VWS proposes taking less waste for treatment

Vietnam Waste Solutions (VWS), facing strong public criticisms over a foul smell from its waste management facility in southern HCMC, has written to the HCMC government proposing taking less waste for treatment from next week.

The company said in a document sent to the city government on Wednesday that from October 10, it would scale down the daily volume of garbage it receives from the current 5,000 tons to 3,000 tons, which was exactly the amount its Da Phuoc integrated waste management facility handled a day before the city government allowed it to manage an additional 2,000 tons in November 2014.

This 2,000-ton volume was transferred from Phuoc Hiep waste treatment complex in the outlying district of Cu Chi.

According to VWS, this is a necessary step to reduce the volume of waste it treats amid public criticisms over the spread of the odor from Da Phuoc. The recent heavy downpours, especially on September 26 and 27, have caused leachate at Da Phuoc to swell while the facility is expanding its wastewater treatment plant, which has a daily capacity of 2,000 cubic meters and is scheduled to complete a test-run in February next year.

Nguyen Toan Thang, director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, told the Daily on October 6 that the city government would look into VWS’s request based on the contract the city had signed with the company.

Landfill No. 3 at Phuoc Hiep complex currently has a capacity of more than 2,000 tons per day.

At a news briefing last week, Vo Van Hoan, head of the Office of the HCMC People's Committee, said the huge landfill at Da Phuoc would have no room for more waste in the next five or seven years.

Therefore, the city is boosting the implementation of a waste treatment plant in the neighboring province of Long An, and calling for investment in waste treatment projects using advanced technologies to avoid burying waste.

Police ministry proposes to prosecute many former leaders of Oceanbank

The Investigation Agency under the Ministry of Public Security yesterday said that it had wrapped up investigation over Ocean Bank case and proposed to prosecute many former leaders of the bank including ringleader Ha Van Tham for a lot of violations.

They have been proposed to be prosecuted for loan violations, intentionally breaking state regulations causing severe consequences, asset appropriation frauds and abusing their positions and power while being on duty at the bank.

According to the agency, the case has caused serious consequences involving many objects from the bank’s headquarters, branches and transaction offices.

It has resulted in extremely large damage for the state and bank’s assets, badly affected the economy and negatively impacted the implementation of fiscal and monetary policies.

In this case, former chairman of the bank’s board of directors Ha Van Tham commanded guilty activities with efficient assistance from his accomplices.

While running the bank, Tham abused his post and power to instruct inferiors to establish backyard companies and use other tricks to arrogate the bank’s money for individual purposes, causing irrevocable losses totaling thousands of billions of dong.

He also instructed the bank’s board of directors to loan ineligible customers who had no mortgages and used loans for other purposes rather than their commitments. This resulted in Oceanbank’s damage of VND500 billion (US$22.42 million).

Tham agreed to pay Nguyen Xuan Son, former director general of Oceanbank, an amount of interest beyond deposit contracts with customers from Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN).

Tham and Son discussed and agreed with a policy to illegally collect fee from customers via BSC company, causing the bank and customers a damage of VND70 billion ($3.14 million).

Moreover, Tham ordered the bank’s officials to pay their depositors a reward rate higher than the ceiling rate by the State Bank of Vietnam,  resulting in VND984 billion ($44.12 million) in loss.

Beside Tham, the Investigation Agency also proposed criminal prosecutions to Nguyen Xuan Son and Nguyen Minh Thu who are former director general of the bank, deputy director general Nguyen Van Hoan and Le Thi Thu Thuy, Pham Hoang Giang who is former director general of BSC Vietnam and many other former officials at the bank.

The Oceanbank case is one of six serious corruption and economic cases which the Central Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption has approved to bring to trial court this year and the first quarter next year.

Over 82 percent of locals in Dak Nong hold health insurance cards

Nearly 440,000 people in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong have been covered by health insurance to date, representing 82 percent of the province’s population.

This proportion is 2 percent higher than the target set by the Vietnam Social Insurance under a plan to encourage all people to join the insurance programme through 2020.

Close to 330,000 locals from low-income families or ethnic minority groups received State financial support to buy health insurance cards.

More than 10,000 near-poor households got assistance from the State and the European Union.

Deputy Director of the provincial Social Insurance Vo Hung said Dak Nong is striving to have at least 90 percent of its population covered by health insurance by 2020.

