purpose about two years ago, located about 500 metres from their houses. Each household received VND5 million (US$236) as financial support for the move.

However, many said that they had not yet evacuated because they had to continue fishing and trading.

Authorities of Hong Ngu District and Long Thuan island commune have mobilised forces to build another road 200 metres from the one damaged by the floods.

Lien said that the island commune had seen seven landslides this year, affecting about 5,000 sq. m. of land. The commune had requested long-term support from the provincial People's Committee to remedy the situation, but the high cost, estimated to be dozens of billions of dong, continued to be a deterrent.

Ha Noi to call public services tender

The capital city plans to use the procurement method to hasten the completion of public service projects while helping to improve the project quality and save money for the State.

The Ha Noi Department of Construction has proposed the Ha Noi People's Committee to call for tenders for seven projects this year. These include transporting waste to the Nam Son Waste Treatment Complex, planting trees and grass along roads and building a street lighting system along the Phap Van-Cau Gie portion of National Highway 1.

In addition, the department will call for tenders for a number of projects in the 2015-2016 period, including the operation of the sewage treatment plant at the Nam Son Waste Treatment Complex and the management of 53 public steel toilets.

The projects are all ongoing public services that have not been implemented according to requirements or that have contracts that will soon expire, according to the Ha Noi Department of Construction. The bidding system aims to improve the quality of the projects and save money for the State.

The urban infrastructure system is currently overloaded, as existing landfills and waste treatment complexes fail to meet demand in the rapidly urbanising city. Moreover, many service suppliers have not yet implemented modern technology or management methods that would improve productivity and reduce labour costs.

In an interview with Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, a leader of the Ha Noi Department of Construction said the Ha Noi People's Committee had already approved cost norms for public services with the goal of eliminating irrational pricing. The decision, as well as the move to seek tenders for public service projects, reflects the country's ongoing transition to the market economy.

Annually, Ha Noi spends about VND4,000 billion ($190 million) from the state budget to pay for public services like wastewater treatment, environmental protection, tree planting and street lighting. The sum is divided evenly between the Ha Noi Municipal People's Committee and People's Committees in districts and precincts.

Vietnam – a desirable career destination

With its improved living conditions, high economic growth and rising demand for senior professionals, Vietnam is considered an attractive spot for skilled foreign workers, according to Careerintelligence.com.

The website praised Vietnam’s geographical location, tucked between between the Gulf of Thailand and the Gulf of Tonkin, offering some of the world’s most unique landscapes.

“Combined with a low cost of living, the country’s steady improvements in infrastructure have made it an increasingly attractive destination for expatriates,” it said.

Early in 2012, Vietnam introduced an extensive reform programme focusing on public investment, the banking sector, and state-owned enterprises. These measures have spurred economic growth, and turned the country into an attractive destination for foreign investment, leading to more employment opportunities. The current short-term economic climate provides good investment opportunities, and the real estate market is improving along with the country’s GDP growth.

Besides the capital city of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City is the second best city for expatriates. Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Hai Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau are also attracting foreign direct investment, promising numerous career-building opportunities, the website added.

Ranking highly in Expat Experience league tables, Vietnam is rated particularly highly for the Disposable Income criteria.

The website said 53 percent of expats agreed that living and working conditions in Vietnam had improved, whilst employers were offering attractive relocation packages. Given the low overall cost of living and higher earning potential, Vietnam is considered one of Southeast Asia’s ‘most cost-effective places for expats’.

Although agriculture, forestry and fishery constitute the biggest sectors of Vietnam’s economy, they are giving way to industry and the services sector. Western and Chinese multinational companies are relocating their production units to Vietnam due to lower manufacturing costs. Increased investments from Japan and the Republic of Korea further support this trend.

The stable political situation, incentives for foreign investors and the promising market are factors attracting foreign direct investment flows to the Southeast Asian nation.

In regards to job opportunities, Vietnam is a prime destination for job-seekers. Despite its skilled workforce, Vietnam still needs better human resources to meet the demands of highly professionalised fields, such as information technology.

The most promising sectors for expats looking for job opportunities include IT, financing, marketing, logistics and human resources development.

English training initiative kicks off

A Training of Trainers Programme for lecturers of English at universities, colleges and education departments in the country was launched in HCM City on September 3.

The programme aims to create a group of core trainers who can teach annual professional-development courses for teachers of English at all levels, from primary to high school education.

