Weak foundation blamed for Danang-Quang Ngai expressway subsidence

A section of Danang-Quang Ngai Expressway. Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) has attributed the depression on the C1 branch of the expressway to a weak foundation

Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC), the investor in the Danang-Quang Ngai Expressway in central Vietnam, yesterday issued an announcement, attributing the depression on the C1 branch of the expressway to a weak foundation, reported Lao Dong newspaper.

According to VEC, a 65-kilometer section, running from the ancient village of Tuy Loan in Hoa Vang District, Danang City, to Tam Ky City in Quang Nam Province, was opened to traffic on August 2 last year. The remaining 74-kilometer section stretching from Tam Ky City of Quang Nam Province to Quang Ngai Province was put into operation on September 2.

Other items of the project are also being executed, including the Dung Quat intersection.

Roads stretching from the trumpet-shaped intersection to Dung Quat Port are under construction, including the C1 branch passing through the North-East railway and National Highway 1. The road reinforcement process will take some 330 days, ending in June next year.

VEC confirmed that the C1 road subsidence was not due to poor construction quality.

As for the seven-kilometer Tri Binh-Dung Quat road project, connecting National Highway 1 and the C1 branch of Danang-Quang Ngai Expressway to Dung Quat Port, the Quang Ngai government has already built 6.2 kilometers of the road.

The remaining section has yet to be built as forest land for a 600-meter section has yet to be handed over to the investor, while the remaining 200-meter section is being reinforced.

The Dung Quat Economic Zone Authority has required the quick construction of the Tri Binh-Dung Quat road.

Danang-Quang Ngai Expressway includes eight intersections. Of which, six have been put into service, while the Chu Lai intersection in Quang Nam Province and the Dung Quat intersection in Quang Ngai Province are being developed.

HCMC to fund Ring Road 2 site clearance

A map of the Ring Road 2 project

The HCMC government will use its budget for site clearance and compensation for households affected by the Ring Road No. 2 project. The project will later be developed under the public-private partnership format, according to a report on the city’s socioeconomic performance last month.

Four sections of the road have yet to be built: stretching from Rach Chiec Bridge to Hanoi Highway, from Binh Thai crossroad to Pham Van Dong Street, from Pham Van Dong Street to Go Dua intersection and from An Lap Intersection to Nguyen Van Linh Street, with respective lengths of 3.82, 1.99, 2.75 and 2.75 kilometers.

As for the project’s progress, C.T Land JSC and 557 Work Construction and Investment JSC are producing the feasibility reports for the first and second sections and will submit them to the HCMC Department of Transport for approval.

The Thu Duc Compensation and Site Clearance Board is working on the third section.

Meanwhile, a consortium consisting of Phat Dat Real Estate Development Corporation, 620 Infrastructure Development and Investment JSC and 168 Construction Development Investment JSC has expressed interest in the last section.

Ring Road No. 2, when in place, will have a total length of 69.2 kilometers and will pass through Districts 2, 7, 8, 9, 12, Binh Tan, Thu Duc, Hoc Mon and Binh Chanh.

A 54.7-kilometer section of the road has been built already. The remaining four sections require a total investment of nearly VND16.5 trillion (US$708.8 million), including more than VND10.7 trillion for site clearance.

Ring Road No. 2 is expected to help ease chronic traffic congestion in the downtown area as container trucks will no longer have to run through inner-city areas when transporting cargo to and from ports in HCMC and between the southeast and the Mekong Delta region.

Minister orders inspection of bridge subsidence

A bird's eye view of Bang Dang Bridge which links Quang Ninh Province with Haiphong City in the northern Vietnam 

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The has ordered an inspection of the subsided areas of Bach Dang Bridge in Quang Ninh Province, Dan Tri online newspaper reported.

The VND7.76-trillion cable-stayed bridge has received multiple complaints of sinking in the road surface since it was opened to traffic on September 1, preventing autos from traveling at high speed.

The provincial Department of Transport was ordered to have the investor, the BOT Bach Dang Bridge Company, direct the relevant consulting units for design, technology transfer and supervision to inspect the subsided areas and assess the technical work needed to fix the bridge. They must also work out solutions to ensure the bridge’s quality as well as the safety of road users.

Besides this, they are in charge of providing complete information on the bridge’s condition to the media, according to the ministry.

