Workers’ right must be ensured amid CPTPP implementation: unions

Trade unions should work to ensure workers’ rights and interests amid challenges arising from the implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a trade union official stated on August 3.

Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Tran Thanh Hai made his statement at a seminar on CPTPP opportunities and challenges facing workers’ jobs and rights, held by the Thua Thien – Hue Labour Confederation in the central province.

The seminar received 26 papers by experts, lecturers, and trade union officials. Their contents revolved around a number of issues, including advantages – disadvantages in ensuring workers’ rights when the CPTPP takes effect, as well as suggestions to the revision of the 2012 Labour Code and the Law on Trade Union in order to facilitate and promote the role of trade unions.

Le Dinh Quang, deputy head of the VGCL’s Labour Relations Department, said when the deal comes into effect, it will be more likely for workers to lose their jobs, as companies with weak performance will face high risks of bankruptcy.

Labour relations will also become more complicated due to the formation of more organisations following different purposes, Quang noted.

Speaking from the current operation of the Thua Thien – Hue Labour Confederation, Nguyen Quoc Dat, member of the confederation’s standing board, said for membership development, trade unions should overhaul their establishment method, particularly the election process.

The scope of their eligibilities for membership should also be expanded to cover part-time workers, domestic workers, and foreign workers in Vietnam, he added.

The original Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was signed by 12 countries in February 2016, but US President Donald Trump pulled his country from the deal upon his inauguration in January 2017.

The remaining 11 countries – namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam – signed the pact and renamed it the CPTPP during their meet-up in March 2018 in Chile.

The CPTPP will create one of the world’s largest free trade blocs with a combined market of 499 million people and GDP of around 10.1 trillion USD, accounting for 13.5 percent of the global GDP.

Mexico, Japan and Singapore have ratified the pact.

Hanoi reports abnormal rise in measles cases

As many as 271 cases of measles have been reported in Hanoi since the beginning of this year, compared to just 60 for all of last year.

According to the municipal Department of Health, the number of cases has increased weekly and most measles patients were children under five years old.

Most of the infected children have not been vaccinated or did not receive full vaccinations.

In some cases, newborns under nine months old who were not old enough to get the measles vaccination caught the disease because they did not receive proper measles antibodies from their mothers.

Director of the Hanoi Preventive Medicines Centre Nguyen Nhat Cam said that the measles cases were found across all districts in the city, not localised in one area.

He said about 140,000-150,000 babies were born in Hanoi yearly and about 5 percent of the newborns were not vaccinated.

Measles can spread easily, Cam said, warning parents to have their children vaccinated properly.

Doctor Dang Nhat Quang from Saint Paul Hospital said it was abnormal to see more children get measles during the summer as the peak time for measles outbreaks is usually the transition period between winter and spring.

Hospital-infection control work key task of health sector

A patient room at the Vietnam National Children's Hospital in Hanoi 

Hospitals and clinics in Vietnam have started implementing surveillance of nosocomial infections and monitoring the hospital-infection control process, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien said at a recent meeting.

Measures include the monitoring of hand hygiene compliance, hospital microbial surveillance and antibiotic resistance, step by step standardisation of disinfection, hospital hygiene improvement, and disease prevention, Tien said at the meeting organised by the Health Ministry in Hanoi this week that aimed to implement the new Circular on hospital-infection control regulations.

The Ministry of Health has just issued Circular No.16/2018 that regulates hospital-infection control, to replace the previous Circular No.18/2009.

Director of the Ministry of Health’s Medical Examination and Treatment Department Luong Ngoc Khue said according to the new circular, hospitals with over 150 beds must have a hospital-infection control department, and hospitals with under 150 beds must have an infection control office with full-time staff.

“The head of the hospital must be fully responsible for hospital-infection control plans,” Khue said.

“Full-time supervisors, disinfectants and sterilisers must have Ministry of Health certificates or degrees in hospital-infection control (with training time of three months).”

Khue added the new circular also suggested hospitals seek investment and funding from different sources to develop hospital sanitation measures and waste treatment under the professional control of the hospital-infection control department.

“The circular is an important step to determine hospital-infection control work as a key task of the health sector.”

However, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien acknowledged that the work of hospital-infection control in Vietnam still faced many challenges.

At some clinics, management has not yet fully understood the role and importance of hospital-infection control work, so investment has not been appropriate or effective, according to Tien.

