Japan provide $580,000 for six projects

The Japanese General Consulate in HCM City on March 6 held a contract-signing ceremony on the provision of 580,000 USD for six projects in the fields of health, education, and environment in Vietnam.

Two of the projects will build the Ea Tir primary school in Binh Minh hamlet, Ea H’leo commune in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak and upgrade the nursery school, the primary school, and the secondary school in Phuoc Tien commune, Bac Ai district, the central coastal province of Ninh Thuan.

The health projects are to purchase equipment for the General Hospital in Tra Cu district in the southern Tay Ninh province, the reproductive health care centre in the central coastal province of Ninh Thuan and the health centre in Giang Thanh district in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang.

The only environment project involves the construction of a water treatment system in Hung Thanh commune, Thap Muoi district in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Nakajima Satoshi, Japan’s consul general in HCM City, said that all six projects address the urgent need of local people, adding that Japan will continue its support in the future to contribute to Vietnam’s development as well as cementing the friendship relationship between the two countries.

Fire destroys HCM City shoe factory

A shoe factory in HCM City was completely gutted by a massive blaze spanning thousands of square metres that began on the evening of March 6 and burned throughout the night.

The fire accompanied by massive explosions, which has now been brought under control, was fought by fire engines from a number of stations in the city.

Emergency services are still at the scene dampening down the debris.

There are no reports of any injuries.

The fire broke out about 8:30 pm at a factory owned by Samho Vietnam Co., Ltd in the Cu Chi district.

The exact cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

Train-motorbike collision in central region kills 1

A train and motorbike collision in the central Nghe An Province's Dien Chau District this morning killed the motorbike driver on the spot and seriously wounded his companion.

At about 10:10am, the SX1T1 train from the South to the North was drawing close to a civil crossing in the Dien Yen commune when it unintentionally crashed into a motorbike being driven by Dang Quang Hung, about 45 years old, in the province's Do Luong District.

The impact of the crash crushed and threw the vehicle away and Hung succumbed to his injuries immediately. Hung's unidentified companion also suffered severe injuries and was rushed to the hospital by the local residents.

Some witnesses said they had observed Hung being careless at the crossing as he did not see the approaching train. At the last moment, the train's driver even blew a steam whistle and braked hard, the witnessed added. Unfortunately, due to the close distance between the train and the motorbike, the train driver's efforts were wasted.

After being informed of the accident, relevant authorities reached the scene shortly and will continue to investigate the case. The train will follow necessary procedures before it continues with its journey towards the south.

Vaccine in short again

Parents were worried as there was a shortage of  many kinds of vaccines especially five in one vaccine and six in one vaccine that they have to pay for in medical clinics in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Parents yesterday queued in front of the National Institute For Control Of Vaccine And Biologicals in Nghiem Xuan Street in Hanoi to buy France-made five in one Pentaxim combination vaccine to immunize against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio andHaemophilus influenzae type b.

Waiting for 2 hours in the institute from 5 AM, Ms. Nguyen Thu Huong in Cau Giay District was not sure whether she could buy the vaccine as there were many people came earlier than her.

After hearing the news that the institute has just imported 300 dozes of Pentaxim vaccine, many parents flocked to the institute to buy the vaccine for their children. Not only Pentaxim vacccine but also Belgium-made six in one Infanrix hexa vaccine are in short supply.

Dr. Tran Dac Phu, head of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health, said that the shortage of vaccine in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is due to increase in  demands while vaccine suppliers changed their location; production plans and assembly lines and some batches of vaccine went off; accordingly, the supply is not stable.

Vietnamese Drug Administration said that it has facilitated importers; however, it depend on supply and demand of the market. Moreover, manufacturers just produce vaccine after they calculate all orders.  Therefore, medical clinics should place orders early.

Do Tuan Dat, head of Vaccine and Biological Products Company No. 1 said that this year demands increased three or four times more than previous years, importers signed contracts  early but producers are unable to meet the demands.

Medical workers warned parents not to depend much on the vaccine as the vaccines sometimes are in short. Dr. Tran Nhu Duong, deputy head of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE),stressed that parents should let their children be injected with vaccines that are free of charge in the National Expanded Immunization Program which has enough good vaccines. If parents wait for the vaccine, children can face danger  as they are not injected as per schedule.

