HCM City People's Court begins trial of gamblers

The police apply information technology in investigation. The HCM City People's Court has judged a case of illegal using and publishing information on the internet. — Photo thethaovanhoa.vn

The HCM City People's Court today opened the trial for the case of illegally using and publishing information on the Internet and gambling.

The case concerns Van Tien Tu, 30, from HCM City's District 7 and 31 accomplices aged between 29 and 35.

Tu is the leader of the group of hackers and swindlers called Mattfeuter, which was shut down in 2013 by the Viet Nam Ministry of Public Security in co-ordination with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The indictment showed that from July 12, 2010 to May 31, 2013, Tu set up and operated the Mattfeuter group to buy and sell information related to credit cards such as Visa, Master Card and Amex from the United Kingdom, France, the United States and some other countries in the world.

Tu and his 31 accomplices took more than VND61 billion (US$2.7 million) of illegal profits from their work.

They also operated several websites such as ibet8and sbo to gamble and made VND800 million ($35,500) in illegal profits.

The court is scheduled to pronounce judgement on the case this Friday.

Inspectors discover violations with losses totalling US$4.3 trillion

Inspectors conducted more than 6,500 administrative inspections and more than 243,600 regular inspections in different sectors last year.

These results were declared at a conference this morning, attended by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The inspection authorities checked the implementation of laws in several corporations and examined the re-organisation and privatisation process of several enterprises.

They also evaluated construction investment projects, land and mineral management, and the management and use of construction investment funds.

Inspectors discovered violations resulting in losses of VND97.4 trillion (US$4.3 trillion) and more than 16,400ha of land.

The authorities reclaimed VND16.2 trillion ($721 million) and 316ha of land, delivering it to the state budget.

The officials issued more than 161,600 administrative penalties to organisations and individuals, amounting to VND11.4 trillion ($509.3 million).

The inspectors forwarded 67 cases involving 74 people to the criminal investigation authority.

It also transferred 40 cases involving 133 people to the concerned departments to initiate legal proceedings.

Electricity pole collapse kills 11th grade student

A sixteen-year-old boy in the northern province of Lang Son died yesterday afternoon after an electricity pole suddenly came crashing down on him.

Nguyen Trung Anh, an 11th grade student of Cao Loc High school, was waiting for the traffic lights to change at an intersection in Cao Loc Town, when the eight-metre long pole came down crushing him and his bicycle.

Anh was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved due to his severe injuries.

Witnesses at the scene said that a group of power company workers were cutting the electricity pole to replace it with a new one, VnExpress e-newspaper reported.

The initial investigations blamed the lack of responsibility on the part of the workers while they were attempting to replace the pole.

Head of Cao Loc District's police Bui Van Dien said that the police were investigating further. When there had gathered enough evidence, they would prosecute the persons who caused the accident, he added.

Switzerland urged to support qualified educational system

Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) President Nguyen Thien Nhan has asked Switzerland to support Vietnam’s developing a qualified educational system, especially in combining vocational training, science, and technology at universities and research institutes.

The VFF leader made the call at a January 4 reception in Hanoi for newly-appointed Swiss Ambassador Beatrice Maser Mallor.

He said he hopes both countries will step up cooperation in trade and investment focusing on finance, banking, insurance, high-tech, and chemicals.

Ambassador Beatrice hailed the fine development of the Swiss-Vietnamese relations, adding her nation continues to support early finalization of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

Police search for radioactive device missing from cement plant

Police in the northern province of Bac Kan are searching for an industrial device containing a radioactive substance which has recently been found missing from a closed cement factory.

The gauging device, containing cesium-137, was reported missing from the factory of Bac Kan Cement Company on December 15.

The factory has been shut down due to huge losses since March. It was seized by the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam during the foreclosure process.

In May, officials of the province’s Department of Science and Technology asked the firm to transfer the highly radioactive source to a safer place, citing that there had been no guard protecting the factory since the shutdown.

Authorities said they are examining the scene and searching for the missing device, which was used for clinker level measurement.

Radioactive exposure can lead to injuries and long-term health problems, including birth deformities and cancer.