Construction of the 5.4-kilometer-long Bach Dang Bridge, linking the province with Haiphong City in northern Vietnam, started in late February last year under the build-operate-transfer format at a total cost of VND7.76 trillion. Of this, the cable-stayed section stretches 700 meters, comprising three H-shape supporting towers.

The bridge, which is part of the Halong-Haiphong Expressway, will shorten the distance between Halong and Haiphong to 25 kilometers instead of the current 75 kilometers.

Earlier, in response to complaints about the inadequate sections of the bridge, the provincial Department of Transport on November 3 refuted the complaints, confirming that no subsided areas could be seen on the bridge’s surface. In addition, the bridge’s technical indicators, the supporting towers, the surface and the cable strings were regularly checked and assessed during the operational period, said the department.

HCMC plans to hire 100 cameras for traffic supervision

The Department of Transport petitioned the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to hire traffic camera system obtaining traffic information for automated traffic inspection and management systems.

The Deputy Director of the Transport Department Vo Khanh Hung yesterday said the rent of 100 cameras with control management software and line would cost VND2.5 billion ($107,309) including the 2019 maintenance fee.

The camera system will control flow of traffic by monitoring the actual traffic situation.

The Department of Finance is assigned to calculate the rent for supervision cameras and the Department of Information and Communications will assess the project with the orientation to build the city to be smart city in the period 2017 – 2020 with the vision to 2025.

According to the Transport Department, since the early 2018, it has installed additional 50 new cameras in crowded streets. 591 cameras in the camera systems are connected to police stations, the national traffic channel, Phu My Hung Company, and the Urban Drainage Company.

Additionally, the camera data is also connected to the city road - railway police station; Tan Son Nhat Airport management center and police stations in districts 2, 5, Thu Duc, Go Vap, Tan Binh, Phu Nhuan for the city’s security order.

Enterprises fined for violating food safety regulations

The Việt Nam Food Administration (VFA) under the Ministry of Health has fined two dozen companies for violating food safety and hygiene regulations.

During its two-month inspection from September, the VFA fined 24 enterprises for violating regulations on advertising functional foods or supplements a total of more than VNĐ920 million (US$40,000).

Common violations included advertising or announcing the quality and function of supplements and functional foods not suitable with their real quality or advertising products without licenses.

The Sing Health Import and Export Ltd.Co in HCM City was fined VNĐ70 million ($3,000) for violating regulations on advertising its food supplement named Liver Capsule.

The Đông Dương Joint Stock Company in northern Hòa Bình Province was fined VNĐ60 million for advertising a functional food named Gaviteen on its website without getting approval from authorised agencies for the advertisement content.

As well as imposing administrative fines, the VFA also withdrew all products which violated regulations, removed illegal advertisements and revoked food safety and hygiene certificates from firms. The advertisements caused misunderstandings that the supplement was able to treat disease as a medicine.   

According to the VFA, many functional food producers often exaggerate their products’ uses to lure customers and some even announced that their products could help cure hundreds of kinds of diseases. This leads to unexpected impacts on consumer health as functional foods could only help support people’s health and prevent diseases but are not able to treat diseases or replace medicine.  

The VFA fined 99 enterprises for violating food safety and regulations a total of nearly VNĐ5.6 billion ($260,000) since the beginning of the year. 

Village to host cultural heritage week

Women from the northern province of Thái Nguyên sing soọng cô folk songs at a traditional festival. — Photo baotintuc.vn

Nearly 200 people and artists from 15 ethnic groups will join the annual Week for Ethnic Group Solidarity – Cultural Heritage between November 18 and 23 at the National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in the western outskirts of the capital.

The ethnic groups of Tày, Dao, Mông, Mường, Thái, Khơ Mú, Tà Ôi, Cơ Tu, Ê Đê, Khmer, Chăm Bà La Môn, Raglai, Xơ Đăng, Ba Na, Chăm Islam and Sán Dìu from 13 provinces will share their cultural art performances, cuisine, folk games and traditional ceremonies.

Folk singing of the Sán Dìu group in the northern province of Thái Nguyên, known as “soọng cô,” will be a highlight. People sing soọng cô in the form of a duet between male and female teams. The ancient songs, which have been handed down through history, cover the formation of the group, praise love and loyalty and remind people to live well, help one another and remember ancestors.

Việt Nam Ornamental Animals and Plants will display bonsai trees and pets.