“Human resource management for hospital-infection work is inadequate and weak in contributing to the effective prevention and control of antibiotic resistance, medical complications, and of contagious disease,” Tien said.

In particular, with the development of diseases in developing countries, including Vietnam, infectious diseases accounted for a high proportion with many newly-emerging diseases bringing a high risk of death, occurring not only in communities but also in hospitals, such as influenza A (H5N1, H1N1, H7N9), MERS-CoV and Ebola, according to the deputy health minister.

This was one of the major challenges facing the health sector’s hospital-infection control work.

According to the Ministry of Health, the ratio of patients suffering from hospital-acquired infections in Vietnam ranges from 4-8 percent of total patients being treated at hospitals.

In fact, there have been a number of wide-spread cases, including the measles outbreak in 2014 that infected many children being treated at the Hanoi-based National Hospital of Paediatrics.

In November, 2017, a hospital-acquired infection case at the Bac Ninh obstetrics and maternity hospital killed four babies, and many others were infected with various levels of severity.

In June 2018, many children in Dien Bien Dong district in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien were also infected with measles after being treated at a district health clinic.

There are many risks of infection in hospitals, including from drinking water, toilets and medical equipment. To ensure the hygiene and safety of patients, many hospitals have installed soap, clean bed sheets and toilets to prevent infections.

Nguyen Tan Hoa, 54, from southern Dong Nai province, was taking care of his wife, a cancer patient at HCM City Tumour Hospital, saying “There are free water bottles, which is good for patients and their family members. But in a crowded hospital, with all kinds of sickness, bottles should be cleaned thoroughly.”-VNS/VNA

Art exhibition promotes understanding among Mekong nations

Fifty oil paintings depicting cultural features and social activities of people living along the Mekong River in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand are on display at an exhibition which opened in the Lao capital city of Vientiane on August 3.

The art works were created by ten artists from the three Southeast Asian countries.

Oganised by the Lao national art association, the exhibition has been an annual event between Thailand and Laos. 

This is the first time Vietnam has joined the event, which aims to connect cultures of communities living along the Mekong River, while bolstering mutual understanding among the countries.

The event offers opportunities for artists from the three countries to exchange experience, and open up cooperative orientations.

The exhibition will run until August 18.

HCM City: Over 5,000 walk for AO victims, disabled

A charity walk was held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 5 to raise funds for Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims and the disabled. 

A charity walk was held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 5 with the participation of more than 5,000 people to raise funds for Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims and the disabled. 

Addressing the event, Tran Quoc Hung, Vice President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) Central Committee, said about 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to AO/dioxin during the wartime and the number of people affected by the chemical would amount to tens of millions. 

Over the past years, the association has supported 4.9 million AO victims and their families through various activities with total funding of more than 1.27 trillion VND (54.61 million USD), he said. 

Hung stressed that the VRC calls on organisations and individuals nationwide to join hands to help AO victims and people with disabilities. 

In 2017, the programme collected over 1 trillion VND (43 million USD), providing support for more than 3,000 AO victims.

Campaign encourages public involvement in sea clean-up

Leaders of Binh Dinh province's People's Committee collect rubbish on beach 

More than 300 young people in the central coastal province of Binh Thuan joined a campaign to clean up the sea on August 4.

The “Let’s clean up the sea” campaign, held from July 12 to August 31, is one of the key events of the Summer Youth Volunteer Campaign 2018. 

It will go through 28 coastal cities and provinces nationwide to raise public awareness of the ocean’s significant role in human life. It is expected to draw the participation of at least 28,000 people nationwide.

Nguyen Hoai Trung, Deputy Secretary of the provincial Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, said that this year, Binh Thuan is selected to be one of the five key localities to host the campaign.

The campaign includes a lot of activities, including garbage collection along beaches, and the establishment of volunteer teams to protect the maritime environment.

The “Let’s clean up the sea” campaign was also organised in the central province of Binh Dinh on the same day, with crowds of youths and volunteers collecting rubbish at beaches in Quy Nhon city.

The campaign, initiated by the Vietnam Television (VTV) 24 news centre and the Vietnam National Volunteer Centre in 2016, has attracted the involvement of both local and international organisations as well as people from all walks of life.

Vietnamese beers present at Berlin beer festival for 18 years

Vietnamese beer have been present at the International Berlin Beer Festival for 18 years. 

Vietnamese beer and traditional dishes and products have been displayed at the 22nd International Berlin Beer Festival in the German capital on August 3 – 5. 