The province is stepping up communication campaigns, improving quality of medical examination, and tightening procedures to grant health insurance cards.-VNA

King Quang Trung’s tomb exploration kicks off in Hue

An excavation to uncover the tomb of King Quang Trung began on October 6.

King Quang Trung (1753-1792), whose real name is Nguyen Hue, was the second king of the Tay Son dynasty of Vietnam, reigning from 1788 until 1792. 

The exploration area covers five holes of 22 square metres in Duong Xuan mound, Truong An ward of Hue province. 

According to Bui Van Liem, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology, Thua Thien-Hue Museum of History and Revolution will be responsible for preserving any items that are discovered and reporting to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. 

The results of the excavation will not be revealed without the agreement of the Department of Cultural Heritage and related agencies. 

Thua Thien- Hue culture researcher Nguyen Dac Xuan said that the exploration will uncover historical information on the issue. He believes that the tomb will be found in Duong Xuan mound, the location that he identified as the King’s Dan Duong castle and also his resting place.

Houses affected by mining in Thái Nguyên receive compensation

People who have been affected by the mineral exploitation activities of the Trại Câu iron mine have received assistance, according to the northern Thái Nguyên Province’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Thái Nguyên Iron and Steel Joint Stock Corporation (TISCO) has advanced VNĐ4 billion (US$180,000) to compensate and support the relocation of 11 affected households who live in Trại Cau Town.

The same amount of money has been allocated by the Đồng Hỷ District People’s Committee to support those who had to relocate to stabilise their lives.

Nguyễn Bá Chinh, deputy director of the department, said the department has invited experts from the Việt Nam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources to identify the reason for house subsidence and the clean water shortages of households at Trai Cau Town and Cây Thi Commune.

Thái Nguyên Province’s authorities would clarify the compensation responsibilities of relevant agencies for those affected after they received the results of the investigation.

Many households living near the Trại Cau iron mine belonging to TISCO have complained to local authorities about their houses subsiding and the deficiency of clean water since the beginning of this year.

Five years ago, mining exploitation at the Trại Cau iron mine was blamed for causing house subsidence and water shortages for local households and the corporation had to pay dozens of billions of đồng in compensation to affected households.

Abattoir pollutes Tiền Giang

Residents at Dưỡng Diễm Commune in southern Tiền Giang Province’s Châu Thành District claimed that their lives had been affected by bad smells and sewage from a slaughterhouse in the region over the past 30 years.

The facility, which is owned by Nguyễn Hữu Danh, slaughters about 50 pigs every day and dozens of others are kept in cages on the property.

Black smelly wastewater runs from the slaughterhouse to the canal system, pollutting the surrounding environment as well as affecting the life and production of local households.

Đặng Văn Nhiếp, chairman of the Dưỡng Diễm Commune People’s Committee said local residents have complained about the problem many times and the local authority have already given several warnings to the owner, but the situation has not yet improved.

Stricter measures would be adopted by the local authority if the violations continued, he said.

Vietnam in heavy debt following construction of new rural areas

Provinces and cities across Vietnam are falling into heavy debt after spending big on developing rural areas into new-style rural zones.

Local authorities throughout the country are scratching their heads over how to deal with the VND15 trillion (US$672.1 million) in total debts accrued from excessive expenditures on the establishment of these new rural zones.

The piling debt was the primary topic of discussion at a meeting organized by the Standing Committee of the lawmaking National Assembly on Wednesday to review the National Targeted Program on New Rural Development for 2010-15.

Despite the government’s effort to better manage capital investment and curb local debt, construction loans are still immense, Vu Hong Thanh, chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Economic Affairs, reported during the conference.

Fifty-three of 63 provinces and municipalities throughout the country are indebted, Thanh added.

According to the report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the northern province of Bac Ninh tops the nationwide list of indebted locales with VND1.63 trillion (US$73 million) in debt, followed by the north-central province of Thanh Hoa at VND1.547 trillion (US$69.3 million) and the northern province of Thai Binh at VND1.2 trillion (US$53.7 million).

Construction projects related to the various provincial debts include traffic and irrigation projects, schools, and cultural infrastructure for new-style rural areas.

According to Chairman Thanh, market fluctuations leading to lower bids on construction projects are a primary reason for the towering debt.

The trend of building new rural zones while neglecting productivity within each locality is also exacerbating the problem.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan expressed her concern at the gathering, stating that the new rural development was meant to target agricultural restructuring and sustainable improvement rather than the infrastructure projects that local authorities chose to concentrate on developing.