Celebrating ‘Oshougatsu’ Japanese New Year

If you’re like millions around the globe that have taken an interest in the culinary delights of Japan, then mark your calendar for January 16 to attend a Traditional Japanese New Year celebration at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

The Japanese new year called ‘Oshougatsu’ represents a significant and meaningful time of cleansing and renewal, of being with family, taking stock of the year gone by, and of contemplating the year to come.

The new year festivities boast a wide range of customary foods. Called osechi ryouri, these dishes are an essential element of transitioning into a new year in Japanese culture and have strong, symbolic meanings.

The event promises to provide a unique and invaluable insight into Japanese culture and the traditional ambiance of the Oshougatsu new year, enhancing cultural exchange between all those attending.

It will be held at the B6 Area of the university with many activities planned including on stage song, dance and theatrical performances, demonstrations on making teru teru bozu dolls, paper kites, calligraphy and a galore of traditional games.

National Tourism Year 2016 ready to kick off

The organizing board has revealed the 2016 National Tourism Year will kick off January 8 in the southern province of Kien Giang with an art program spotlighting the culture of the Mekong Delta Region.

The opening ceremony will begin with a series of activities including a ceremony to mark 54th anniversary of Phan Thi Rang - Hero of the People’s Armed Forces.

Some 65 events are planned from January until December 2016.

People hospitalized after ammonia leak

Refrigerant gas escaped from a truck used to transport beer in the Mekong Delta’s Vinh Long province, poisoning a number of local residents.

Once realizing the gas was leaking the driver took the truck to the nearby Binh Minh Industrial Zone to fix the problem but local people were still exposed to the noxious gas, with many being hospitalized.

According to authorities the refrigerant gas includes ammonia, which is used for cooling beer. The incident occurred in Dong Binh commune of Binh Minh town.

A total of five people sought emergency treatment at hospital, while 27 reported feeling unwell but purchased medicine to counter the effects.

According to local people the gas spread out for hundred meters. “At first I thought a gas tank was leaking, so I ran out of the house and saw some people lying on the ground,” said one woman who was affected by the gas. “After that my two children and I began to vomit and felt dizzy, so we went to see the local doctor.” It was fortunate they were able to obtain the right medicine, she said, but she is still concerned about the long-term effects of being exposed to the gas.

The truck was transporting beer from Soc Trang to the Tra Noc Industrial Zone in Can Tho city. The incident has raised concerns over the health of workers at these industrial zones, as the gas is present in the truck’s refrigeration system, which they are regularly exposed to.

Emperor Nguyen Hue's Coronation Ceremony revived in Hue

A thurification marking the 228th anniversary of Nguyen Hue’s throne ascension ceremony (1788 – 2013) and the 227th anniversary of Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da Victory (1789 – 2013) was held at the historical site of Ban Mountain in Hue City on January 4.

In the early spring of 1789, Nguyen Hue – who was later proclaimed Emperor Quang Trung led his Tay Son troop to launch a surprise attack and defeated more than 29,000 invading soldiers in a battle on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. The victory of Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da is known as one of the nation’s most remarkable and remembered historical moments.

Nguyen Hue became Emperor Quang Trung in 1788 and passed away in 1792. Queen Ngoc Han followed him seven years later when she was just 29 years old.

The historical site of Ban Mountain covering on an area of 9.5 hectares includes a giant stone statue of Emperor Quang Trung, an exhibition house on the Tay Son rising-up movement and temples commemorating King Nguyen Hue and Queen Le Ngoc Han together with mandarins.

Da Lat Culture & Urban Park inaugurated

Da Lat Trung Nam Real Estate Corp inaugurated yesterday the infrastructure phase of the Da Lat Urban Culture Park (Golf Valley) project.

This is the largest urban development project in the province with total investment capital of US$ 180million including high-end villas, commercial centers, restaurants, parks…

The project covering an area of 20 ha, is located in the center city, Da Lat market, Golf Da Lat Palace and Xuan Huong Lake.