It is the 18th year in a row Vietnam has set up a pavilion in the “longest beer garden in the world” recognised by the Guinness World Records.

The 2.2-km garden stretches along the Karl Marx Allee, the largest boulevard in Berlin, offering about 2,400 beers from 350 breweries from all over the globe.

This year, Vietnam brings to the festival two of the country’s popular brands, Saigon and Truc Bach, alongside the country’s culinary specialties and traditional products like “non la” (Vietnamese conical hat), handheld paper fans and products made from rattan and bamboo. Vietnamese dances and music are also introduced to locals, alongside a show of “ao dai” (Vietnamese traditional gown).

Addressing the event’s opening ceremony on August 3, Nguyen Xuan Hung, Director of Asia Sky Tours who runs the Vietnamese pavilion, said he is proud that Vietnam’s beer culture has been present for 18 years at the International Berlin Beer Festival. 

It is not only a great opportunity to introduce Vietnam’s beer products but also its landscapes, culture and people to foreign visitors, he noted.

Eberhard Schollmeier, nicknamed King Gambrinus (the King of Beer), spoke highly of the enthusiasm and continuous presence of Vietnam in the festival. “Vietnam has taken part in the International Berlin Beer Festival for 18 consecutive years during 22 years we hosted the event. It is truly a festive day and Vietnamese have found here a corner of their homeland.”

The three-day festival is expected to welcome more than 1 million visitors. Like the world’s largest beer festival Oktoberfest annually held from late September to early October in Munich, Germany, the International Berlin Beer Festival is a big event in the European country to promote the beer industry. 

Last year, Hanoi and Saigon beers were promoted at the event.

Hanoi police prosecute two men for illegal drug trafficking

Lau A Chu and Lau A Chia were arrested while attempting to transport 40 bricks of heroin. 

The Investigation Police Agency of Hanoi’s Dong Da district on August 3 decided to prosecute and issue temporary detention warrants for two men residing in the northern border province of Dien Bien for illegal drug trafficking.

Lau A Chu, born in 1995, and Lau A Chia, born in 1999, residing in Dien Bien Dong district were arrested at Ho Tung Mau-Pham Hung crossroad on June 8 while attempting to transport 40 bricks of heroin weighing 14 kilogrammes in total.

Initial investigations showed that Chu and Chia are dealers in a drug trafficking ring, which transported the drugs from Dien Bien province to Hanoi, then continue distributing them to Thai Nguyen, Cao Bang and Bac Kan provinces for consumption.

Chu said that they would be paid 200 million VND (8,800 USD) if successfully transporting the drugs to Hanoi.

On August 3, Hai Phong police busted a large drug trafficking ring, and seized over one kilogrammes of drugs of various kinds. 

Tran Thi Kim Ung (born in 1987, and residing in An Duong village, An Dong commune, An Duong district), and her husband Hoang Van Kien (born in 1989, residing in Van Tra village, An Dong commune, An Duong district), were arrested for drug possession and trading.

The police seized 1.8 kilogrammes of drugs, two mobile phones, 2.2 million VND, and many other exhibits. 

Earlier, Ung was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment for her illegal drug possession and trading. However, the execution of the sentence was postponed as her child was under 36 months old.

Summer camp for Vietnamese, Lao, and Cambodian kids wraps up

Children from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia join together in an exchange programme which features traditional culture and arts of the three nations

A five-day summer camp in Ho Chi Minh City for children from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia closed on August 4, spotlighting the solidarity of the three countries’ kids. 

Suphalak Xayyalath from Lao said he was very impressed with destinations he visited in HCM City, especially the historical site of Cu Chi Tunnels. 

Meanwhile, Chen Sovansakha from Cambodia said the event offered a good chance for him to know more things, adding that he made many friends during this event. 

Vietnamese delegate Nguyen Ngoc Hong Giang said she learnt much from Lao and Cambodian friends. 

The programme, the fifth of its kind, was hosted by the city’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. 

According to head of the organising board Phan Thi Thanh Phuong, the event aimed to promote exchange and deepen solidarity among children of the three countries.

The event saw the participation of 57 youths from Cambodian localities, namely Phnom Penh, Battanmbang, Kampot, Svay Rieng, and Kratie; and 54 from the Lao provinces of Vientiane, Champasak, and Attapeu.

Meanwhile, 135 Vietnamese delegates from HCM City and border provinces such as Kon Tum, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Long An, and Kien Giang joined in the programme.