To alleviate their debt issues, many localities are stating their intentions to sell local land funds, a measure that is not quite viable due to current challenges in the realty market, said Chairman Thanh.

Several members of the National Assembly were worried about their inability to resolve their debts within the next year and many communes have been mobilizing budgets from local residents to pay construction loans, placing enormous pressure on all members of their respective communities.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, has been tasked with identifying methods to cope with the situation.

The government will also cease financial assistance to localities that fail to present viable solutions to their loan issues.

Da Nang luxury resort to host 23rd World Travel Awards

The Asia & Australia Gala Ceremony 2016 of the 23rd annual World Travel Awards will be held at InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort in the central coastal city of Da Nang on October 15.

More than 180 invited guests, including leading businessmen and experts in the tourism industry and international communications will gather at The Summit conference center for the most anticipated events of the year of the Asia & Australia tourism sector.

The InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort is chosen to host the event that is heralded by many media as the 'Oscars of the travel industry” for its very luxury, comfort and convenience, and grandiose natural landscape, according to Mr Graham Cooke, President and Founder of WTAs.

The resort has recently received many celebrities and politicians. It was selected to host important international events, such as Creative Connection International Conference with the participation of over 100 investors and politicians, the World Spa Awards 2015. It will be a venue for activities within the framework of Summit 2017, including APEC leaders’ meeting.

The InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort has got the largest number of international prestigous travel awards.

It was named as the “Best Resort Hotel in Asia-Pacific” by the Business Traveller at the luncheon ceremony at Conrad Hotel Hong Kong in September, and crowned the Heartbeat Excellence Rewards at the 2016 AMEA Leaders Learning Event at the InterContinental Sydney by the IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) in April.

The resort earlier was recognized as the Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort 2015 at the World Travel Awards Asia and Australia Gala Ceremony 2015 at the InterContinental Grand Stanford in Hong Kong in last October.

It also earned the title of  the Asia’s Leading Hotel Dining and Entertainment Experience 2015, 2015 Vietnam’s Leading Resort and 2015 Vietnam’s Leading Spa Resort.

In 2014, the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort was named World’s Leading Luxury Resort.

Launched in 2012 by the Sun Group and under the management of InterContinental Hotels Group, the multi-award winning Resort, a luxury hillside resort and spa overlooking a sparkling private bay is located only 30 minutes away from Danang International Airport and 45 minutes away from the world heritage site of Hoi An. It has a total 197 rooms with unique landscape and 700 meters of private beach.  

Famed architect Bill Bensley has reimagined Vietnamese design, history and myth with his characteristic whimsy, creating a magical retreat over four levels—Heaven, Sky, Earth and Sea.

Established in 1993 , World Travel Awards is the travel industry's most prestigious awards programme, rewarding leaders in the tourism, airline, hotel and hospitality sectors around the world.

Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2017 to be opened in November

The 2017 Gyeongju World Culture Expo  is scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City in November with the attractive activities such as culture exchange programs, art performances, exhibitions, food fairs, film screen and trade & investment seminars.

The bi-annual culture event is co-organized by Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Korea and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) under the chair of Gyeongju city. It was launched in 1998 for the first time.

On September 13, leaders of the HCMC People’s Committee, Gyeongsangbuk- do province and Gyeongju city co- signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly host the world cultural festival.

Yesterday, Deputy Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem received a delegation from the organization board of Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2017 on the occasion of their visit and working in the city.

Central province school honors fifth-grader rescuing drowned kids

A fifth-grader was honored for his brave act to rescue two kids at the age of five who were nearly drowned.

Headmaster of Huong Tien Primary School in  Thanh Chuong District yesterday said that the school had held a ceremony to honor and give certificate of merit to fifth-grader Lo Duong Tu who bravely rescued two kids from drowning.

Additionally, later the headmaster will propose to the Department of Education of the district to give Tu an award deserving his good deed.

Before, on October 2, at noon, Tu came to the stream behind his family’s camp to wash his bicycle and raincoat. At that time, he heard a cry for help from a friend who told him that two kids were drowning.

Raising his head, Tu saw two kids reaching up their hand repeatedly in the middle of the stream not far from his position. Without scruple, Tu jumped into the stream swimming toward the two kids and took them into the bank. The two kids are Vi The Truong and Luong Gia Bao,  both at five, living in the same village with Tu.