It is carried out by the Ministry of Education and Training's management board of the National Foreign Language 2020 Project, in co-operation with the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Training Center (SEAMEO RETRAC).

SEAMEO RETRAC is in charge of organising and coordinating the courses for 400 out of 838 lecturers and teachers of English from universities, colleges, and educational institutions in Danang and HCM City this month.

A blended mode of face-to-face and online learning is applied. The program includes two modules: English for Teaching and ICT in Language Instruction which aim to improve participants' teaching methodology and to harness ICT skills for English-language teaching and learning.

The first module will be conducted by international experts from the UK and the US, while the second module will be taught by Vietnamese lecturers with internationally recognised expertise in ICT application in language teaching and learning.

Vice President Doan grants scholarships to needy children

Vice President and Chairwoman of the Protection Council of Vietnam Fund for Child Protection, Nguyen Thi Doan, presented 110 scholarships worth VND 3 million each to outstanding and needy students in the northern province Ninh Binh on September 3.

Vice President Doan praised recipients’ study achievement and encouraged them to continue their efforts in the new school year.

On this occasion, the Vice President also visited and presented gifts to 100 children at Rehab Center for Children No2 for their good performances over the last year.

Vice President Doan spoke highly of Ninh Binh local authority of its children’s social care and urged relevant agencies in the province to enhance their supervision over the implementation of children’s rights.

The Vice President also offered 570 gifts to poor children in the province on the occasion of mid autumn festival.

Vice Present Doan launched two programmes in 2012, which aimed to benefit orphans, ethnic children and disadvantaged children, supporting them to continue pursuing their studies. These programmes have been implemented in 58 provinces across Vietnam.

The Vietnam Fund for Child Protection has so far received VND4,000 billion, granting scholarships and assistances to 28 million children.

Railway fares discounted up to 50%

The Vietnam Railways Corporation (VRC) has announced discounts up to 50% on rail fares for its Thong Nhat trains (north-south route) from September 4 to December 31.

The VRC will use 20% of its seats on trains coded SE1/2, SE3/4, SE5/6, SE7/8, TN1/2, SE21 and SE22 to sell discounted tickets for individual passengers who buy tickets for a distance of 1,300 kilometres or more.

Passengers who book seats more than 60 days in advance will be offered a 50% discount while those buying tickets 30-59 days in advance will receive a 30% discount.

Notably, preferential tickets for the train coded SE21 are applied to passengers departing from Hue to Quang Ngai stations for Nha Trang to Saigon stations.

Discounted tickets for the train coded SE22 are applied to passengers leaving from Saigon to Thap Cham stations for Quang Ngai to Hue stations.

Xuyen A general hospital opens in Ho Chi Minh City

The Xuyen A General Hospital officially opened with an inaugural ceremony in Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City on September 2.

In an effort to ease the overload at other hospitals throughout the city, the private hospital holds 26 wards with nine operation rooms and 30 examination rooms and can treat 1,500 patients daily.

Dr Nguyen Van Chau, the hospital’s director, said Xuyen A hospital is equiped with advanced equipment worth VND800 billion (US$ 37.6 million), but its service fees will be similar to those at state-run hospitals.

According to Minister of Health, Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, the Party, State and National Assembly will continue to encourage investors to build high-quality medical facilities to help ease overloads in major cities. She also expressed hope that the hospital would become a prestigious destination and meet demands for health check-ups and treatment.

Odon Vallet scholarships presented to students in Central Highlands

The Vallet Scholarship Fund continued its mission in Vietnam, granting 175 scholarships to outstanding students on September 3.

The scholarships were awarded to extraordinary students from disadvantaged families in the Central Highlands and the central provinces of Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan.

Students at university and in college received VND13 million (US$620) each, whilst secondary school students were given VND8 million (US$380).

Over the past 14 years, Odon Vallet has used his own money to finance the grants for excellent young students in France and Vietnam.

He is touring Vietnam from August 23 to September 7 to present the scholarships to the beneficiaries.

Since its establishment in 2001, the fund has allocated over VND100 billion (US$4.76 million) to more than 21,000 students.

In 2014, the fund will grant over 2,000 scholarships worth VND20 billion (nearly US$952,400) to students throughout Vietnam.

Hue relocates polluting cement factory

The central province of Thua Thien - Hue will move 114-year-old Long Tho Cement Plant from its location in a residential area in order to protect the environment.