Dr. Tran Dac Phu said that many children have pertussis ( or whooping cough) and measles as they are not vaccinated as per schedule due to waiting for have -to -pay vaccines.

Police find 800kg of processed intestines

Police in this southern province of Dong Nai yesterday found 300kg of animal intestines of unknown origin that had been processed with chemicals at a private food-processing establishment.

The business was owned by Trinh Quang Thai of Tan Hoa Ward, Bien Hoa City.

The investigators also found another 500kg of processed intestines that were set to be sold. In addition, they discovered 7kg of chemicals used to whiten the intestines.

According to the owner, all the intestines were soaked in chemicals to whiten them for an hour before they were due to be sold to markets in Bien Hoa City.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the authorities seized 200kg of pork and 35 pigs that were scheduled for slaughter at another establishment in Ho Nai Ward, which is also in Bien Hoa City. The owner could not produce papers to prove the pigs' origin or to certify that they had been quarantined.

Turkish duo nabbed for stealing cash in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City police said on March 5 that they have taken into custody two Turkish men caught withdrawing money from a local ATM with fake bank cards.

Cicek Hakan, 31, and Igdi Emrah, 29, will be detained for four months while the investigation continues, HCMC Police newspaper reported.

Cicek Hakan (L) and Igdi Emrah at a Ho Chi Minh City police station.

At around 9 p.m. on February 13, two Vietnamese men, only identified as Viet and Quan, spotted the pair withdrawing money from an ATM on Pham Ngu Lao Street in District 1.

As they found the two foreigners suspicious, they called the bank that runs the cash machine and followed the pair themselves.

The bank called back and said the cards that the Turkish pair had just used were fake.

After Viet and Quan shadowed the pair to another ATM booth on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, they asked some security guards to apprehend the Turkish men.

The two were then taken to a police station. Police seized 15 fake bank cards from Emrah, hidden inside a cigarette pack, and 13 others from Hakan, together with a large amount of cash.

The pair repeatedly blamed each other and did not admit to their crime.

Ministry launches consumer assistance switchboard

Vietnam Competition Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade put into service a consumer assistance switchboard on 1800 6838 in Hanoi to answer queries and complaints of consumers nationwide on Thursday.

Consumers’ calls to the switchboard are free of charge.

The launch of the switchboard is a respond to the World Consumer Rights Day, March 15.

The agency plans to install the switchboard at its representative office in Ho Chi Minh City and connect the line with departments of industry and trade and consumer protection associations around the country by the second quarter this year.

Japan offers funds for NGO projects

Japan and Viet Nam signed non-refundable assistance contracts for two non-governmental projects worth more than US$1 million on Thursday in Ha Noi.

More than $469,000 will be funnelled into the project entitled Improved nutrition for children and ensured food security for the most impoverished people (third phase), and another $591,864 into a project to establish women's healthcare centres and improve the capacity of local midwives.

The first, three-year project, targeting the northern Yen Bai Province in Viet Nam, is being implemented by Save the Children Japan for the past two years.

"Save the Children Viet Nam has coordinated with the provincial departments of health and agriculture and rural development to carry out numerous activities such as diversifying food security guarantees and expanding vegetable gardens," a press release from the Japanese Embassy in Ha Noi said.

"The project also helps increase the cash income of local people by providing small-scale loans to enable them to raise black chicken and rabbits, and improve awareness about healthcare and nutrition," the document says.

All these activities took place in six communes in Van Chan District, which has the highest number of poor households in the province.

The other project aims to provide training to commune-level and district-level midwives in Thua Thien - Hue, Quang Tri and Quang Binh provinces, and to provide training on healthcare to women and people in rural areas.

Carried out by the Japanese Organisation for International Co-operation in Family Planning, the project has so far provided high-quality reproductive healthcare services for improved protection throughout a woman's life and to build women's health centres in Hue City.

The two projects are focused on key points under the framework of the Japanese non-refundable co-operation, implemented by non-governmental bodies involved in poverty reduction programmes in Asia.

Vietnamese students receive Kumho Asiana scholarships

Another six outstanding Vietnamese students in the Republic of Korea (RoK) were granted scholarships from the Kumho Asiana Group, each worth nearly US$4,000, on March 5 in Seoul.

The event was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Pham Huu Chi and the Group’s Chairman Park Sam-koo, among others.