Photo portraits of women in mountainous region displayed in HCMC

The Ho Chi Minh City's Woman cultural house and the Hai Au club of female photographers jointly organized the photo exhibition themed "The lives of mountainous areas' people" yesterday at the city's woman cultural house. 

89 white & black photos of 19 photographers feature the daily life of the locals in Vietnam's mountainous region.

The vaious portraits of mountainous areas' women shot by Hai Au club's female photographers help HCMC audiences understand more about the daily activities in the country's mountainous region.

The exhibition lasts till October 14, 2016

Vietnam withdraws Salbultamol from materials for medicine

The Vietnam Administration of Drug under the Ministry of Health yesterday announced to withdraw Salbutamol from the index of materials for producing medication.

The administration also sent its document to local drug manufacturers about its decision of withdrawal. As per the administration, Salbutamol is an active ingredient which has been used to make medicine for years. Drugs containing Salbutamol are used for treating respiratory diseases including asthma.

The Ministry of Health managed the import of the material to make drug for treatment.

Before, the drug administration allowed to re-import 100kg of Salbutamol in August after nine-month hiatus to meet the production of drug.

Along with the decision of withdrawal, the drug administration also suspended  and asked to remove batches of unsafe cosmetics from the local market.

Cosmetics products were withdrawn from the market because they failed to meet requirements. For instance, whitening cream made by My Linh Company in the Mekong delta Province of Hau Giang’s Chau Thanh District failed to meet requirement of content of Propylparaben and homogeneity. In addition, Korean-made Organia White milk body Cleanser imported by Ngan Thanh Tam in district 8, and fragrance, face powder including Sisley eau tropicale eau de Toilette, Super soin solaire milky body mist spf 30, Eau De Sisley 2, Phyto-blanc lightening compact foundation Spf 20.made by French C.F.E.B Sisley were removed from the market.

Health authority warns of outbreaks of influenza A/H1N1

The Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health has warned of outbreaks of influenza A/H1N1 when Vietnam enters winter season. 

The influenza is acute respiratory infection caused by flu virus A/H1N1 and highly transmitted in the community in the winter season, said the health authority.

Unlike normal seasonal flu, the A/H1N1 virus usually attacks deep into the lungs causing pneumonia and even death if patients do not receive timely treatment. 

Worse, the H1N1pdm virus can survive in different environmental settings and existing in air, and the surface of chair, tables or banister rail from 24 to 48 hours and five minutes in palm. In water, at low temperature of 22 Celsius degree, virus can survive at least four days and in water with temperature of zero Celsius degree. 

Aerosols, large droplets and contact of the nasal mucosa by contaminated hands all contribute to the transmission of influenza viruses. 

The Department of Preventive Medicine pointed out symptoms of the flu including high fever, cough, sore throat, running nose, headache, muscle pain and fatigue. Some of patients could experience serious respiratory failure and deaths even. The flu A /H1N1 has same symptoms like normal seasonal flu so patients can often be tested by normal ways.

Because more people will have the flu in the winter, the department warned measures against the disease including keeping personal hygiene, regularly wash hand with soaps, covering one’s hand when sneezing and coughing. Schools and offices should be cleaned everyday with disinfects. People having the disease should wear masks and stay at home to avoid transmission to others. 

Indian Light Festival to open in Vietnam

Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, will take place at GEM Centre in Ho Chi Minh City on November 5.

The event, one of India’s largest festivals, will be jointly held by the Indian Embassy in Vietnam and the Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam (INCHAM) with the aim of bettering the Vietnamese people and foreign friends’ understanding of India and its culture.

Diwali roughly translates as “festival of lights,” a symbol of India’s ancient culture and its focus on overcoming ignorance through seeking the light of knowledge. The festival traditionally sees rich and poor families alike ignite small colourful lamps to greet Lakshmi, a deity of wealth.

The festival are designed to help Vietnamese people broaden their understanding of the land and people of India through a variety of cultural and artistic media, including music and dance performances, fashion shows and folk games. Pavilions featuring Indian culture, handicrafts and culinary arts also entertained visitors.

This year’s festival will feature the participation of two well-known Indian singers, Raja Hasan and Pragya Sodhani.

The event is expected to attract more than 1,000 visitors, including member of the Indian community in Ho Chi Minh City and delegates from government bodies, enterprises and cultural agencies.

All the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to charity.

Young Hanoi artist holds first show in HCMC

Le Thuy, a young artist from Hanoi, is holding her first solo exhibition at Craig Thomas Gallery in HCMC.