The annual event hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism aims to praise the cultural heritage of Vietnamese ethnic groups and promote solidarity between groups to celebrate Vietnamese Cultural Heritage Day (November 23).

The village is located in Sơn Tây Town, some 45 kilometres west of Hà Nội’s centre. 

Ao Dai highlighted at UNESCO talk in Japan

Fashion designer Minh Hanh has been invited to join a talk show about the Ao Dai traditional outfit in Japan.

Minh Hanh would attend the event scheduled to be held in Fukuoka, Japan, on November 8 at the invitation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Japan. The talk will be about the development of Ao Dai since the beginning of the 19th century. 

Some Vietnamese models such as Ngoc Han, Thuy Tien and Kim Dung will model the ao dai during the talk.

Minh Hanh has made great efforts to promote the Ao Dai as part of efforts for it to be recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.

In 2016, designer Minh Hanh was presented with the prestigious Fukuoka Prize for Arts and Culture. She has been the second Vietnamese to receive the prize after historian, Professor Phan Huy Le in 1996.

She was honoured with the Special Award in Asia Collection in 1997 in Japan, which was the first international competition that she joined. In 2006, she received the Award of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government.

Family finds bomb while renovating pond

A huge explosive device of unknown origin weighing up to one tonne which was supposed to be a bomb left from the American War has been found by a family in Hai Duong Province.

The Military Command in Hai Duong Province announced on November 5 that they had neutralised and moved a suspected bomb to a safe area.

The device was found on October 29 by a family in Lai Cau Village, Hoang Dieu Commune. At the time, they were digging and widening a pond to raise fish. The object is about 2.4 metres long, weighs one tonne and has a diameter of 65cm.

It is found under the pond, just two metres away from the bank. The family quickly reported the finding to the communal authorities. After receiving the information, the Military Command in Gia Loc District arrived at the scene and asked for directives from the provincial Military Command.

It is later confirmed to be an explosive device, however, they haven't been able to identify its types because of the damage and blurred numbers.

The device was neutralised and moved out of residential areas while the military command await approval for a controlled explosion.

Hôtel des Arts Saigon offers attractive promotion for women guests

Hôtel des Arts Saigon is providing special offerings and services designed for the modern woman traveller. — Photo courtesy of Hôtel des Arts Saigon

Hôtel des Arts Saigon has launched MGallery “Inspired by Her” programme with a suite of offerings and services targeting the modern woman traveller.

It is providing a range of lifestyle offerings, including complimentary aromatic bath salts, girly slippers, bath robe on request, signature spa treatments, and other wellness amenities.

Women guests will also receive a complimentary beauty kit that comes complete with daily essentials ranging from makeup remover, cleansing wipes and nail polish products.

The hotel is also providing a complimentary personal butler service for women travellers to plan a shopping experience and a city tour, and a large healthy menu created by women chefs.

Carl Gagnon, general manager of the hotel, said: “Women know best when it comes to travel experiences. It’s something we see with our guests staying at our properties through the extensive market research conducted by MGallery, so it only makes sense that we enhance our product offerings to enrich and delight our guest when they stay at our hotel.”

MGallery carried out an in-depth study of nearly 3,000 participants from France, Italy, Great Britain and Australia to examine the habits and requirements of the woman traveller staying at upmarket hotels.

One element the study indicated was the love and appreciation of luxury toiletries. In-room amenities thus include luxurious handmade European home and body care products.

The range of product offerings and services is now available across MGallery hotels.

For more information about the programme, please visit www.hoteldesartssaigon.com or email h9231@accor.com, and call +84 28 3989 8888 for reservations.

Third club for Vietnamese scientists in Australia set up

Tran Cong Yen (second, right), Vietnamese Counsellor and head of the representative office of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and members of the club's liaison board 

A club for overseas Vietnamese scientists, the third of its kind in Australia, has been established in Victoria state’s Melbourne city by the representative office of Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology, which is located in the capital city of Canberra. 

The two other clubs were founded in Queensland in May 2017 and in New South Wales in May this year.

The club is expected to create a network of Vietnamese scientists in the state, enabling them to share information and support each other, as well as connect with their peers in Vietnam and other Australian states.

The launching ceremony saw the presence of more than 40 scientists and researchers who work in various research institutes, universities, companies, and state agencies in Victoria.