Park hailed the students’ contributions to community activities and expressed his hope that they, together with the other 7,000 Vietnamese students in the country, will continue fueling the development of Vietnam and the Vietnam-RoK relationship.

He affirmed that Kumho Asiana will continue their practical contributions to the development of the two countries.

For his part, Ambassador Chi spoke highly of the Group’s efforts to contribute to social activities and actively support Vietnamese students both in the country and the homeland.

The Kumho Asiana Scholarship and Cultural Foundation has granted 1,100 scholarships to Vietnamese students since its establishment in 2007.

Overseas VN to receive language training

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has asked relevant agencies to take concrete measures that will increase access to Vietnamese language education for Viet Kieu (overseas Vietnamese) residents.

They should encourage authorities in countries that are home to a large a number of Vietnamese nationals to include the Vietnamese language, culture and history in school curricula, he said.

The Foreign Ministry has been told to co-ordinate with relevant agencies and compile a report on teaching the Vietnamese language to Viet Kieu and other expatriates in Laos and Cambodia. The report should be submitted to the Prime Minister.

There are roughly 4.5 overseas Vietnamese nationals living in 109 countries and territories, Vu Hong Nam, Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of the State Committee on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, told the Vietnam News Agency recently.

Inclement weather risk for winter-spring crop

Dry weather and diseases could affect the quality and quantity of northern provinces' rice yields, agricultural experts warned at a conference in Ha Noi on Monday.

Tran Xuan Dinh, deputy head of the Department of Cultivation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said dry weather during the 2014-2015 winter-spring crop caused rice seeds to open early, exposing them to harmful cold weather.

Experts at the conference argued that farmers needed to change the varieties of rice they're growing to better cope with dry weather. Using cultivation technology, fertiliser and stable water supplies could help achieve maximum productivity, he said.

The plants were also more likely to catch diseases in unseasonably hot weather, Dinh said. The average temperature during this year's crop is 0.5-1.5 degrees Celcius higher than last year's, and it's likely to continue rising.

Localities should prepare to respond to any disease outbreaks, said Ngo Tien Dung, deputy head of the ministry's Department of Plant Protection.

Local authorities need to pay close attention to rice growth and monitor pest quantities to minimise the weather's negative effects, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh said.

The total area being cultivated in the northern region is 1.14 million hectares, down 22,000 hectares from the 2013-2014 winter-spring crop.

Hau Giang urges kids back to school

The Hau Giang Provincial Department of Education and Training in the Mekong Delta took steps to lower student drop-out rates in the 2014-2015 school year's second semester.

Nguyen Hung Nhien, deputy head of the Hau Giang Department of Education and Training, said families' disadvantageous situations and students dispirited by their poor academic performances were the two main factors contributing to the province's drop-out rate.

During the first semester, from September to December, about 700 students in the province dropped out of school.

Secondary and high schools students, particularly in mountainous and remote areas, often chose to quit school to help their parents farm or raise other siblings.

Nhien said students were often dissuaded from continuing because schools didn't make teaching quality or helping students with below-average performances a priority, and instead focused on maintaining high attendance rates. Parents, too busy making a living, also failed to co-operate with teachers to keep an eye on their children's performance at school.

The provincial department urged local organisations and enterprises to continue to provide support to schools across the province by establishing education funds and granting financial support to students from poor families.

When students drop out, schools are required to make home visits to discuss the situation with parents and seek solutions to help children reenroll.

Vo Van Hung, a student at Vi Thanh High School for Gifted Students, stopped attending classes and started working to support his grandmother, whom he was living with after his parents' divorce.

Teachers at Vi Thanh High School raised money and found Hung a part-time job after school so he could continue his education.

In addition, the department ordered schools to encourage students to join study groups or learn from tutors after school. Some students who received support after dropping out last semester have come back to school.  

Dong Thap authorities seize nine tonnes of fertilizers

The police and market management officers of Dong Thap Province yesterday seized nearly nine tonnes of fertilizers from a private firm.

The owner of the firm was identified as Luu Quoc Trung, a resident of Cao Lanh City in Dong Thap. Trung was not able to produce any valid papers that showed the place of origin of the fertilizers.

All the fertilizers have been temporarily seized by the authorities.

According to the relevant agencies, the demand for fertilizers among farmers often increases after the Lunar New Year holiday because of the new crop season.