The plant has polluted Hue City's Thuy Bieu Ward for years, according to the local Department of Natural Resources and Environment. A recent decision made by the provincial People's Committee states that the plant must be relocated to an industrial park in Huong Thuy or Huong Tra district by June 2016.

The removal will cost VND200 billion (US$9.4 million), which will come from loans.

In 2010, the department developed a plan to remove the plant by 2015, but it was delayed by a lack of capital and difficulties finding new jobs for workers. The plant has stopped operation of kilns and reduced production by half.

First built in 1910 by French colonists, the plant has an annual capacity of 200,000 tonnes.

Ho Chi Minh City enhances Ebola prevention measures

The Department of Health in Ho Chi Minh City is stepping up its efforts to detect early cases of exposure to the deadly virus Ebola which has killed more than 1,900 people in West Africa so far.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) official updated the latest figures on September 3, warning that the worst Ebola outbreak the world has ever seen is still gathering pace.

Fearing the virus could be brought into Vietnam via its border gates, the Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health, Nguyen Huu Hung, has called on the city’s medical stations to increase awareness raising campaigns on the early symptoms of the virus and treatment procedures.

Ebola patients initially show symptoms of sudden fever, weakness, muscle ache, headache and sore throat. The later symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, impaired kidney and liver functions, and sometimes internal and external bleeding. However, the earlier Ebola is detected and the symptoms are treated, the higher the chance of survival, according to the WHO.

Ho Chi Minh City ’s District 1 has recorded 18 individuals travelling to Vietnam from Ebola-hit regions, including 13 from Nigeria , one of the four West African countries affected by the virus.

The Department of Preventive Medicine is undertaking maximum efforts, including the strict observation of those travelling from Ebola-hit regions for three weeks upon arrival and enhanced coordination with the police to keep them under community surveillance.

The municipal health department has requested healthcare facilities to prepare for a potential outbreak, including the establishment of isolation wards and setting aside personal protection gear for medical workers.

Ebola is spread through contact with an infected person's bodily fluids, such as sweat and blood. There is no cure or vaccine for the virus, which has affected Guinea , Sierra Leone and Liberia the most.

To date, Vietnam has no reported cases of Ebola infections.

Residents speak out over stalled bridge construction

Residents in Hung Nguyen commune of the central province of Nghe An have complained that the delayed construction of the Den bridge is wreaking havoc on their living standards.

The Den bridge project across the Thap channel was scheduled to be built in 18 months, from December 7, 2011 to June 7, 2013 by Trung Viet Ltd., Co at a total cost of more than VND35.1 billion (US$1.68 million).

Over a year has passed since the deadline and the bridge consists of little more than a few pillars in the middle of the channel.

"The constructing company had partly stopped the flow of Vinh river to build the bridge, and that badly affected the drainage," head of the local Ben Thuy drainage station Le Dinh Nam told Gia Dinh va Xa hoi (Family and Society) Newspaper.

"I am so worried for the residents when the rainy season is coming near and the drainage is not fast enough," he said.

Stopping the flow of the Vinh River has also caused transport problems. Boat owners have complained over the lack of signage and navigators to cross the construction site, while living conditions have deteriorated from pollution.

"I have not dared to open my windows for years because of dust and noise pollution. There was no way that the elderly, children and sick people could stand it. If this circumstance continues, my family might have to move to another place," said resident Ha Thi Van.

Trung Viet, the constructing company, received VND14.2 billion (US$683,000) from Hung Nguyen commune People's Committee in the first two years of the plan to build a section of the bridge worth VND6.5 billion (US$312,500).

The building has been on hold since last year and the company has kept the remaining sum of more than VND7.7 billion (US$370,000).

Head of Hung Yen commune's General Construction Management Board Nguyen Van Hao told the newspaper that there were valid reasons for the slow speed of the construction, such as the slow rate of fund disbursement, poor weather and the weak capability of the constructing company.

He also denied that Trung Viet Company had received privileges in receiving such a large advance of funds despite making little progress on the project.

"Giving the constructing company an advanced amount of VND14.2 billion (US$683,000) totally conforms to national regulations," Hao said.

He said that if Trung Viet was unable to finish the promised level of construction by the extended deadline of September 30, Hung Nguyen commune's administration would unilaterally terminate the contract.

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