During the programme, young delegates offered incense and flowers to President Ho Chi Minh at the municipal Children’s House. They also visited the city’s famous destinations, including the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Artinus 3D Art Museum, and the river bus route.

In addition, they also joined together in an exchange programme which featured traditional culture and arts of the three nations; and met with leaders of HCM City.

Photographers show love for Truong Sa via exhibition

The last time photographer Tran Thi Thu Dong returned home after a trip to Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago she felt something very different from other assignments, so the vice chairwoman of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibitions decided to organise a photo exhibition.

With the help of 12 photographers, the exhibition has come to fruition and opened in the capital city of Hanoi on August 3.

The 120 photos on show express a love for the Spratly archipelago and respect for the people and soldiers who live and protect the islands as well as the national sovereignty.

“I believe that the Spratly archipelago is a holy place that people hold a deep love for in their hearts," she said.

“I want to connect and spread the love. Loving the Spratly doesn’t mean that you have to visit the islands.”

“When you love the Spratly, you just need help other people understand more about the archipelago and the people and soldiers who protect it day and night,” said Dong.

The photographers participating in the exhibition include Vu Quoc Khanh, Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Photographic Artists, photographer Le Nguyen from the southernmost province of Ca Mau, Thach Cong Thinh from the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang, Le Quang Dung from the central province of Nghe An and Nguyen My Tra from Radio the Voice of Vietnam.

The exhibition will run until August 7 at the Exhibition House, 93 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hanoi.

Vietnamese expats stabilise lives after fire in Cambodia

The support from Vietnamese and Cambodian authorities, and international organisations have helped Vietnamese expatriates in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, overcome difficulties after a fire burnt their houses to the ground last month.

Attending a ceremony jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia and Khmer-Vietnamese Association on August 4 to review relief activities for fire victims, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh expressed his gratitude towards Cambodian leaders and authorities for giving timely assistance to the Vietnamese expatriates. 

This was a successful relief campaign, he said, adding that it set a record in terms of speed, donated money and items, and the number of sponsors.

Also, he took the occasion to thank Vietnam’s resident reporters in Cambodia for spreading updated news about the incident.

At the event, the organising board handed over assistance from the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee to the victims, with 20 million VND (870 USD) offered to each family. 

A fire broke out at dawn of July 10 and quickly ripped through 57 Vietnamese households in Ruseykeo district, Phnom Penh. 

The cause of the fire was identified as an electrical short-circuit in a house owned by Sin Yin, a 63 year-old Vietnamese Cambodian. The fire spread to other houses in the neighbourhood due to their combustible building materials, requiring 32 firefighting vehicles to extinguish the blaze.

New look has been given to the devastated area just after four weeks as new houses have been built on the former ground with more stable building materials. However, the impoverished Vietnamese there still have to encounter other tough challenge when the water level of Mekong River is rising as the result of the collapse of the Sepien-Senamnoi hydropower dam in Laos.

Photos on Hanoi’s suburban life on display

A photo on display by Truong The Cau (Source: hanoimoi.com.vn)

As many as 139 photos depicting the suburban life in Hanoi are being displayed at an exhibition which opened at 45 Trang Tien Street, downtown the capital city on August 3.

The exhibited photos are the winning works of the 48th fine art photography contest held to celebrate this year’s August Revolution (August 19), National Day (September 2), the 64th anniversary of Hanoi’s Liberation Day (October 10) and 10th years of the capital’s boundary expansion.

According to Dao Quang Minh, Vice President of the Hanoi Association of Photographic Artist and head of the contest’s jury, some 1,750 entries have been sent to the organizers from 293 photographers since the competition was launched 2 months ago. Most of the works captured people’s life in four districts on the outskirts of Hanoi – Dan Phuong, Thanh Tri, Hoai Duc and Dong Anh which has been recognised as new-style rural districts.

Speaking at the exhibition’s opening ceremony, Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Ngo Thi Thanh Hang said a decade after Hanoi’s boundary expansion, the capital has seen remarkable progress with achievements recorded in multiple fields, including politics, economy, society, and culture. 

The city’s rural areas have also experienced significant changes, helping Hanoi lead the country in the new-style rural area building with 76.2 percent of communes and four districts gaining the status, she noted.

The exhibition is expected to help promote efforts by the administration and people of Hanoi over the past decade and motivate the better construction of the city.

The event will run through August 7.