Vietnamese, Cambodian provinces partner in military cooperation

The military headquarters of Vietnam’s southern province of Tay Ninh and the Cambodian province of Tbong-Khmum signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on military cooperation on February 5.

The MoU focuses on seven key areas of future cooperation between the two sides, including greater collaboration on maintaining security and public order; combating crime along their shared border; mutual support on border delineation and land marker planting; and enhancing joint efforts to search for and return the remains of Vietnamese volunteers and soldiers who lost their lives during the war in Tbong-Khumum.

Both sides agreed to create favourable conditions for cross-border trade and healthcare, enhance experience exchange and organise arts-culture and sports events.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Colonel Vo Van Thi, head of the Tay Ninh Military Headquarters, hailed recent efforts of the two provinces to maintain a shared border of “peace and friendship”.

About 40 of the intended 42 border markers have been placed, with the remaining two to be completed this year. Since early 2014, over 66 leads have been verified with 26 martyr bodies uncovered and returned to their home country by Tay Ninh province’s Team K71 and Tbong-Khmum province, he added.

During the search for martyr remains, Team K71 presented gifts to and offered medical checkups for local residents in Cambodia while the Cambodian provincial armed forces called for information from the local people to provide direction for the search team.

Japan continues support for Dien Bien’s maternal and infant health

The Japanese government has come up with US$337,621 in non-refundable aid to support the third phase of a maternal and infant healthcare project implemented in Vietnam’s northern mountainous province of Dien Bien.

The project’s third phase contract, signed on February 5 at the Japanese Embassy in Hanoi, allows the fund to be used to upgrade local clinics and improve the medical staffs’ skills in maternal and infant healthcare in Muong Cha and Tuan Giao districts.

The work has been carried out by the Japanese non-governmental organisation World Vision Japan, the Ministry of Health, and the Dien Bien provincial Department of Health.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Japanese Embassy’s representative Jun Yanagi expressed his hope that the project will generate good results in its final year and be expanded to other localities.

Cooperation between the Japanese Government and Dien Bien has occurred initially in Muong Cha and Tuan Giao districts – home to a high proportion of poor households since 2012.

World Vision Japan, an advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and justice, has been involved in development assistance activities in many countries across the world.

In Vietnam, it has engaged in many projects in education and support for the disabled.

Religious dignitaries offer New Year greetings to Fatherland Front

Dignitaries of Hanoi’s Caodai church and southern Dong Nai province’s Catholic Xuan Loc diocese paid a Lunar New Year visit to the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee on February 5.

The dignitaries expressed thanks to the Party and State as well as the VFF for facilitating the religions’ smooth operations and their followers’ practice of faith.

They pledged to mobilise their followers to continue contributions to local and national socio-economic development.

VFF Vice President Le Ba Trinh took the occasion to extend his New Year greetings to Caodaist and Catholic followers.

He praised the followers’ role in charitable activities and new-style rural area construction in their localities.

Trinh expressed hope that the dignitaries will help connect followers and local authorities and with patriotic movements launched by the VFF.

Tet gifts given to Bac Giang poor families

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh on February 6 presented gift packages to needy families in the northern province of Bac Giang.

The beneficiaries are residing in Luc Ngan district’s Ho Dap and Phong Van communes where the rate of poor households remains as high as 50 percent.

Deputy Prime Minister Ninh underlined poverty alleviation as an important policy of the Vietnamese Party and State, especially in mountainous and ethnic minority areas.

He asked local authorities to implement more effectively policies in the field to improve local living standards.

The same day, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan granted 100 gift packages, each worth 1 million VND, to low-income and beneficiary families in remote Ea Yieng commune of Krong Pak district, Central Highland Dak Lak province.

He asked relevant agencies to help farmers change production customs and apply modern cultivating technology to increase productivity and local incomes, while raising public awareness of family planning.

Intensified efforts needed in searching, gathering martyr remains

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam urged for intensified efforts in searching and gathering martyrs’ remains both in and outside the country during a conference in Hanoi on February 5.

Dam, who is also head of the national steering board for the search and repatriation of martyrs’ remains, asked relevant agencies and localities to promptly compile background information of martyrs and possible search locations, while ensuring equipment readiness for search and repatriation efforts.

Meanwhile, genetic testing of recovered remains should be enhanced to ensure accurate identification of the martyrs.

He also stressed the importance of strengthening communications to raise public awareness of and responsibility for the initiatives to expand information sources.

Moreover, international cooperation is crucial in the successful recovery of the remains of martyrs abroad, particularly in Laos and Cambodia .

In 2014, the remains of more than 2,300 martyrs killed within and outside the country borders were brought home and laid to rest.

Since 2012, over 6,000 sets of remains have been found and reburied, meeting over 60 percent of the target for 2012-15.

Shore station equipment presented to fishermen in Quang Nam

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) provided the necessary equipment for a shore station worth 250 million VND (11,720 USD) to the fishery union in Tam Giang commune, Nui Thanh district in the central province of Quang Nam on February 5.

Components for two shore stations have already been presented to fishery unions in two other communes in the Nui Thanh district, Tam Quang and Tam Hai.

The stations are used to inform fishermen about weather conditions in real time to limit natural calamities for fishing vessels. They also serve as an alert system for boats in distress to receive timely support from other vessels in the area.

On this occasion, VGCL President Dang Ngoc Tung visited and provided gifts to disadvantaged workers in the Chu Lai industrial zone.

He also planted trees at the Vietnamese Heroic Mother monument in An Phu commune, Tam Ky city.

Project helps enhance Can Tho women’s financial capacity

As many as 2,300 poor women across the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho have accessed financial assistance and training courses from a project jointly implemented by the city’s Women Union and the Save the Children Organisation in the 2010-14 period.

According to Gunnar Andersen, Director of Save the Children in Vietnam, the project offered loans and financial management courses to local women, and improved their farming skills.

After five years of implementation, nearly 100 percent of the loans have been repaid, he said at a conference to review the project, which aimed to enhance women’s economic capacity, on February 5.

Meanwhile, Le Van Tam, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, noted that many economic development models have taken shape thanks to support from the project, increasing incomes for rural households.

Particularly, the poverty ratio in Thoi Lai district reduced to 5.11 percent or 1,500 households in 2014, from 13.22 percent or nearly 4,000 in 2010, he said.

Furthermore, knowledge acquired from training courses not only helped women improve their family’s incomes, but also aided them in child care, he added.

Reaching Vietnam since the 1990s, Save the Children has had over 10 years of experience in assisting poor households to develop sustainable micro enterprises in the Mekong Delta, northern mountainous and central regions in Vietnam.

Vietnam, Japan eye tighter healthcare cooperation

A conference to promote cooperation in healthcare and nursing homes between Vietnam and Japan was held in Hanoi on February 5.

Event attendees included representatives from the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Okayama University Hospital and local bodies in the field.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen regarded the conference as a good opportunity for Vietnam to learn from its guests’ experience in dealing with aging population along with providing healthcare service centres for the elderly.

Vietnam is still experiencing a “golden population structure” but its population is quickly aging and the proportion of elderly people will rise to 10.5 percent of the total population in a few years, making it one of the 10 most rapidly aging countries.

In Vietnam, the elderly bear “double health burdens” as disease patterns shift from communicable to non-communicable diseases and chronic illnesses, and cancer, stress and mental depression are becoming more frequent.

Such trends require higher healthcare expenditures, as the average treatment cost for an elderly individual is 7-8 times that for a child. As a person ages, their risk of disability increases, relegating them to time spent in bed.

Around 23.4 percent of elderly population find it difficult to perform daily activities with 90.67 percent of them needing assistance from others.

A research by the National Geriatric Hospital revealed that an elderly person suffers from an average of 3 chronic diseases simultaneously while those currently hospitalised often have up to 6 conditions at once.

Frailty, Alzheimer’s, malnutrition and mental depression are very common among older adults, especially those aged above 80.

Health sector braces for disease outbreaks during Tet

The health sector will take drastic measures to prevent disease and ensure food safety and access to healthcare during the lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said at a teleconference on February 5.

According to the minister, a measles outbreak is likely due to lower-than-expected vaccination rates, and several cases of whooping cough, influenza, and respiratory diseases are to be expected.

In January, the country recorded 28 measles cases in 13 localities and six whooping cough cases.

An increase in poultry smuggling across the border posed a high risk of avian flu A/H7N9 infections entering Vietnam from China, she said.

She asked hospitals to be prepared for diseases and major traffic accidents.

It is also essential for the health sector to take more drastic measures to increase the vaccination rate and intensify food safety inspections, added the official.

Head of the Food Safety Department Nguyen Thanh Long said that six inspection groups are set to carry out food safety inspections across 12 localities until to March 30, 2015.

Flood prevention workshop held in Can Tho

Experts discussed potential methods to enhance climate change resilience in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho during a workshop held in the city on February 4.

According to the Southern Irrigation Planning Institute under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, flooding is becoming a serious concern in the city, with many districts inundated during the rainy season from June to November and flood tide from September to December each year.

The current flood management system cannot prevent river overflow, and downtown wards of Ninh Kieu and Binh Thuy are often submerged below as many as 40-80 centimetres while flooding of as high as 1-1.2m inundates rice fields in O Mon and Phong Dien districts for up to two months during the rainy season.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has recently approved a master plan for flood control in Can Tho’s urban areas, which calls for a total investment of more than 7.4 trillion VND (347 million USD). The amount is to be sourced from local and central budgets, Government bonds, and official development assistance capital.

Under the plan, by the end of this year Can Tho will complete a flood prevention system – located across 17,700 hectares in the heart of the city and including 24 sewer pipes and six water pumping stations. More than 280km of canals will be dredged for better flood drainage while 133.5km of dykes will also be upgraded.

After 2015, the city will continue investing in the construction of 152 sewer pipes and 29 water pumping stations.

Ambassadors’ wives learn to wrap Chung cake

Ambassadors’ wives in Laos learnt how to wrap traditional Chung cake, a green-pea delicacy at a festival in Vientiane on February 5, which aimed to introduce Vietnamese traditional Lunar New Year Festival (Tet) customs to international friends.

Director of the Vietnam Cultural Centre Nguyen Gia Lam said the festival attracted large numbers of people and they expressed an avid desire to visit Vietnam and learn more about the country.

He emphasized the event was an ideal opportunity to promote Vietnam’s tourism.

Director of the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Laos Lutmila in turn expressed delight at the fine sentiments of Vietnamese and Laos friends and applauded Vietnam’s preservation of its traditional culture.

At the event, visitors enjoyed impressive performances by the Minister Counselors at the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos Hoang Xuan Hai and Deputy Director of the Vietnam Cultural Centre in Laos Hoang Van Son.

They also had an opportunity to watch documentaries introducing Vietnam’s traditional and unique TET customs.

Ha Tinh police arrest three persons for fraud

In a joint operation, the Ha Tinh police and Duy Xuyen District's police in the central Quang Nam province arrested three persons for fraud.

The arrested persons -- Tran Huynh Duc, Pham Minh Tu and Luong Van Bang, all aged between 15 and 16 – used hi-tech methods to cheat people.

Colonel Phan Ke Binh, chief of the police investigation department of the central Ha Tinh province, said that the criminals sent messages to private mobile phones through OTT (over the top) apps such as Zalo, Viber and Beetalk and websites such as giaithuongzaloapp2015.com and traoquaxuangaena.com to announce ‘awards'.

Basing on the worth of the property of the victims, the criminals asked them to transfer money via mobile phones or bank accounts to receive their awards.

The criminals often introduced themselves as customer care workers, tax officials or bank employees to cheat the victims.

After the victim's money was transferred into their accounts, they quickly withdrew the money, shut down the accounts and threw away the Sim cards that they had used.

The local police have warned people not to fall for such promotions and to prevent fraud conducted via social networks and on the Internet.

Ha Noi's department of planning and architecture and the city's Long Bien District authorities on Thursday announced a master plan to turn the district into an urban area.

The master plan, which covers more than 4,037ha, will affect the district's communes of Ngoc Thuy, Ngoc Lam, Bo De and Gia Thuy, as well as Thuong Thanh, Duc Giang, Viet Hung and Giang Bien, besides Long Bien, Phuc Dong, Cu Phoi and Sai Dong, and also Thach Ban and Phuc Loi.

According to the plan, the district will undergo urban development based on its landscape, including the Hong and Duong rivers.

Urban space will be formed along major roads such as Nguyen Van Linh, Nguyen Van Cu, Ring Road 2 and Ring Road 3.

In addition, new apartment buildings will be constructed to accommodate people relocated from overcrowded residential areas, people evicted from project sites and those covered by social entitlements given by the State. There will be other buildings for sale also.

Along with its urbanisation plan, the district will remain committed to its traditional identity by retaining its villages. The construction of additional buildings in traditional villages will be controlled, and there will be limits imposed on building heights so that they are in harmony with the local traditional one-storey houses, each of which often has a garden.

Chairman of Long Bien's People's Committee Do Manh Hai said that the plan was important in that the district's land value will increase, bringing lucrative business opportunities for builders as well.

Vietnam Airlines launches Can Tho-Taiwan flights for Tet

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will operate 10 two-way direct flights between the Mekong Delta City of Can Tho and Taiwan using Airbus 321 aircraft which can carry from 100 to 130 passengers to meet the increasing demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays.

According to Nguyen Phuc Dien, head of the airlines’ Can Tho branch, there will be five flights from Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung to Can Tho and five in the reverse direction, with the first flight from Taipei to Can Tho scheduled for February 6 and the last on February 28 from Can Tho.

This is the sixth year that Vietnam Airlines has launched direct flights to serve passengers travelling between Can Tho and Taiwan during the most important annual holiday.

Hai Au Aviation offers promotional fares

The Hai Au Aviation Joint Stock Company (JSC) has launched a special promotion offering ‘zero fare’ airfares, as part of activities to welcome the Lunar New Year and on the occasion of the Ho Chi Minh City – Phan Thiet route is being opened.

The special promotion is offering passengers, who book return tickets on the Ho Chi Minh City – Phan Thiet seaplane tour departing in February, 2015, a standard one-way ticket with a ‘zero fare’ return ticket.

One-way trips from Phan Thiet to Ho Chi Minh during Tet holiday are also offered at 20% discount.

Passengers should contact the hotline 0962 069 689 or email rsvn.hcm@haiauaviation.com to reserve limited seats.

Additionally, the Hai Au Aviation JSC has co-ordinated with Victoria Phan Thiet Resort & Spa to provide all-inclusive deluxe fly-and-stay packages to discerning holidaymakers including couples, family and golfers.

The passengers will enjoy a three-day Beachside Getaway Package at Victoria Phan Thiet Resort & Spa for only VND 11 million per person until 30 June 2015 (subject to availability). For enquires and reservations, call hotline 0962 069 689 or email rsvn.hcm@haiauaviation.com.

Hai Au Aviation offers the first ever seaplane adventures in Vietnam and Indochina, with the intention of offering the thrill of flying from low altitude, showcasing the beauty of the region from a bird’s eye view, whisking guests to exotic destinations in the blink of an eye.

Hai Au Aviation offers daily scheduled seaplane adventures to Hanoi – Halong Bay and HCMC – Phan Thiet. Both routes include scenic sights of the spectacular natural beauty of Halong Bay and Mui Ne, as well as the exhilaration of landing on water.

Chicken pox breaks out in preschool in HCMC

The Department of Health in Ho Chi Minh City has confirmed an outbreak of chicken pox  in a preschool for autism pupils in Binh Thanh District.

The disease occurred in Tuoi Ngoc Preschool for autism children in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District, infecting 8 students and teachers. 36 autism students are studying in the preschool. The Center for Preventive Medicine in Binh Thanh District has conducted disinfection in the preschool.

Diseased children and teachers stayed at home for quarantine. The city health experts guided teachers and managers how to prevent the spread of the disease among children and teachers. Medical workers are keeping close eye on the situation in the school.

According to the Center for Preventive Medicine’s statistic, in the first month of 2015, around 10 children infected with chicken pox on average has been recorded in the city.

In a report on the disease, the Pediatrics Hospital No. 2 in HCMC said that it received 2 or 3 chicken pox inpatients a day on average.

The figure of chicken pox in the Pediatrics Hospital No.1 is more than 4 or 5 cases a day on average, said Dr. Truong Huu Khanh, head of the Infection Department of the Pediatrics Hospital No.1.

Dr. Khanh added that children in HCMC and neighboring provinces were being infected with the disease.

As usually, the disease occurs in March but this year it has seen in January.

Electrical fault caused tourist boat fire

An electrical fault caused the fire on a tourist boat during an overnight cruise of Ha Long Bay on Tuesday night, said the northern Quang Ninh Province authority.

The fire destroyed the three-star boat, but no tourists were injured, the authority added.

It investigated the incident and concluded that the fire broke out in Room 201 on the second floor of the boat.

The provincial People's Committee has asked the departments to help the tourists who suffered losses due to the fire, and to quickly re-examine organisations and individuals who have accepted responsibility for the incident.

At 8.30pm on Tuesday, the tourist boat, owned by Ha Long Bien Ngoc JSC, caught fire while it lay anchored in the world heritage tourist site in Quang Ninh Province.

The boat was carrying 25 passengers and crew, of which 16 were foreign tourists. All passengers and crew were safely transferred to the nearby Tiptop Island by adjacent boats.

Efforts to extinguish the fire failed and the boat was destroyed, causing a loss of about VND2 billion (US$94,000).

The 18-bed tourist boat had recently undergone routine maintenance and safety checks.

KOICA grants $30m ODA for central region

The Korean International Co-operation Agency in Viet Nam (KOICA) has granted US$30.1 million in Official Development Assistance (ODA) to aid projects in the central region of Viet Nam.

Chang Jae-yun, head of KOICA in Viet Nam, said the funding would include changes to the banks of the Huong River in Hue (2014-17); the upgrading of the Viet Nam-Korea Friendship Information Technology College in Da Nang (2013-15); improvements for the Central Highlands Vocational Training College for Ethnic Youth in Dak Lak (2014-15); non-refundable Q-Health technical assistance projects for improving the capacity of Thua Thien-Hue and Da Nang general hospitals and the Heangbok (Happiness) rural development project in Quang Tri.

Severe cold weather blankets northern areas

Severe cold weather and drizzle have hit the northern provinces and cities, with temperatures ranging between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius, said the National Centre for Hydro–Meteorological Forecasting today.

At 6am today, the temperature was measured to be just 2 degrees Celsius at Mau Son Mountain in the northern mountainous Lang Son Province, and 6 degrees Celsius in the northern mountainous Lao Cai Province's Sa Pa Town.

The weather forecasting centre said that warm weather can be expected from February 10 to 18.

Ha Noi to get disabled taxi service

A taxi service for people with disabilities, the first of its kind in the country, is scheduled to be launched on March 1 in Ha Noi.

The Thanh Cong Taxi Company, which will operate the service, said that the taxis would be specially designed for the disabled and would meet their travel needs.

Ha Noi has about 90,000 people with disabilities.

Rice aid to reach poor people for Tet

The Prime Minister has instructed the finance ministry to allocate 4,208 tonnes of rice from the national reserves to help disadvantaged people in eight provinces enjoy the Tet festival.

Among the eight provinces, the central Quang Ngai province will receive the largest amount of 1,335 tonnes of rice. The northern provinces of Yen Bai, Ninh Binh, Cao Bang and Ha Nam will receive 308 tonnes, 195 tonnes, 475 tonnes and 687 tonnes respectively. Three Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak, Kon Tum and Gia Lai will receive 550 tonnes, 279 tonnes and 379 tonnes respectively.

Earlier, three central provinces of Nghe An, Quang Tri and Binh Dinh, and two northern provinces of Lao Cai and Tuyen Quang were also given a total of 5,778 tonnes of rice for the same purpose.

To help the victims of disasters in 2014 in starting new cultivation of crops, the Prime Minister has instructed the agriculture and rural development ministry to allocate seeds to the northern province of Lang Son, and the central provinces of Quang Tri, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan.

About 1,400 tonnes of rice seeds, 267 tonnes of corn seeds and 13.7 tonnes of vegetable seeds will be given to victims of drought and of the two huge storms Rammasun and Kalmaegi that hit Viet Nam last year in July and November respectively.

Speed limits on key roads to remain unchanged

The Ha Noi department of transport has opposed the raising of speed limits on Thang Long Avenue and Ring Road 3.

It pointed out that the subsidence on some sections of these two key projects may pose a danger to vehicles travelling at high speed.

In a document sent to the transport ministry and the city's People's Committee, the department requested that the current maximum speed limit of 100kmph on Thang Long Avenue and 80kmph on the Ring Road 3 be maintained. The department's survey shows that subsidence on some sections of the two roads may be dangerous for vehicles travelling at high speed.

In October last year, the transport ministry had asked that the maximum speed limit be raised to 120kmph on some key highways such as the Thang Long Avenue in Ha Noi and the HCM City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Highway in the south. The ministry also asked for the maximum speed on Ha Noi's Ring Road 3, the section from Thanh Tri Bridge to Mai Dich Area, to be raised from 80kmph to 100kmph.

Thang Long Avenue or the Lang-Hoa Lac Highway, located to the west of the city, links the city centre to the former 21A Highway, that is now the starting point of the Ho Chi Minh Highway.

Ring Road 3 is among Ha Noi's most important transport links, running through Soc Son, Bac Tu Liem, Nam Tu Liem and Cau Giay, as well as the Thanh Xuan, Hoang Mai, Gia Lam and Dong Anh districts.

Ministry receives new Ring Road 4 proposal

The transport ministry has received a proposal to build a 15km stretch of Ring Road 4 on a BOT (build-operate-transfer) basis.

The 15km stretch connects the Phap Van–Cau Gie Expressway and Ha Noi–Hai Phong Expressway.

The proposal was submitted by the T&T Group's Joint Stock Company and Phu My Infrastructure Construction Company.

The estimated VND4.5-trillion (US$210 million) stretch, which is expected to be the arterial road to the south section of the city, will reduce traffic congestion in the area.

Under the plan approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in 2011, Ring Road No 4 will be 98km long, connecting Ha Noi and the two nearby provinces of Hung Yen and Bac Ninh.

The total investment of the road, scheduled to open by 2020, is estimated to be about VND66.5 trillion ($3.1 billion).

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