Mr. Pham S, deputy chairman of Lam Dong People’s Committee said the project aims to meet local people and tourists’ demand for entertainment; contribute to develop the provincial high-end tourism industry.

Beverage distributor fined for not having food safety certificate

Upon tainted  several dozen bottles of Tan Hiep Phat company’s Dr Thanh herbal tea, reportedly containing dregs, the company’s distributor Viet Loan Co., based in the Mekong delta province of Ca Mau, was fined VND12.5 million (US$564.3) for not having a food safety certificate, said Tran Be Ngoan, head of the province’s Food Administration on December 29.

Additionally, the distributor was fined VND4 million (US$180.5) for preserving its products in an unhygienic place.

Before inter-department inspection team paid a visit to Viet Loan company where inspectors uncovered 64 Dr Thanh beverage bottles having dredges inside. Inspectors seized the products and asked the company not to sell to the market.

Dr Thanh, Number 1 energy drink, is produced by Tan Hiep Phat Group, which is facing a boycott from the public after it won a fly-in-bottle lawsuit against a consumer. Customer Vo Van Minh demanded the drink maker pay VND500 million ($23,300) in return for his silence after he discovered a fly in the company’s beverage bottle yet Minh was about to get the cash from a company representative when police officers, informed by Tan Hiep Phat of what it considered ‘Minh’s blackmail,’ showed up to capture him. He was imprisoned seven years on charges of “extortion of assets”

The man is not the only consumer to have found Tan Hiep Phat products containing strange objects.

Many consumers are mocking that whenever the quality of a Tan Hiep Phat product is questioned, those who buy or sell it will be punished, instead of the company that made it.

HCM City urged to help Tan Son Nhat expansion

Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang has called for the government of HCMC to help accelerate expansion of Tan Son Nhat airport to cope with rising overload.

Thang said at the Government’s web conference on December 29 that the ministry is working on upgrade projects at a number of airports in the country, particularly Tan Son Nhat.

The Ministry of Defense has handed over more land to the expansion project at the country’s biggest international airport, he said.

The Ministry of Transport said in October that Tan Son Nhat would be expanded toward the north to adjust up its annual capacity from 20 million to 25 million passengers.

The airport currently has a total area of 590.48 hectares, which will be increased to 598.11 hectares in 2030 to enlarge its apron. The nearby residential area will not be affected by the airport expansion.

Regarding upgrades at other airports, Thang said a new international terminal is being built at Danang International Airport to enable it to handle 13-15 million passengers per year in 2017. Work will start on a new passenger terminal at Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa Province next quarter while Cat Bi International Airport in Haiphong City will have its runway upgrade finished this year and its terminal upgrade done next May.

As for transport infrastructure development, Thang said the ministry has put into use 167 projects this year. The completed projects include the expansion of the National Highway 1A section from Thanh Hoa Province to Can Tho City, and the Ho Chi Minh Road section in the Central Highlands region as well as some expressway stretches.

In the next five years, the ministry will concentrate on building more expressways to complete the target of having 2,000 kilometers of expressway nationwide and upgrading railways to increase the train speed to 80-90 kilometers per hour, Thang said.

About 12% of the projects to be implemented in the coming years will financed by the private sector and the remainder by the State budget.

Ministry warns of China bird flu risk

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued a warning against the possible spread of new strains of the avian influenza virus from China to Vietnam and against the consumption of poultry with unclear origin.

According to a ministry dispatch, Chinese authorities have discovered the A/H7N9 bird flu virus and other virulent strains including A/H5N2, A/H5N3, A/N5N8 and A/H9 in many parts of China. These might spread to Vietnam through transport, trading and smuggling of poultry in the lead up to the Lunar New Year.

Consumers should choose products with clear origin, according to the dispatch.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said that in 2015 China found 226 people infected with the A/H7N9 strain of the bird flu, with 94 of them killed. Last year, A H5N1, A/H5N2 and A/H5N6 bird flu also broke out in China.

In the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang and Guangdong, scientists detected new strains of the bird flu virus with 340 chicken samples testing positive for A/H7 and 464 samples for A/H9.