This is Thuy’s second exhibition in her career after the one in Hanoi. The latest show, titled “Where is the place of the peace!”, features 20 artworks in silk which depict landscapes and people in rural Vietnam.

Thuy has brought something new to the contemporary art scene. Other young colleagues use oil-on-canvas for higher commercial value, but Thuy prefers traditional Vietnamese silk for her paintings as she wants to protect a popular material of Vietnamese art.

The exhibition at 165 Calmette Street in District 1, HCMC lasts until October 27.

Over 90,000 train tickets for Tet holiday booked online

More than 90,000 tickets for train services during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) had been booked at dsvn.vn as of on October 3 morning, two days after the sale of train tickets for Vietnam’s longest holiday was launched.

Passengers had paid for about 50,000 tickets, according to Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company.

The company said earlier that 12 pairs of north-south trains and 10 pairs of local trains will be in service during Tet, providing passengers with a total of 293,000 seats, down by 5,000 compared to last Tet, as some 64-seat cars have been renovated into 56-seat ones.

Le Quoc Trung, deputy director of Saigon Railway Transport JSC, told the Daily that train fares would get higher on busy routes but fall on other routes during the holiday.

The Saigon Railway Station has also offered for sale extra seats to give more choices to passengers.

Trung said to prevent speculation on tickets, passengers who want to change dates of departure or return tickets for Tet services will have to pay a fee equivalent to 30% of the prices of the tickets they have booked, well above 5% at last Tet.

Passengers should update dates of departure and return tickets at least 24 hours before departure for groups, and 10 hours for individuals.

As observed by the Daily, the company’s online ticket booking system has operated stably since October 1 and this is why the Saigon Railway Station has not been as crowded as in previous years.

Saigon Railway Transport JSC has cooperated with partners including FPT Group and Vietnam International Bank to form a group of people in charge of helping passengers book train tickets, make payments and print tickets at the Saigon Railway Station.

Tickets for services on the peak days of Tet from HCMC to central provinces and cities such as Phu Yen, Quy Nhon, Quang Ngai, Quang Nam and Danang have been sold out.

Fifty truck weigh stations to be built

The Prime Minister has approved a VND840 billion project to build 50 vehicle weigh stations along national routes in order to solve current traffic congestion, prevent accidents caused by overloaded trucks and protect roads from overloaded vehicles.

According to the proposal, the weigh stations will be built along main roads which require monitoring of overloaded vehicles.

Based on the current traffic conditions, the Vietnam Road General Department and the municipal transport department will determine where and when to build the stations.

The PM also called on ministries and relevant agencies as well as provincial authorities to carry out the project effectively.

In the past, many roads have been severely damage over time due to overloaded trucks, particularly those with heavy traffic flow.

The project is a target of the master plan on vehicle weigh stations from now until 2020, with a vision to 2030.

Healthcare fees for medically uninsured to surge from 2017

The Ministry of Health has said healthcare fees for people without medical insurance will shoot up by 30% from early next year, so they should buy health insurance to ease their financial burden for medical examinations and treatments.

Nguyen Nam Lien, director of the Finance and Planning Office under the ministry, said last week that the plan for revising up hospital fees for the medically uninsured would be carried out in two stages. Fees will be adjusted up by 30% including direct charges and allowances for health workers from next January and by 50% including the aforementioned fees plus wages for health workers from July next year.

Lien said healthcare fees for people with medical insurance have been adjusted twice since March. In particular, a 30% pickup in fees has applied to patients who are medically insured from early March to cover surgery charges and service allowances for health workers.

To prevent society from a shock, 16 provinces with the medically insured making up over 85% of their population have adopted the new healthcare fees. Other provinces and cities plan to apply the fees towards year-end.

According to the plan, healthcare fees from March 2017 will remain VND20,000, VND15,000, VND10,000 and VND7,000 per medical check at first-, second-, third- and fourth-grade hospitals, respectively. From July next year, the respective fees will rise to VND39,000, VND35,000, VND31,000 and VND29,000.

Fees for intensive treatment at special hospitals will soar to VND335,000 per person from early March and VND677,000 per person from July.

People who are not medically insured must pay 100% of the healthcare fees. The health ministry will issue specific fees for the hospitals under central management. Locally-managed hospitals will be governed by the provincial People’s Councils.