In his remarks at the event, Tran Cong Yen, Vietnamese Counsellor and head of the representative office of the Ministry of Science and Technology, said the club will bring together overseas Vietnamese intellectuals who are dedicated to developing the homeland and want to engage in scientific and technological projects, as well as young talent training programmes in the country.

The club will form a network of Vietnamese scientists to foster cooperation between Vietnam and Australia in science and technology, contributing to enhancing the two countries’ strategic partnership, he said.

Yen also conveyed a letter of congratulations from Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Ngo Huong Nam, in which the ambassador said that against the backdrop of the world’s fast-changing technological landscape, it is vital for every economy to gain access to and make use of scientific and technological advancements to avoid being left behind in the rapid changes of modernity. 

The Government of Vietnam has taken note of how the country’s impressive technological innovation and application of new, advanced technology is based on human resources, particularly Vietnamese talents living overseas.

Nam expects that Vietnam will receive enthusiastic support from Vietnamese scientist expats in Victoria, and Australia at large, in the country’s technological development.

Owner of collapsed illegal gold mine in Hoa Binh arrested

The mouth of the collapsed illegal gold mine is filled with water, soil and rocks 

Police in the northern province of Hoa Binh have put Bach Xuan Hung, owner of the illegal gold mine that collapsed on November 4 in which two people have been declared missing, into temporary detention as the investigation continues.

At about 2am on November 4, the mouth of Cot Co cave in Long hamlet of Thanh Nong commune, Lac Thuy district, collapsed and trapped two miners inside. They remain unaccounted for at present.

As the cave’s ground is lower than the surrounding area, in addition to the large amount of collapsed soil, mud, and rocks, rescuers have not been able to access and locate the victims as of yet.

Vice Chairman of the Hoa Binh provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Chuong said at a press conference on November 5 that all forces and equipment have been mobilised to search for the missing people.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Lac Thuy district People’s Committee Quach Tat Liem said that local authorities had already previously found that Bach Xuan Hung had been illegally mining gold. They had fined him for this violation, but he intentionally relapsed into this activity.

In early October, the administration of Thanh Nong commune began removing tents and equipment at the mining site, however, the work was hampered by a landslide on a nearby road. Taking advantage of this period, Hung resumed ordering gold mining activities at night.

Presenting further details, Deputy Director of the Hoa Binh Department of Public Security Col. Nguyen Thanh said that miners working illegally under Hung’s direction might have buried some equipment to hide the evidence of their violation. Police are considering criminal proceedings in this case.

US experts provide plastic surgery for Vietnamese patients

Surgeons from the US-backed Face to Face programme provides medical checkups for patients at the National Otorhinolaryngology Hospital of Vietnam (Photo: noh.vn)

A delegation of surgeons from the US-backed Face to Face programme is providing medical checkups and surgery for patients at the National Otorhinolaryngology Hospital of Vietnam (NOH).

Accordingly, about 50 patients will be receiving checkups, with the surgeons expecting to provide surgery for 30 patients. 

The programme is designed to support patients with scarring to the head, face, and neck areas after injury and children with congenital anomalies. 

It is the 14th time that the US delegation has come to Vietnam to perform surgery and transfer surgical techniques to Vietnamese doctors at the NOH.

The programme will run through until November 10.

Vietnamese-Cambodian children in Phnom Penh start new school year

Students at the opening ceremony of the new school year at Khmer-Vietnam Tan Tien friendship primary school in Phnom Penh on November 5

Children of Vietnamese Cambodians studying at the Khmer-Vietnam Tan Tien friendship primary school in Phnom Penh began their 2018-2019 school year on November 5.

Built by the Vietnam-Khmer Association, the Khmer-Vietnam Tan Tien friendship primary school is the largest Khmer-Vietnamese bilingual school in Cambodia. It provides kindergarten-to-fifth grade education that can enable its students to study in public schools in Cambodia and Vietnam.

The opening of the new school year was attended by Ambassador of Vietnam to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh, and representatives from the Education, Youth and Sports Department of Phnom Penh, the Khmer-Vietnam Association, among others.

Addressing the event, Vice Director of the Education, Youth and Sports Department of Phnom Penh Uk Channtha hailed the efficiency of the teaching programme being applied by the Khmer-Vietnam Tan Tien friendship primary school.

He said the school equips its students with fundamental knowledge and skills meeting the Cambodian education sector’s standards.

Through its activities, the school has contributed to the universalization of primary education and the improvement of education of Phnom Penh, he said.

Ambassador Vu Quang Minh praised the teachers for helping children of Vietnamese Cambodians to integrate better into Cambodia’s educational system and society.

He expressed his belief that the school will teach its students about their origin as well as culture and history of Vietnam and Cambodia via Vietnamese-Khmer teaching programmes.

The Khmer-Vietnam Tan Tien friendship primary school enrolled 550 children for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Danang approves coastal road project

Visitors at a beach in Danang City

Danang City People's Committee has just approved the construction of a road to the beach at a local beach-side resort.

VND 6.5 billion (USD296,586) will be spent to build a 271.4-metre long road at the The Song Beach Resort in Ngu Hanh Son District the committee said, adding that this will be one among several such projects built from now to 2019 with an aim to create ways for local people and tourists to use the public beaches.

The committee has also announced the reclamation of 6,680 square metres in My Khe and My An wards in Ngu Hanh Son District for the beach road project.

For decades, beach-side resorts, hotels and entertainment centres along coastal roads in Ngu Hanh Son District have occupied a large beach area in front of their buildings, so local people have had to pay to use beaches or use crowded public beaches.

The city's chairman, Huynh Duc Tho has instructed the construction department to open 15m or 20m wide roads so locals and tourists can access what are already public beaches.

Intek coding school opened in HCMC

The Intek Institute of Applied Technology described as a premier coding school was opened in HCMC today, November 5, providing the first project-based, gamified training course for computer engineering students.

Intek is the first information technology (IT) institution in the city to apply the learning model without the presence of instructors. Students enrolling in the course will get involved in real-world projects and develop IT solutions.

In addition, gamification included in the course’s curriculum will encourage the engagement and autonomy of students. They can join the course as a digital playground with a series of games, offering challenges for them to tackle alone or with other players.

Phan Chinh, CEO of Intek, said the institute would select students who are good at communication, teamwork and soft skills to handle IT projects. Admission tests will be real-world projects ordered by Intek’s business partners, aiming to challenge and check the critical thinking of each student while they work.

Chinh added that the differentiated learning environment at Intek would enable students to cope with technology trends in the future. They will increase their autonomy in learning and can deal with upcoming challenges in the rapidly changing technology market, he stated.

Huynh Xuan Vien, who started studying at Intek more than a month ago, told The Saigon Times that the Intek training program requires students to have a strong sense of engagement, accountability, critical thinking, self-discipline and independence.

The school, which now has around 35 students, has just one supervisor who is physically present to distribute projects to students and set deadlines, he said, adding students can seek help from mentors online.

Regarding job opportunities for Intek students, the institute has received a slew of job offers from major technology firms thanks to its focus on independence and critical thinking training. Besides this, Intek pledged to ensure the provision of job opportunities, with a monthly salary of at least US$1,200, for graduates whose academic performance is equivalent to a B+ level.

Commenting on the new course at Intek, Sébastien Auligny, vice president, Production Southeast Asia at Gameloft, a strategic partner of Intek, showed his support, pointing out that Gameloft is in need of skilled software engineers who are able to work independently and stay updated on the latest technology trends.

As for admission requirements, candidates who have finished high school or are currently in college or even graduates who have an interest in software engineering can enroll in the course. To become official students of the course, candidates must pass two assessment rounds, comprising an online test and a three-week Hyperspace program.

Curtain comes down on National Ca Tru Festival

A performance of artists from Nghe An province at the closing ceremony of National Ca Tru Festival 

The National Ca Tru (ceremonial singing) Festival wrapped up in the central province of Ha Tinh on November 5.

The five-day festival drew nearly 200 artists and instrumentalists from 13 cities and provinces nationwide, with an increased number of young artisans. 

The festival affirmed Vietnam’s full implementation of its commitments to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to protecting and promoting values of the traditional genre of music. 

The festival’s outcomes also serve as a foundation for Vietnam to propose UNESCO remove the singing from the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

First prizes were presented to five troupes from Hanoi and Hai Phong city in the north, and Ha Tinh, Nghe An and Quang Binh provinces in the central region.

Ca Tru was included in the UNESCO list of World Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2009. It is one of the most unique genres of folk music of Vietnam.

Ca Tru features a female singer accompanied by a small group of musicians. The art genre appeared in the north around the 15th century and thrived until the early 20th century.