Local authorities have been pushing for increased inspections of places that sell fertilizers in the area to identify those that sell fake or substandard products.

Illegal villas on Hai Van Mount demolished

Authorities are razing to the ground two villas that were illegally built on Hai Van Mount.

On Thursday, Deputy Chairman of Lien Chieu District's People's Committee of Da Nang city Dam Quang Hung was present at the scene to watch the demolition.

The two villas belonged to Phan Nhu Thach, former director of Quang Nam Province's Police, and Ngo Van Quang, director of the Phuoc Minh gold mining company.

The demolition is expected to be completed in three to four days.

In February, the Lien Chieu District's People's Committee had announced that the villas' owners will be fined for building the illegal houses on land belonging to the Lang Van Resort project.

According to the decision, the two owners had to pay fines of VND22.5million (US$1,000) each, and were forced to demolish the houses.

Denmark will continue its efforts to strengthen education cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City in a bid to generate a high-calibre workforce and meet the demand of domestic and international enterprises.

Speaking at the reception on March 6 for a delegation from the Danish Ministry of Education and Training, led by Minister Christine Antorini, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan underlined that the sector lays the foundation for a long-term relationship between Vietnam and Denmark.

Meanwhile, the guest Minister highlighted Denmark’s high-quality education system, saying that education provides highly-competitive human resources for the country’s labour market.

She expressed her hope that cooperation between the two countries’ universities will be promoted to enhance the skills and capabilities of Vietnamese students during the integration process.

During the visit, the Danish Minister also attended talks at local universities and colleges.

Vietnamese tourism popularised at ITB 2015

Vietnam – a safe, hospitable and attractive destination – was promoted to a number of international tourism businesses and agencies during a press conference held in Berlin, Germany on March 5.

The press conference, organised by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), was part of activities to introduce and promote Vietnamese tourism during the 2015 International Tourism Fair (ITB 2015).

Working towards sustainable and responsible tourism development, Vietnam has undertaken efforts to increase service quality and develop technical infrastructure facilities to serve visitors, General Director of the VNAT Nguyen Van Tuan underscored at the conference.

He added that the country also focuses on investing in products based on the potential of cultural, maritime, and eco- tourism.

Tuan highlighted that with over 1 million visitors to the country every year, the EU remains a crucial market for Vietnam’s tourism.

Germany, the UK and France have been among the top 15 largest tourism markets of Vietnam. Germany is a target market with over 142,000 German nationals visiting Vietnam in 2014, a 45.7 percent increase from 2013.

Vietnamese travel booths are displaying the theme “Vietnam: a country of heritages” at the world largest annual tourism fair, promoting Vietnam as a destination full of cultural and heritage tourism.

NA leader launches tree plantation campaign in Quang Binh

National Assembly (NA) Deputy Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan on Thursday visited the tomb of late General Vo Nguyen Giap and launched a campaign to plant over 13,000 trees in Vung Chua area, the north central province of Quang Binh.

The event is a part of the program to grow one million trees in Vietnam, co-organized by Vietnam Environment Administration and Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company.

Representative of the program’s steering board Nguyen Viet Dung said that they aimed to practice the policy of calling the society to attend in environmental protection, and encourage them to give ideas for the purpose.

Under the program, tree plantation campaigns have been implemented in 11 provinces and cities. It will be continued in other provinces and cities this year.

Agencies to enhance teaching Vietnamese to expatriates

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has recently ordered relevant agencies to take concrete measures to increase access to Vietnamese language education for overseas Vietnamese.

At a recent meeting, the Deputy PM asked the Ministry of Education and Training in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese, and relevant agencies to build a framework for increasing the online teaching of Vietnamese.

They were asked to encourage authorities from countries that house a number of Vietnamese nationals to include the Vietnamese language, culture and history in school curricula.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry was ordered to work with relevant agencies to report on teaching the Vietnamese language for expatriates in neighbouring Laos and Cambodia to the Prime Minister.

The Deputy PM also requested Vietnam’s representative agencies in foreign countries promote and guide the use of two textbooks, “Tieng Viet vui” (Fun Vietnamese) and “Que Viet” (Vietnamese Homeland).