Therefore, the risk of bird flu spreading from China to Vietnam is high due to the rampant smuggling of poultry across the northern border and poor veterinary controls in the northern provinces.

Victory over genocidal regime marked in HCM City

A ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City on January 6 to mark the 37th anniversary of the victory in the western border defence war and the joint victory of Vietnam and Cambodia over the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime (January 7).

Addressing the event, President of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association’s HCM City chapter Truong Minh Nhut said that January 1, 1979 went down in history as a milestone of the pure and faithful international solidarity and the special friendship between the two nations.

The day also marked Cambodia’s escape from the genocidal regime and stepping into a new era of independence, freedom and revival, as well as ushered in a new chapter for the two countries’ neighbourliness, he said.

It is the solidarity that has helped Vietnam and Cambodia overcome all obstacles and contributed to each nation’s great victories, Nhut noted.

He underlined the need to carry forward the solidarity, especially among the two countries’ young people, in order to further enhance the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations in a sustainable fashion.

Sim Sokhom, Cambodian Consul General to HCM City, said all Cambodian people always bear in mind the historic day as well as the support of Vietnamese people during the fight against the genocidal regime and the cause of national construction.

The Consul General briefed participants on Cambodia’s achievements in politics, economy and socio-culture over the past 37 years.

On this occasion, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations posthumously presented the insignia “For Peace and Friendship among Nations” to Major General Hoang The Thien, former Deputy Defence Minister and Deputy Political Commander of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in Cambodia.

Reigning from 1975-1979, the genocidal regime killed nearly 3 million Cambodian civilians in only 3 years, 8 months and 20 days, destroyed all social facilities and pushed the Cambodian nation to the brink of perdition.

The regime also distorted the history of Vietnam and mobilised most of its military strengths, including dozens of divisions and many local regiments, to launch an invasion into the southwestern border of Vietnam.

They ravaged villages, brutally killed local people, including the elderly, children and women, and seriously violated the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Vietnam.

Thua Thien-Hue facilitates religious activities in line with law

The central province of Thua Thien – Hue has facilitated religious activities in line with the law, Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Phan Ngoc Tho has said.

He made the statement during a local conference on January 6 to review State management of religious affairs for 2015 and launch 2016 tasks.

Last year, the provincial Committee for Religious Affairs in coordination with agencies and trade unions disseminated laws and regulations on religion to 450 religious dignitaries and followers.

It also promptly worked with relevant agencies in addressing arising religion-related problems, thus timely thwarting sabotaging plots by extremists, contributing to maintaining local security and social order and raising public awareness of religious policies in the renovation period.

Nguyen Tai Tue, head of the committee, said many local Catholic dignitaries played an active role in humanitarian activities such as raising funds for the poor, citing the example of Phuoc Vinh ward in Hue City where over 40 percent of locals are Catholics. The dignitaries there led efforts in study encouragement and poverty reduction, including raising nearly 220 million VND (10,000 USD) for the “For the Poor” fund and assisting in providing means of livelihoods and medical check-ups to the needy.

Archbishop Le Van Hong vowed that Catholic dignitaries and followers will stand side by side with local administration and people to further help with the province’s development.

One million Tet gifts for disadvantaged people

The “Tet for poor people and Agent Orange/dioxin victims” campaign sets a target of mobilising 1 million gift packages for the poor and Agent Orange/dioxin victims on the occasion of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) 2016.

This year’s campaign was launched by the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) Central Committee in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the National Humanitarian Portal 1400.

People can support the campaign by texting TET to 1409 from November 26, 2015 to January 25, 2016. Each SMS costs 18,000 VND (nearly 0.8 USD).

In response to the campaign, the VRC will organise an online photo contest themed “Spring of Compassion 2016” from January 11 to March 28, aiming to promote Vietnamese traditional human values.

On the occasion, the youth union of the VRC Central Committee will carry out a humanitarian programme in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang on January 8 calling on the community to support blankets, warm clothes and Tet gifts for children in remote areas.

Since 1999, the “Tet for poor people and Agent Orange/dioxin victims” campaign has raised more than 3 trillion VND (nearly 130 million USD) to help nearly 15 million poor people and Agent Orange victims.