Lien said the Government will partly or wholly cover the money used by social policy beneficiaries -- the poor and near-poor and children under six years old -- to buy health insurance.

Can Tho may close landfills next year

The government of Can Tho City plans to close the polluting landfills in Co Do District next year after new waste treatment projects come on stream.

Nguyen Tan Duoc, director of Can Tho’s Construction Department, told a press conference last week that the landfills in Co Do District have been overloaded with buried waste and nearby residents are being attacked by odor from these landfills.

Duoc said three private waste incinerating firms in Can Tho are completing procedures to acquire landfills in Co Do and build incinerators to treat waste there.

Ecotech Vietnam Trade and Technology Investment Joint Stock Co built in a solid waste treatment plant with a daily capacity of 250 tons in O Mon District’s solid waste treatment area in November 2014 while Minh Thong Service and Trade Co Ltd built a solid waste treatment plant with a capacity of 65 tons per day in Co Do last October. Phuong Viet Green Environment Co Ltd constructed solid waste incinerators with a daily capacity of 35 tons in Thot Not District in August.

Duoc said about 650 tons of solid waste is collected in nine districts of Can Tho with a collection rate of 85-90%. Of the total, 320 tons is incinerated and the remaining 330 tons buried in Co Do.

Of the districts, Ninh Kieu discharges 340 tons of waste with about 150 tons of it incinerated in the O Mon solid waste treatment area and the remainder buried in Co Do.

MOLISA touts high-paying health careers in Japan

Medical workers are increasingly taking the opportunity to learn, practice their profession and earn high-pay in Japan under an intergovernmental program, says the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

The health care system in Japan is first-rate and the technology second to none, noted Doan Mau Diep, deputy minister of MOLISA, during a speech at a recent recruiting conference in Hanoi.  

In terms of salaries, orderlies training under the program are able to earn from US$870 to US$1,300 per month while a nurse can receive as much as US$1,300 to US$1,400 monthly.

Better yet, if the workers obtain Japanese national occupational skill certification and work at a select group of hospitals or sanatoriums in the East Asian island country they can command a monthly salary as high as US$2,400 to US$2,600.

He noted that currently MOILISA is recruiting for another group to travel to Japan for training.  In total there are 240 openings and the ministry is in the process of sorting through the many applications and selecting the best candidates.

The group of nurses and caregivers will begin a one-year Japanese language and culture course in Vietnam to be administered by MOLISAs Department of Overseas Labour Management (DOLM) later last year.

They will subsequently receive similar but more advanced training during their training in Japan after their expected deployment next year.

As with earlier aspirants, the new candidates will then be assigned to different health facilities in Japan and go through training while preparing to take the Japanese licensure exams for nurses and caregivers.

Once they pass the exams, they have a chance to independently work in Japan.

Not only will workers be able to work and grow professionally, said Pham Viet Huong, deputy head of DOLM, but they can do so while living in Japan, most assuredly one of the safest countries in the world.

However, one caveat is that Japanese is one of the most difficult languages in the world to master, much more difficult than English, Huong noted.  Many candidates fail to pass the language course on their first attempt.

Though it’s quite difficult, candidates should be encouraged by the fact that if they practice every day they will be able to somehow speak Japanese in the future, said Huong. It just takes lots and lots of practice.

In addition to the language barrier, Huong said many workers find it a bit difficult adjusting to the working environment in Japan, where people are more focused, professional-minded and can sometimes be very strict compared with Vietnam standards.

Speaking at the event, Nguyen Son Ha said he went to Chiba Prefecture, Japan to work as a nurse as part of the program in June 2014. After much study and practice, he passed the examinations and set a goal that he would secure Japanese national nursing certification this year.

Certificates are very difficult to obtain, noted Ha. It’s hard enough for native health care workers, but even harder for foreigners. It requires not only medical expertise but also high level Japanese language skills

Momoi Ryusuke, first secretary of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam in turn highlighted the long-term need in Japan for health care workers. We appreciate the program and hope it will continue for many years.

Sewage ditches discharging waste water on beach

Sewage ditches containing black smelly wastewater, running from Sầm Sơn Township’s drainage system to the beach, are causing serious pollution, resulting in a negative effect on tourism in the area.

Under reporters observation, at least two sewage ditches were seen yesterday connecting Hồ Xuân Hương Road with beach areas C and D. Water in these ditches was black, had a horrible odour and was being discharging directly into the sea.

Most tourists moved far from the ditches to avoid the smell and the dirty water.