The overseas Vietnamese community currently consists of roughly 4.5 million people across 109 countries and territories, according to Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of the State Committee on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Vu Hong Nam in a recent interview granted to Vietnam News Agency reporters.-

Tien Giang: CHOBA project helps improve rural sanitation

The Community Hygiene Output-Based Aid (CHOBA) Programme in the southern province of Tien Giang has yielded significant achievements, according to the local Woman’s Union.

As many as 8,300 sanitary toilets have been built under the programme since 2012 in 55 communes of the province, with a total expenditure of over 19.5 billion VND (929,000 USD).

According to Family-Society Department Manager of the provincial Women’s Union Ho Thi Tuyet Hong, the programme was designed to improve hygienic conditions for women and children in line with the goals of the National Target Programme for Rural Water and Sanitation through 2020.

The project helps improve hygiene in impoverished communities and contributes socially and economically, especially in building new-style rural areas, she added.

The CHOBA project, funded by the East Meets West foundation, assists impoverished and disadvantaged families in building new sanitary toilets to protect the local environment, reduce waterborne diseases, and change sanitary habits and behaviours.

The project does not directly financially support households, but rather awards packs which are delivered to families once they’ve build hygienic toilets through preferential loans.

The project has thus far been conducted in 496 communes in 10 provinces nationwide, including Ninh Binh, Hai Duong, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Dong Thap, Hoa Binh and Soc Trang, seeking to improve hygiene for 1.4 million people in rural areas.

The Health Ministry has issued a regulation to People's Committees in provinces and cities to strengthen food safety and prevent food poisoning during the 2015 festive season.

The ministry has recommended that the chairmen of provinces and cities and health departments should co-ordinate with relevant units to urgently organise and arrange business locations, support businesses with enough clean water and garbage collection areas, and ensure food safety and hygiene at festival sites.

Under the regulation, food businesses must have certificates showing their knowledge of and training in food safety, and sign commitments to ensure food safety during food processing and sale.

In another effort to make food safer in 2015, the ministry also required provinces and cities to reinforce more inspection teams to examine businesses, deal with violators of regulations, and said that the names of the violators will be made public to protect the customers' right to access safe food.

The local authorities also set up emergency units to treat people affected by food poisoning in order to minimise the impact on public health.

People involved in food processing, and owners or managers need to undergo periodic medical examination and get health certificates. Persons suffering from diseases mentioned on the list approved by the health ministry are not allowed to be directly involved in food processing.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that 2015 had been named the Year of Food Safety to raise awareness about the need to control food quality.

Tran Minh Thang, a resident in Hai Ba Trung District of Ha Noi who is interested in festivals after the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, said that his family always prepared food at home before going to festival sites because he was afraid of unhygienic food. However, with the new rules, the people participating in festivals could feel secure about food safety, Thang added.

The festival season usually takes place across the country after the Tet holiday and it is difficult to control business operations and to fully ensure food safety at festival sites, so the risk to public health is very high.

Centres to tackle threat of flu virus

A national system to monitor influenza has been set up by the Ministry of Health (MoH) together with two nfluenza centres in Ha Noi and HCM City.

The moves follow a recent warning by the World Health Organisation (WHO) over dangerous changes in the flu virus, said the General Department of Preventive Medicine on Thursday.

Both centres, based at the Ha Noi-based National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and HCM City Pasteur Institute, are capable of running tests on all avian flu strains. A plan on disease prevention has been prepared by the Ministry of Health to prepare for any flu epidemics.

Earlier this week, WHO issued a statement calling for a close watch on the worldwide avian-flu epidemic and the potential for new virus strains to appear.

Meanwhile, recent tests on birds and humans for the latest fatal bird flu strain A (H7N9) conducted by the MoH, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and international organisations indicate that the virus strain has not reached Viet Nam.

This particular virus was first detected in March, 2013, in China, where it killed at least 122 people and infected a total of 458.

A warning against seasonal flu, including the avian flu strain A (H1N1) and A (H3N2), was Issued by the General Department of Preventive Medicine yesterday.

Seasonal flu is an acute infectious disease caused by the influenza strain A (H3N2), A (H1N1), strain B or C. It peaks in winter and spring.

Reports show that the strain A(H3) is the dominant type with 77.8 per cent recorded among the flu infected in the first two months of 2015. This is followed by the virus strain A(H1N1) and strain B, which accounted for 11.1 per cent each.

Fishermen receive modern boats

The Viet Nam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (SBIC) has delivered an upgraded fishing vessel to the coastal central province of Nghe An.

The vessel is the eighth of its kind, and is part of a Government programme to boost fisheries development and help fishermen to build high-capacity boats designed for offshore fishing.

The 26m long and 6.8m wide vessel is covered in iron instead of wood, and has eight storage compartments for fish, water and minerals.

It has an operating capacity of 10 miles per hour and is equipped with modern marine technology including a magnetic compass, GPS and sonar.

SBIC Deputy General Director Ngo Tung Lam said that two ship building companies in Song Do and Nha Trang would undertake the construction of more new vessels.

The two companies have already delivered seven vessels to fishermen in the provinces of Nam Dinh, Quang Binh, Thai Binh, Nghe An, Vung Tau and Quang Ngai.

Earlier on Tuesday, the SBIC also delivered a cuttlefish catching vessel to Nguyen Quoc Trong, a fisherman from Nghe An Province. The vessel is capable of carrying 20 fishermen on long offshore trips.

The new vessel is equipped with a 650HP engine, four electric generators and modern communications systems.

It is also equipped with 140 high powered lights to attract cuttlefish.

Speaking at a meeting with the SBIC, Trong said he was more than happy with the quality of the new vessel.

"I have been working as an offshore fisherman on wooden boats since 2003. This is the first modern iron boat I have ever owned," said Trong.

Although the new boat had a projected lifespan of 20 years, it was still difficult for fishermen to pay back 10 per cent of the construction cost to the Government, he explained, adding that he was hoping for more financial support as cited in Government Decree 67/2014/ND-CP.

The decree, issued last July, outlines basic policies to boost the fisheries industry.

New multi-dimensional poverty standards should make the fight against poverty more effective, said Truong Thi Mai, head of the National Assembly's Committee on Social Affairs.

The updated standards, which would be applied between 2016 and 2020, will measure shortages in basic needs, such as access to education and healthcare. They would help local authorities allocate resources correctly, she said at a workshop on poverty standards and social welfare policies held yesterday in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

Other delegates at the meeting said the new approach aims to achieve three goals: measuring the shortage, supervising poverty alleviation and policy adaptation, and determining which households will receive benefits.

Nguyen Cao Thinh, deputy head of the General Affairs Department under the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, proposed nine groups of actions that should be taken in ethnic minority areas. He asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs to work together to devise goals for reducing poverty in ethnic minority groups and supervising the implementation of the standards.

The workshop was held by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs; the UN Development Programme; and Ireland's Embassy in Viet Nam.

Truong Son Dong road’s section in Lam Dong completed

The Ministry of Defence held a ceremony on March 6 to put into trial operation a section of the Truong Son Dong road project, which runs from Da Lat City to Lac Duong district in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong.

With a total length of 60 km, the asphalt and cement road is built at a cost of 900 billion VND (42.3 million USD). It lies at one end of the 657km-long route, which will connect four Central Highland provinces – Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Lam Dong - and the central coastal provinces of Quang Ngai, Phu Yen and Quang Nam.

The same day, a working group of the National Assembly Standing Committee worked with the project’s investor, relevant sectors and leaders of Lam Dong province on the implementation of the project.

According to the investor, as many as 460 km of the Truong Son Dong road project have been completed, linking five provinces of Quang Ngai, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Phu Yen and Dak Lak, and facilitating poverty reduction in remote areas.

The Truong Son Dong road, with an investment of 10 trillion VND (470 million USD), will play an important role in promoting socio-economic development and ensuring security and defence in the central region.

Wartime bomb unearthed in northern Vietnam

An unexploded 500lb (227kg) Vietnam War bomb was discovered by workmen in a densely populated area in the northern city of Hai Phong on March 4.

The workers were installing water pipeline for a bridge project when they found the US-made bomb buried around one meter underground, online website VnExpress reported.

Sappers later successfully defused the bomb and moved it to a safe location on March 5. The site where the bomb was found is only three meters away from a crowded residential area. According to sappers, the bomb contained about 100 kg of explosive.

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) has killed 42,000 people and wounded 62,000 in Vietnam since the Vietnam War ended in 1975, according to official data. Three in every 10 casualties were children.

The US will spend US$10 million on programs to survey and clear UXO in Vietnam this year, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller said during a field trip in the central province of Quang Tri on March 2.

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