In 2014, it mobilised nearly 1.7 million gifts, worth more than 635 billion VND (over 27 million USD), donated by 25,500 organisations and individuals and 6,400 businesses.

Hanoi pours nearly 2.4 bln USD in rural transport infrastructure

Hanoi has raised approximately 53.8 trillion VND (nearly 2.4 billion USD) investment in developing rural transport infrastructure.

The fund has been used to asphalt all of the capital’s inter-commune and commune-based axis roads and 95 percent of its inter-hamlet and hamlet-based axis roads in accordance with national technical standards while 90 percent of alleys have been concreted to prevent floods during the rainy season.

About 80 percent of inter-field lanes have also been concreted.

Rapid urbanisation, increased urban density and traffic on the outskirts of Hanoi and insufficient road maintenance have made many inter-commune and inter-hamlet roads deteriorate more quickly.

The inter-commune road linking Xuan Phuong and Xuan Canh communes and that crosses Hamlet 8 of Huong Ngai commune in Thach That district have been affecting local residents for years as they were bumpy and became difficult to pass when it was raining.

Ba Vi and Soc Son districts suffered the same with dusty roads in very poor conditions.

The upgrade of the roads has helped improve the local living standards.

Yet many works still need to be done so as to meet the rising travel demand, Deputy Director of the city’s Department of Transporation Ngo Manh Tuan said.

Not only the authority but also the locals should protect the roads, he stressed, adding that investment from the private sector is also needed.

Excellent community initiatives get credit

Excellent initiatives for the sake of the community in 2015 were awarded in Hanoi on January 4.

The awarding ceremony was held by the Communist Review, Ministry of Science and Technology, Vietnam United Youth League, and Hanoi-based Vietnam National University.

The “Initiatives for the Community” contest was launched in June 2015 and received 177 entries sent by individuals and organisations nationwide.

The submitted initiatives were created in various fields such as education, health care, transport, science-technology, tourism, environmental protection, agriculture and voluntary activities.

The first prize went to a patient aiding programme initiated by the Vietnam Young Physicians’ Association.

Two second prizes, three third prizes and five consolation prizes were also granted at the event.

At the ceremony, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan pledged that the front will coordinate with the contest’s organising board to expand the winning initiatives in the community.

He hoped that the contest would become an award named “Initiatives for the community and creativity for the Vietnam Fatherland” to honour those serving both the public and the nation.

The “Initiatives for the Community” contest invites projects and initiatives that support the community, eliminate poverty and promote industrialisation, modernisation and socio-economic development.

It also aims to educate the young on patriotism and responsibility towards the homeland.

PM asks for increased social development investment

The Prime Minister has assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) to allocate 31 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for social development investment this year.

Under the PM’s recent decision instructing eight ministries to realise socio-economic development targets for 2016, the MPI was urged to ensure a GDP growth rate of 6.7 percent and a consumer price index (CPI) increase of below 5 percent in 2016.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has been assigned with a forest coverage target of 41 percent while the Ministry of Industry and Trade must ensure an export growth rate of 10 percent and a trade deficit of under 5 percent.

As many as 24.5 beds per 10,000 people and 76 percent of population participating in health insurance are targets set for the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs must target a reduction of 1.3-1.5 percent in the poverty rate, an unemployment rate of below 4 percent in urban areas and trained workers accounting for 53 percent of total workforce.

Besides, the PM also urged all ministries, sectors and localities to do their best to fulfill other socio-economic objectives for 2016 in terms of information and communication, education and training, culture, sports, broadcasting and television.

HCM City to use new criteria for poor households

A new set of criteria relating to education, health, employment, social insurance, living conditions and access to information will be applied to determine poor and near-poor households in the 2016-2020 period, the Saigon Times Daily reported.

The new method will replace the current one that relies mostly on income to define poor households, according to Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Thu.

In the 2016-2020 period, the city will depend on both income and other criteria like academic degree of adults, education for children, vocational qualification, health service, employment, health and social insurance, water supply, telecom service, and assets to identify which households are poor and near-poor.

With the new poverty standards in place, a household will be considered poor if it has average per capita income of 21 million VND a year and meets less than half of the new criteria. Meanwhile, a household will be seen as near poor when it has average annual per capita income of 21-28 million VND and fails to meet less than four of the criteria.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam said indentifying poor households through income has exposed shortcomings over the past years and has not reflected their real situation. Income of many households has surpassed the poverty line but they cannot benefit from the basic services.

Thu said the city has had no poor households since 2012 if the national poor standards are used but a number of citizens can neither access social services nor meet basic living conditions.

A survey of the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs showed some 9 percent of the households in the city are not poor by income standards but they can easily relapse into poverty.

According to the city’s current poverty criteria, the number of poor households with annual income of less than VND16 million per person and near-poor households with income of 16-21 million VND per person per year account for 0.5 percent and 2 percent of the total households in the city this year respectively.-

VFF encourages initiatives within the community

President of Viet Nam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan yesterday said Viet Nam needs to utilise its profound human resources since they are the most important inner strength for the country to develop.

Speaking at the ceremony to honour winners of the contest "Initiatives for the Community 2015" in Ha Noi, Nhan said Viet Nam's potential is huge with a population of nearly 100 million with endless creativity.

"We should work to take advantage of the country's human resources and try to avoid wasting human creativity," he said.

The contest was launched by the Communist Review, the Viet Nam Youth Federation's (VYF) Central Committee and the Ministry of Science and Technology with entries in the fields of education, health, transport, science and technology, tourism, environmental protection, new-style rural area building, and development support in remote areas.

The organization board received 177 applications from 31 individuals and 86 groups nationwide.

The first prize of the contest was granted to the Viet Nam Young Doctors Association for their project on supporting patients, in which volunteers would come to hospitals to help provide guidance and needed information to patients.

"Overload in hospitals is common in Viet Nam, and many patients coming from remote areas are often confused with procedures in hospital. The project aims at providing patients with information they need to facilitate their examination and treatment process," said Nguyen Ba Tinh, general secretary of the association.

Two second prizes were given to two other projects on using electricity economically and using safe vegetable species to prevent harmful insects.

Other prizes went to ideas on health care for the community, child care, boosting socio-economic development and environmental protection.

"With such ideas not for profit but for the benefit of the community, we can see that in our country there are always people who think of people with disadvantages and want to make a better life for them," the VFF President said.

He also said that the VFF would work with the organization's board on how to turn these ideas into real applications so that they can help make lives better.

Traditional music band unveils new version of Jingle Bell

Giao thoi, a newly-established girls’ band that specializes in playing traditional musical instruments, has recently launched their latest version of Jingle Bell to celebrate the festive season.

The song is remixed with catchy sounds of zither, flute, pipa and monochord to combine both traditional and modern and electronic music. Most of the band’s members, Phuong Thuy, Ngoc Tram, Anh Nguyet and leader Hoai Phuong (ex-member of popular traditional music band Mat troi do), were born in the 1990s and well trained at music schools in Vietnam. They can sing, dance and play a variety of instruments like flute, zither, monochord and T’rung (a traditional Vietnamese bamboo xylophone).

The band has released their debut album Dau noi dau (hiding sorrow) and leader Hoai Phuong also launched her own album Mat Hue xua (ancient eyes of Hue).

The band also has an aptitude for singing youthful and contemporary songs thanks to new mixing styles.

Leader Hoai Phuong said the band’s name, Giao thoi (transitional period), is an indication of their ambition to combine old and new music to approach a wider audience. The band is planning their new music videos and an album for Lunar New Year 2016.

Photographer spotlights women

A Vietnamese photojournalist is featuring the beauty of Vietnamese women by exhibiting 45 photos to raise funds for disadvantaged women in Cam Binh Commune in Binh Thuan's La Gi Town, where the photos are on display.

Dang Kim Phuong, a photojournalist of Vietnam News Agency, who spoke on Saturday during the opening ceremony in Cam Binh Resort, said the photos were taken during her trips to several provinces from northern to southern Viet Nam, where she had chances to talk with numerous women.

Through her camera lens, the portraits of Vietnamese women going about their daily lives showcase her passion for photography and viewpoint of a female journalist.

For more than a decade, the passion has motivated her to compose hundreds of works on various topics, and women are the centre of her focus. The exhibition Beauty of Women runs through January 10 and is supported by Media & Travel NBC.

It is her first solo exhibition. She has had photos exhibited at several photo exhibitions organised by Viet Nam Photographers' Association and others.

Int’l symposium examines Mother Goddess worship

An international scientific symposium on the worship of Mother Goddess is taking place in the Red Delta River province of Nam Dinh from January 5-6.

Speaking at a press conference in the province on January 5, the event’s organizing board said the event attracted many researchers from the UK, Bulgaria, the Netherland, the Republic of Korea, the US, Russia, France, China besides domestic scholars and cultural managers.

The two day symposium, hosted by the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS) under the Ministry of Culture- Sports and Tourism, focuses on four topics, including theoretical matters related to the belief, forms of practice of the worship, policies and law on beliefs, and the preservation of Mother Goddess worship in modern society.

Acting director of the VICAS Tu Thi Loan said the event aims to elucidate the values of the traditional belief and similar practices in other nations as well as to seek solutions to get the community involve in the preservation of the cultural heritage.

On the occasion, she asked the press to help in disseminate information on the country’s traditional cultural value while criticizing superstitious practices.

Pre-Tet visits to Truong Sa island district launched

Pre-Lunar New Year (Tet) visits to Truong Sa (Spratly) island district off central coastal Khanh Hoa province started on January 5.

The visits will bring Tet gifts, fresh food and foodstuff and other necessities to officers, soldiers and residents stationed across islands of the country’s Truong Sa island district.

They are participated by sector and industry representatives and over 100 reporters from central and local press companies across the country.

At a see-off ceremony held by the Navy Zone 4 High Command, Vice Chairman of the Khanh Hoa People’s Committee Dao Cong Thien said the annual visits to Truong Sa show how much care the Party, the State, the army, and people have given to those people who are safeguarding national sovereignty over sea and islands.

Ships serving the visits left the Cam Ranh naval base the same day.-

200 Tet gifts come to needy Lang Son people

Impoverished residents in Hoa Binh and Tri Le communes, the northern province of Lang Son will have a warmer Tet holiday thanks to gifts from the Steering Committee for the Northwestern Region.

In addition to 200 gift packages for the locals, each worth 500,000 VND (22.24 USD), the Steering Committee on January 5 presented 5 million VND (222.4 USD) to each commune, helping them organise a warmer Tet festival for local people.

Hoa Binh and Tri Le in Van Quan district are especially difficult communes in the province. Percentage of poor households in Hoa Binh is 64 percent while the figure in Tri Le is 58 percent.

Most of the population are Tay and Nung ethnic groups.

Arts performance highlights NA’s 70-year development

An arts performance was co-organised by the National Assembly Office and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at the Hanoi Opera House on January 5 to celebrate the 70 years of the first General Election (January 6).

The event saw the participation of leaders from the Party, State, National Assembly and Government.

It offered audiences a chance to look back the Vietnamese legislature’s development and achievements over the past seven decades, while highlighting the Vietnamese people’s patriotism and affirming their solidarity and resolve to follow the path chosen by the Party and President Ho Chi Minh.

On January 6, 1946, in response to President Ho Chi Minh’s appeal, Vietnamese people, regardless of gender, social class or religion, took part in a general election to elect Vietnam’s first National Assembly by a democratic, equitable and direct ballot.

This extremely important event was set in the country’s history as an important milestone, marking a great step-forward in the country’s democratic institution and ushering in a new period of national development. On the day, 89 percent of voters nationwide cast their ballots to elect the first 333 NA deputies.

Over the past seven decades with 13 tenures, the National Assembly has marched together with the nation and carried forward its role and position as the people’s highest representative agency and the country’s most powerful body in line with the Constitution and the law, significantly contributing to national liberation, reunification, construction and defence.-

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