Văn Đình Trung, head of Sầm Sơn Township’s Urban Management Unit, admitted to the pollution, saying there were five ditches located along the beach.

Explaining the reason for the ditches, Trung said the area along Hồ Xuân Hương Road was low-lying and would get submerged during the rainy season. Waste water then ran into the sea, creating ditches on the sand.

Trung said the township’s People’s Committee has asked the provincial authority to build two pumping stations to pump water into a reservoir in Bắc Sơn Ward for treatment before discharging it into the surrounding rivers.

The project, with total investment of VNĐ190 billion (US$8.5 million), has been submitted for approval, he added.

Currently, there is only one pumping station on Bà Triệu Road to pump wastewater in the township.

Develop rural labor policies

More and more policies and programmes for development of the country’s rural labour market, which account for 70 per cent of Vietnamese workers, should be implemented, according to Associate Prof Dr Nguyễn Lan Hương of the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs.

“The rural labour market is disregarded. There are few development policies and programmes for it,” Hương said at a workshop on developing markets for global integration held last Friday in HCM City by Party Central Committee’s Commission for Economic Affairs in co-operation with the city’s Open University.

In particular, the Government should have more preferential policies to strongly develop small-and medium-size enterprises in rural areas, she said.

Handicraft villages and family-based enterprises also should be promoted, she added.

Preferential loan policies for businesses in rural areas and where ethnic minorities live should be the same as every other areas of the country, she said.

Moreover, the labour market in areas on the outskirts of urban centres should also be developed, she added.

Hương commented that labour development policies are not matched with economic development policies.

The development of urbanisation and industrialisation leads rural labour to freely move to urban areas to work at industrial parks while policies on providing assistance for accommodation and other social services for the migrant labour are not paid attention to in advance, according to Hương.

The Government has policies to attract foreign investors, but not for training corresponding human resources.

The consequence is that investors themselves have to seek human resources or use foreign labour at a higher salary than Vietnamese labour, leading to conflict over benefits, which can cause strikes.

She recommended that vocational training for rural labour, especially females, unemployed and disanvantaged groups should be focused on for strong development.

The workshop heard analysis and solutions for the development of all kinds of markets, such as financial services, real estate, technological science and others to help managers and policy makers in a project on developing markets amid global integration. 

Young singers revisit fame

Young singers who gained fame at local singing contests are finding a way back to glory with new releases.

In 2011, pop singer Bùi Anh Tuấn became well-known after wining Ngôi Sao Tiếng Hát Truyền Hình (TV Singing Star) contest organised by HCM City Television (HTV).

With a well-trained voice and good looks, Tuấn attracted a large number of fans after joining Voice of Việt Nam, a Vietnamese version of Voice of Holland, produced by Việt Nam Television and Cát Tiên Sa Company in 2012.

However, the 25-year-old singer from Hà Nội fell from fame, and many of his fans and senior colleagues thought that he might not recover.

But Tuấn is back. He is celebrating his comeback with his debut album Bùi Anh Tuấn Collection 1 — Xin Em (Begging You).

It consists of 10 songs that Tuấn performed at Voice of Việt Nam like Nơi Tình Yêu Bắt Đầu composed by Tiến Minh. It also includes new songs by Nguyễn Hồng Thuận, Hoàng Tôn and Nguyễn  Duy Anh.

The album’s theme song is Thuận’s Xin Em, a ballad about losing a lover.

The song was first written for pop star Hồ Ngọc Hà, who was Tuấn’s coach at Voice of Việt Nam. But she gave it to Tuấn as a celebration for his comeback.

“Sometimes I feel sorry for Tuấn. He had an advantage after Voice of Việt Nam, but he didn’t try to rise up,” Hà said after the release of Tuấn’s album in HCM City last week. “I’m happy that Tuấn is trying his best to change and gain fans’ love again.”

Tuấn’s album is receiving a warm welcome from both audiences and critics. It is at the top position on local online music websites zingmp3.vn, nhaccuatui.com and others.

Tuấn said he had ever dreamed of an album before. “Thanks to love from my fans and senior colleagues, it is motivation for me to change and stand up.”

As Tuấn’s teammate in the Voice of Việt Nam, Tiêu Châu Như Quỳnh quickly won the attention of audiences with her strong voice, beauty and family background.

She was able to reach the top 10. After the contest, the 24-year-old singer released some singles and took part in Hà’s concerts. But her fame seemed to fade.

Quỳnh then stopped appearing in music shows and projects.

“The failure helped me work harder and harder to regain fans’ hearts,” she said, adding that she found her true musical style.

She has introduced in HCM City her music video Chia Tay (Break-up) with a ballad written by her friend, singer Đào Bá Lộc.

“I have prepared six months for the MV. I want a perfect comeback,” Quỳnh said at the release of the MV.

Singers Thái Trinh and Võ Hạ Trâm said it touched their hearts and brought them to tears.

Trà My, also known as Trà My Idol, rose to fame after reaching the top five of Vietnam Idol, a Vietnamese version of American Idol, produced by VTV and BHD Company in 2007.

She had her comeback with a music video this week after two years of leaving show business.

The video Let Me Feel Your Love Tonight is a co-production of music producers Rhymastic and Hoàng Touliver. It features dance and R&B music with lyrics about a forbidden love.

“I want to introduce my new image – a powerful and sexy woman – for my comeback,” said the 27-year-old singer, who released two albums featuring dance and R&B music before quitting the business.

“I needed time to take a break and take care of my family. I also wanted to think of my music and my future,” she said.

Trà My is working with famous young composers to release songs in different musical genres this year. 

New opera’s secret weapon: Kieu Tan

Millions of theatre lovers in HCM City and Mekong River Delta provinces have been entertained by traditional music programmes on HCM City Television (HTV).

Since its first show in 2006, Chuông Vàng Vọng Cổ (Nostalgia Golden Bell), one of  HTV’s most popular music programmes, has supported dozens of young talents, helping them develop their career in cải lương (renovated opera).   

The programme has also offered new theatre concepts. 

While audiences are interested in the art, young actors are focused on a man behind the show -- renowned theatre researcher, director and producer Kiều Tấn.  

Tấn, former head of HTV’s Theatre and Music Unit, has worked in the industry more than 40 years.

Before 1975 he worked as a cultural researcher for the Institute of Music Research led by composer Lưu Hưu Phước. Tấn wrote several documents and books on Vietnamese southern music and instruments. 

One of his works, Cây Đàn Ghi Ta Phím Lõm (A Vietnamese guitar with five strings), was translated and published in Europe in 1997. 

“After being involved in research, I began to understand how knowledge and experience in my writing had helped improve my ability in composing and producing," said Tấn, referring to his migration to the stage in 1995 when he worked for HTV.

"I learned that theatre is life, while my research was useless. Directors and actors make their art lively and bring it to people in different ways," he said last month after releasing his latest production, Tuyển Tập Nhạc: 80 Ca Khúc Kiều Tấn (Collection of Kiều Tấn’s 80 songs), a collection of CDs performed by famous artists.  

"I wanted to write, compose and direct traditional music programmes filled with light, sound and visual effects," he said in a recent press interview.     

An HTV producer, Tấn has helped many young artistes improve their talent by training through performing.  

Thanks to his shows, rural students and farmers, such as Võ Minh Lâm, Lê Văn Gàn, Võ Thành Phê and Hồ Ngọc Trinh, have become professional actors.    

“Tấn is a great man of cải lương,” said Phê, winner of the 2008 Chuông Vàng Vọng Cổ, a TV contest designed to support young talent in cải lương, launched by veteran HTV artistes, including Tấn.   

“Tấn’s TV shows were a place for amateur and young artistes to perfect their voice and performance skills without going to school. He helped poor farmers like me believe that theatre can open a future for everyone, poor or rich, old or young,” he added.

Tấn has worked with music producers to release albums combining  cải lương and pop music to attract young audiences.  

Young people have enjoyed his songs based on cải lương such as Vạn Xuân (Springs), Sài Gòn Nắng Sài Gòn Mưa (Sài Gòn - Rain and Shine) and Dạ Khúc Bướm Hoa (Serenade of Flowers and Butterflies).

Most of his works are stories about love and youth. They have helped young singers like Vân Khánh, Hồ Trung Dũng, Như Ý and Hồ Bích Ngọc become popular.

“I love singing songs composed by Tấn because his music is based on traditional tunes,” said pop star Đàm Vĩnh Hưng, who performed on Tấn’s album Nỗi Buồn Trăm Năm (100 Years of Sadness), a production distributed by Phương Nam Film.

Tấn said, “I’m very interested in working with young actors. I believe that they will help to preserve traditional music and theatre, including cải lương.”

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE