Man wanted in embezzlement case held

The police have caught a man involved a high-profile corruption case, five years after an international warrant was issued for his arrest after he fled abroad.

Giang Kim Dat, born in 1977 and a native of Thai Binh Province, was caught on Tuesday.

The location and the circumstances in which he was caught have not been revealed.

Dat was one of the key offenders in an embezzlement case that was unveiled five years ago at the Vinashin Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd or Vinashinlines.

The alleged offenders in this case had been charged with "intentionally violating state regulations on economic management, leading to serious consequences; embezzlement; concealment and sale of ill-gotten assets and hiding of criminals."

The investigative agency under the public security ministry started probing the case on August 23, 2010.

But before that, Dat fled abroad.

In his initial questioning, Dat reportedly said he had embezzled US$19 million.

Two die in ambulance-motorbike collision in Ben Tre

Two people were killed and four were injured in a collision between an ambulance and a motorbike at Mo Cay Nam District's Thanh Thoi A Commune in Ben Tre Province.

The accident happened at about 3pm on Wednesday in the Mekong River Delta Province, when the ambulance, which was travelling on Co Chien Bridge, crashed into a motorbike, the provincial police said.

The ambulance, which was carrying a child from Tra Vinh Province to hospital in HCM City for treatment, and the motorbike were travelling in the same direction.

The ambulance hit the road divider, overturned and burst into flames.

A seven-year-old boy in the ambulance, who was a blood cancer patient named Dang Trung Kien, and the motorbike rider, Nguyen Van Ut, 49, were killed in the collision.

Local residents took the victims out of the ambulance before it became engulfed in fire.

The injured people -- the ambulance driver, a nurse and the boy's father and grandmother -- were taken to the local hospital for treatment.

The police are investigating the case. 

3,115 heart surgeries for children conducted in past 10 years

The Children's Hospital No.1 in Ho Chi Minh City July 7 held a meeting to review the program of heart surgery for children in the past 10 years.

Since 2004 to date, the hospital has performed heart surgeries for 3,115 children including 645 serious inborn heart diseases and for 125 neonates contributing to reduce the fatality rate from 7.7 percent in 2004 to 1.1 percent in 2014.

The hospital has conducted from simple cases of heart diseases including Atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect to complicated congenital heart diseases like tetralogy of Fallot, partial atrioventricular canal defects, transposition of great vessals  which patients had to travel abroad for treatment.

The hospital has over 1,400 beds and receives over 1.5 million patients for examination and admits 95,000 inpatients every year.  It can examine 7,000 children per day. It is scheduled by 2016, the hospital will have additional 1,000 beds for children.

The heart surgeries for children started in 2014 with the fund from the city’s state budget and the support of benefactors; the Department of Health, the Heart Institute, Children's HeartLink.

Fire destroys three houses in An Giang

Three houses were destroyed in a fire in My Hoa Ward's Tan Hue 2 hamlet in Long Xuyen City on Tuesday night.

Firefighters from An Giang Province's Department of Fire Prevention and Control were mobilised to extinguish the blaze.

Hundreds of army and police personnel and local residents also helped to stamp it out.

The fire broke out at about 6pm in a small alley, making it difficult for the fire engines to approach the site.

Four specialised fire engines and numerous water pumps were employed, and the fire was completely extinguished after about an hour.

Initial reports indicated that three houses were destroyed, but no casualties were reported.

Local residents said the fire probably broke out in a house, after the family forgot to shut off the gas cylinder, leading to a gas explosion.

The case is being investigated further.

Sewage flooding plagues building

More than 60 residents of 12 households in 146 Quan Thanh Street have lived "knee-deep in sewer water and waste" since July 2013.

A blockage below the house at 5 Dang Dung Street in Ba Dinh District has caused sewage flooding at 146 Quan Thanh Street for almost two years, Ha Noi's authorities reported after a probe last week.

More than 60 residents of 12 households in 146 Quan Thanh Street have lived "knee-deep in sewer water and waste" since July 2013. Their common courtyard is covered in dark, stinky water from the sewer, as a blockage stopped their pipe from draining into the city sewer system.

Affected residents sent several petitions to district authorities, but the local administration was unable to repair the problem. They then complained to city authorities, blaming Nguyen Xuan Minh, a resident of 5 Dang Dung Street, which is located nearby, for causing the blockage, as their sewer pipeline ran below his address.

However, Minh refused to let the city dig under his house.

Minh even hired people who look like disabled veterans to prevent the local People's Committee from digging under the pavement in front of his residence to find out why the sewer was blocked.

Vice Chairman of the Ha Noi People's Committee Nguyen Quoc Hung in April demanded all involved bodies to address this environmental issue and to not let the situation continue as is.

A probe by the Ha Noi People's Committee, the city's Construction Department and the Ha Noi Sewerage and Drainage Limited Company on June 30 found that there was a waste water pipe running from under 146 Quan Thanh Street to house 5 Dang Dung.

Workers also found rags and broken bricks within the pipe that stopped waste water from flowing into the city's drainage system.

Nguyen Dinh Tuan, who represents the residents of 146 Quan Thanh, said they expected the findings would help solve their pollution problem. The residents disagreed with a proposal to build an alternative sewer for the building, as they wanted to have cause of the flooding identified.

The public has shown concern over local authorities' delay in addressing the issue.

HCM City urges State agencies to use bio-fuel

The HCMC departments of industry-trade and finance have been told to draw up a plan to compel State agencies and enterprises in the city to switch to using E5 bio-fuel for their vehicles.

HCMC vice chairman Tat Thanh Cang told the two departments to work on the plan at a city government meeting on E5 bio-fuel distribution here in the city over the weekend. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Department of Science and Technology and fuel wholesale firms.

HCMC now has 55 E5 bio-fuel stations. The trade department’s target to increase the total number by 115 at the end of last month was not realized, heard the meeting. The current number of E5 bio-fuel stations is even smaller than in December last year when the city government started to promote consumption of the bio-fuel.

Local fuel trading firms lack appetite for selling this bio-fuel as it is a new product to local consumers and they have to invest in new filling stations. Fuel wholesalers are afraid of a shrinkage in profit and a rise in inventories when they sell the product.

Fuel wholesalers said allowing distribution of Mogas 92 gasoline and E5 bio-fuel at the same time would affect sales of filling stations as a majority of consumers still prefer using the popular Mogas 92 gasoline.    

General director of Saigon Petrol Dang Vinh Sang told the meeting that it is difficult to promote consumption of E5 bio-fuel if gas stations are permitted to sell Mogas 92 gasoline.

Le Xuan Trinh, deputy general director of PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (PV Oil), suggested the city government have a clear road map for the bio-fuel consumption as has been done in the central provinces of Quang Ngai and Quang Nam.

If gas stations in HCMC are allowed to sell Mogas 92 gasoline and E5 bio-fuel at the same place, E5 sales would be difficult, Trinh said.

Cang said the city government would consider making the use of E5 bio-fuel compulsory for vehicles of State agencies and enterprises, which is expected to speed up consumption of the environmentally friendly fuel.

Goats, new rice promote Delta resilience

Le Thi Trang, 48, a farmer in Ba Tien 1 Village in the Mekong Delta's Tien Giang province, has long dreamt of the day her family has a house without a leaky roof.

Her dream is now coming true because she is now the owner of a thriving herd of 11 goats.

"I'll sell one or two male goats when they grow bigger to get money for repairs," she said.

Trang's family has six members. Her husband and son are seasonal builders, her daughter is a secondary-school student, and her daughter-in-law just delivered a baby. The main income comes from her husband and son.

Last April, Trang’s family was listed among the poorest households in the village, so she was given a pregnant goat from a programme to ease poverty.

Her goats are worth about 32 million VND (1,400 USD), and the amount rises quickly as the animals get older.

In the last two years, Tran Thi Cuc, a poor householder from northern Thai Binh Province's Nam Thinh Commune, has learned how to grow a new type of rice to adapt to climate change. The productivity of the new type of rice is about 150 kilos per 360 sq.m, compared to about 50-60 kilos for the old types of rice.

The new rice is salt tolerant and better adapts to cold weather.

In the first year, Cuc's family made about five times more than in previous years and quickly escaped from poverty.

Trang and Cuc are among 51,000 people living in coastal communes in the provinces of Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Tra Vinh and Tien Giang, who have benefited from a three-year project funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The overall objective of the project is to increase the resilience of the most vulnerable people, especially women, living in coastal communes affected by climate change by helping to improve their livelihoods.

The project, named Partnership for equitable resilience to the impacts of climate change of the coastal communities in deltas of Vietnam, was run by Oxfam and the Centre for Marine-life Conservation and Community Development since the middle of 2012.

Nguyen Nhu Lien, head of Thai Binh Province's Agricultural Promotion Centre said the province was severely hit by climate change, threatening its crown as the "rice granary of the North".

In 2007, when the average temperature during winter-spring temperatures were 2.5 degrees Celsius higher than the previous years due to climate change, the total rice yield fell to one tonne per hectare.

In the spring of 2012, prolonged cold weather lasting for 39 days also caused a big loss to the provincial rice yield, he said.

Many local fields are also slowly becoming saline due to rising seas.

After pilot households were so successful with the new types of rice, the province multiplied the model widely, he said.

Le Kim Dung, associate Country Director of Oxfam in Vietnam, said that it would also continue working hard to support Vietnam coping with climate change in the future.

Ministry to spend big on e-toll tech, truck load controls

The Ministry of Transport has unveiled a VND1.46 trillion (US$67.3 million) project to apply electronic toll collection (ETC) technology and strengthen truck load controls at toll stations nationwide.  

The ministry will conduct a feasibility study for the project, select investors and install equipment in 2015-2016.

E-toll collection devices and automatic weighbridges will be installed on National Highway 1A and Ho Chi Minh Road in the Central Highlands via a build-operate-own (BOO) contract in the first phase.

The ministry said the e-toll collection is part of a scheme to modernize the road tolling system, tighten truck load controls and reduce traffic congestion at tollgates. The e-toll collection technology will enable vehicles to pay tolls without having to stop at tollgates and also help enhance transparency.

Three e-toll collection lanes on either side of National Highway 1A will be set up. The road section of Ho Chi Minh Road in the Central Highlands will have two e-toll collection lanes in each direction.

Tollgates will be controlled by the back-end system for payment management and customer service while the front-end system will collect images, speeds, number plates and loads of trucks passing through tollgates.

Pilot project provides social benefits via post office

The poor people and social assistance beneficiaries of Ha Giang, Quang Nam, Lam Dong and Tra Vinh provinces will receive financial support via the post office.

This scheme is part of a pilot project that was launched at the beginning of July. The World Bank-funded project to strengthen the social assistance system in Viet Nam is being implemented by the labour, invalids and social affairs ministry to reduce poverty in a sustained manner.

The project will benefit poor families, social support beneficiaries,

and ethnic and minority households with children who are in high school or live in areas that are not linked to the national electricity network.

The eligible beneficiaries can register for financial support at the communal People's Committee and receive aid at the communal post office of the area where they live. They will also get parenting advice from the mass media and local project collaborators.

Local social officers will also benefit, with simplification of processes and the associated reduction in workload. The programme's administrators at the provincial and the central level will improve their ability to monitor programme implementation and support for policy formulation.

Phu Yen rice crop faces drought risk

Phu Yen Provinces agricultural department said thousands of hectares of the summer-autumn rice crop would face a water shortage if theres no rain in the coming days.

The department in the central coastal province said fighting drought would be one of its key tasks till the end of August.

Rice seeds have been sown and rice seedlings transplanted on 24,200ha for the summer-autumn crop in the province. Of these, the Dong Cam Agricultural Irrigation Co., Ltd, an irrigation company that provides water to paddy fields, manages 17,650ha.

Director of Dong Cam Tran Tien Anh said at present 970ha of the rice fields located downstream from the irrigation canals managed by the company were thirsting for water.

He said the water levels in the rivers and reservoirs the company exploited for feeding irrigation canals had dropped by 0.15m to 8m.

In addition to eight pumping engines, each of which is working at a capacity of 1,000cu.m per hour, the company has installed 11 more pumps that can pump 500cu.m to 1,000cu.m per hour each.

The company is working with local authorities to dig wells to get more irrigation water.

However, Tien Anh said these were only short-term measures.

"If there is no rain in the upstream areas, the area of drought-hit rice crops will increase," he said.

The provincial authority has set aside VND23 billion (US$1.6 billion) to help the rice fields fight drought.

They have also ordered the lower authorities to guide farmers on thrifty watering" methods, which means watering a rice field while leaving the adjacent one dry or alternating the watering.

As the receding water table makes way for the encroaching sea water, the provincial authority has instructed pumping stations to closely follow the tide schedule and to regularly check the level of salt in the groundwater they pump to irrigate rice crops.

Soc Son suburban district to become urban satellite area

Soc Son district, on the outskirts of Hanoi, will be developed into a satellite area and green urban corridor by 2030, according to a plan recently approved by the municipal People’s Committee.

The satellite area, spreading over 5,459 hectares with an estimated population of 247,000 by 2030, is expected to serve as a service and ecosystem urban area with the Noi Bai Airport and industrial zones.

The Soc Son district will contribute to easing the burden of overpopulation and traffic in downtown Hanoi.

According to the plan, the administrative centre will be built southwest of the town.

It will also focus on the preservation of local traditions and protecting the environment.

Boarding school for ethnic students built in Bac Kan

A ground breaking ceremony to build a boarding school for ethnic students was held on July 8 in Thuan Mang commune in Ngan Son district of the northern mountainous province of Bac Kan.

The school, funded by the National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC), will include constructing 10 dorms and a number of support facilities for about 70 students.

The boarding school, built at a cost of 2.3 billion VND (105,000 USD), is expected to be completed before the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year.

Thuan Mang is one of the poorest communes in Ngan Son with 100 percent of its population belonging to ethnic minority groups.

128 students have registered for the 2014-2015 school year, 66 of who are from remote areas and face accommodation difficulties.-

Rural development movement brought to life

The movement of building new-style rural areas has come into the real life, satisfying farmers’ interests and creating a premise for sustainable development, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh said.

Speaking at a conference in Hanoi on July 8, Ninh, who is also head of the Steering Committee for this national target programme, said ensuring rural modernisation means to guarantee other issues on politics, economics and society.

He added that the committee will urge localities to fulfill the set criteria, including construction of infrastructure and public works, production capacity improvement, environmental protection and cultural preservation.

By the end of this year, 20 percent of communes nationwide are expected to become new-style rural areas.

The committee will put forth policies and solutions to speed up the progress of implementing the programme in disadvantaged areas; complete the mid-term plan for 2016 and 2020 for the Government’s submission; revise or supplement the set of criteria.

A plan to review the implementation of the movement between 2011 and 2015 was already completed, the Deputy PM said.

Under the mid-term plan for 2016 and 2020, as much as 50 percent of communes are hoped to meet all the criteria, while each cities and provinces have at least one district to obtain the criteria, he noted.

In the next five years, necessary facilities to develop production and farmers’ living standards will be constructed.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the rural development movement has been spread widely across the nation in the first half of this year.

Many models have proved effective such as shrimp breeding in northern Nam Dinh province and hi-tech agriculture development in central Ha Tinh province.

To date, 889 communes and five districts nationwide have been recognised as new-style rural areas, including Xuan Loc, Xuan Long (southern Dong Nai province), Dong Trieu (northern Quang Ninh province), Cu Chi (Ho Chi Minh City), and Hai Hau (northern Nam Dinh province).

However, the gap between regions is increasing. Some localities have yet stayed proactive in the field and five provinces of Dien Bien, Son La, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, and Dak Nong have no new-style rural communes.

Participants proposed supplementing 15 trillion VND (694 million USD) to carry out the programme in the 2010-2015 period.

Numerous activities to pay tribute to war heroes, devotees

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) is planning a host of activities to pay homage to war heroes and devotees in celebration of the 68th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27).

MoLISA demanded provincial-level People’s Committees conduct practical activities to celebrate the day and continue giving the full Party and State preference to revolutionary devotees.

Local MoLISA departments were also asked to deliver gifts and offer free medical exams and treatment to war devotees and women whose husbands or children sacrificed their lives during wartime.

On the evening of July 26, the MoLISA will coordinate with the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Ministry of Education and Training to lay wreaths, offer incense and light candles to commemorate war heroes at over 3,000 martyr cemeteries nationwide.

A ceremony paying tribute to the deceased will also be held at the Road 9 national martyr cemetery in central Quang Tri province by the Youth Union’s Central Committee.

Hanoi opens int’l transport exhibition, seminar

The 2015 International Transportation Exhibition enables domestic and foreign partners to form networking and facilitate technology transfer, said National Assembly Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu at the opening ceremony in Hanoi on July 8.

In his speech, Luu urged the entire transport sector to embrace breakthrough solutions synchronously and comprehensively while rallying resources at home and abroad, since transportation growth is vital to socio-economic development and national defence in the international integration progress.

The exhibition saw the presence of nearly 50 exhibitors in and outside the country, including L-Orange (China), Emirates Airlines (Dubai), FLIR systems (Singapore), Vietnam Airlines, Vinalines, among others.

The event also introduces the 70-year history of the Vietnamese transport sector, orientations to transport infrastructure development and links up Vietnam with participating countries in the field, said Transport Deputy Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong.

Relevant seminars on transport infrastructure will also be held during the event, which will run until July 10.

HCM City fosters youth connectivity in Mekong sub-region

The Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) Communist Youth Union teamed up with the city’s Student Association to hold a meeting between local students and a youth delegation of the Mekong Friendship Project on July 7 to foster people-to-people connectivity.

Lam Dinh Thang, Vice Secretary of the HCMC Communist Youth Union and President of the HCMC Student Association, spoke highly of the event as it provided a forum for students from different countries to not only exchange cultures but also to strengthen multilateral cooperation and mutual understanding.

It is also expected to boost the relationship between nations in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS).

At the event, the HCMC Student Association briefed attendees on activity highlights followed by a discussion among students on the practices of student programmes in their countries.

The same day, the Mekong Friendship project delegation visited several historical sites including the Nha Rong Wharf and the Ho Chi Minh Museum in the city.

The Mekong Friendship Project is a short-term exchange programme launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to bring together students from Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, noted a representative of the programme.

This year’s programme, themed “Addressing Regional Challenges”, focuses on three sub-topics: human trafficking, narcotics and Siamese rosewood.

Throughout the programme, participating youths will travel through all five countries with opportunities to see problems first-hand before proposing ways for their countries to address the issues.

Integrated management strategy covers 28 coastal localities

The integrated management strategy of coastal zones through 2020, covering all 28 coastal localities nationwide, was launched on July 8 during a conference in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang

The strategy is built on the basis of respecting the laws of nature, being environmentally-friendly, and encouraging economic development suitable to the ecological conditions of each region with consideration of the capacity to adapt to climate change.

It will be implemented synchronously with clear definitions of responsibility of each ministry, sector and locality as well as with close coordination with the community, social organisations and other countries.

According to Vu Sy Tuan, Head of the Vietnam Administration of Sea and Island, the strategy aims to realise the new method of integrated management stated in the Law on Natural Resources and Sea and Island Environment recently approved by the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, Dr Christian Henckes, Head of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)’s integrated coastal management programme, spoke highly of the collaboration between Vietnam’s agencies and localities in launching the project in the Mekong Delta so far.

He said in the future, the German government will continue supporting Vietnam in managing natural resources and protecting the coastal environment amid climate change through increasing cooperation in building coastal fences and restoring alluvial ground and mangrove forests.

At the same time, Germany will help Vietnam access international financial resources for projects on integrated management in combination with climate change response, he said.

According to Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Chu Pham Ngoc Hien, this is a chance for ministries and localities to contribute ideas to a framework plan of action to realise the 2015-2020 strategy while sharing experiences in the field.

Participants at the event are scheduled to tour Au Tho B village in Vinh Hai commune, Soc Trang’s Vinh Chau district where a GIZ-launched model of managing coastal forest in groups is proving efficient.

Chinese caught smuggling 4 kg of meth into Vietnam

Vietnamese officers has arrested a Chinese man who was smuggling four kilograms of methamphetamine across the border into the country.

Ma He Sen, 48, was caught carrying four bags of the crystal drug across the border in Cao Bang Province, local media reported.

The man from Guangxi said he was delivering it to a dealer in Vietnam.

Ma He Sen at a police station in northern Vietnam with four kilos of meth he smuggled from China. Photo credit: VnExpress

 Officers said the drug is valued around VND1.6 billion (US$73,360) on the black market.

They busted another smuggling attempt of more than ten kilograms of heroin through the China border at Dien Bien Province a month ago.

Vietnam has some of the world’s toughest drug laws.

Those convicted of trafficking more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilos of methamphetamine face death penalties.

Producing or selling 100 g of heroin or 300 g of other drugs are also capital crimes.

Awareness needed for green city plans

A seminar on urban green growth in Hanoi advocated for more awareness among investors and policymakers.

The Ministry of Construction and Vietnam Urban Forum hosted the seminar last week, titled Building up Green Growth Urban Centre in Vietnam. It attracted representatives from ministries of construction, planning and investment, and NGOs in Vietnam.

Deputy Minister of Construction Phan Thi My Linh said the implementation of a Government-approved National Green Growth Strategy from 2013 to 2020 is facing obstacles due to a shortage of awareness on green growth and investment among urban centres' authorities.

The National Green Growth Strategy has mapped out how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8 to 10 % by 2020 against 2010. Vietnam could decrease its emissions by 20 % with international assistance.

However, the implementation of the national strategy has had limited results, the deputy minister admitted. Minimal research has been conducted.

Authorities of Sa Pa Township (in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai) and Soc Trang City in the south have promulgated green-growth strategies.

Other urban centres such as Da Nang, Tam Ky and Bac Ninh are researching their strategies on green growth and climate change.

Representatives at the seminar agreed that localities were lagging on creating plans because they lacked clear concepts and concrete criteria on green urban centres.

Deputy Minister Linh said green urban centres' citizens would enjoy living in areas with more nature and comfortable infrastructure. More importantly, authorities of such urban centres must invest more in the conservation, development and efficient use of natural capital, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and improvement of environmental quality.

Vietnam lacks policies to mobilise financial sources from international climate funds and attract investment.

Vietnam's environmental policymakers estimated the country needs US$30 billion to implement the National Green Growth Strategy. Organisations and individuals outside of the State would need to supply 70 % of the funds.

Nguyen Quang, programme manager of UN-Habitat in Vietnam, said the Government needed to encourage enterprises and the entire community to join in on green growth projects.

Quang Tri: Trade fair connects with EWEC countries

A fair on industry and trade in the Northern Central Coastal region was launched in Dong Ha City, Quang Tri province, on July 8, featuring around 500 exhibition booths run by nearly 240 domestic and international businesses.

The exhibition space showcases signature products and services from Quang Tri province, Vietnam and the other EWEC nations like Laos and Thailand.

The fair aims to highlight the progress made in terms of socio-economic development in the participating provinces and boost trade, cooperation and technology transfer between these localities and EWEC nations.

It was jointly organised by the provincial People’s Committee and the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade as part of the celebratory events to mark the 70th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2), and to kick start the Quang Tri Economic Forum 2015, which aims to connect the countries in the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC).

The expo runs until July 14.

Ca Mau province strives for more NGO financial aid

Southernmost Ca Mau province is calling for more financial aid from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) between 2015 and 2017 to support its socio-economic development goals.

Ca Mau is seeking to boost cooperation with NGOs in several priority areas, including agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development; health care; education and vocational training; social issues; disaster prevention and emergency rescue; and climate change adaption.

The province has been working with the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) to search for NGOs capable of supporting improvements in priority areas while providing its staff with foreign language lessons and courses on external affairs.

Since 2013, it has successfully raised over VND64 billion (US$2.93 million) from NGO financial sources for 31 local projects which have been strictly managed and kept on schedule by provincial authorities.

The projects have helped the locality improve healthcare services and education, build bridges and resettlement houses, supply clean water, support street children, provide free medical check-ups for the poor and prevent human trafficking.

ANZ supports Vietnamese disadvantaged youths

ANZ Vietnam and Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation on July 8 announced the successful completion of ANZ Kickstart - a year-long programme which has positively impacted over 120 disadvantaged youths and their families in Vietnam.

The programme aims to help young adults improve their career and education opportunities via career orientation workshops; life skills training; individual counselling; field trips to work places; opportunities for job placements and vocational training.  

In addition to financial assistance, ANZ also provided extra support with delivery of its flagship financial literacy programme – MoneyMinded, Mentorship and other volunteering activities by its staff.

A total of 458 participants took part in all sessions under the ANZ Kickstart Programme.

ANZ CEO, Vietnam, Dennis Hussey said, “We believe in making longer-term impact to children’s lives by focusing on education and providing a fairer start for vulnerable young people, who without the programme, would not have had access to these experiences, knowledge and skills.

ANZ Kickstart was made possible by our partner Blue Dragon’s dedication and by the terrific commitment and energy of the young people in the programme.”

“We are committed to the economic empowerment of young people in Vietnam, and look to support similar programmes with Blue Dragon in the future,” Hussey added.

“ANZ’s support has been crucial to our success in building better futures for children at Blue Dragon, ensuring they have the tools they need to choose and pursue economically-sustainable and rewarding careers,” said Julienne Carey, CEO of Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation.

“Every participant has their own success story: from one 17 year-old hearing impaired boy whose field trip to a café led to a permanent job, to a girl who gained the confidence to apply for a place at university. The impact of these individual successes on disadvantaged communities in Vietnam is priceless.

“As a pilot programme, we will build on ANZ Kickstart’s success to develop a fully comprehensive Career Preparation Programme compulsory for all youth 15 years and over at Blue Dragon. We will work hand-in-hand with ANZ staff, whose commitment to mentoring and transferring their own skills during Kickstart was inspiring to all participants,” Carey noted.

ANZ Vietnam and Blue Dragon have been working together since 2012 and formally established a MoneyMinded partnership in 2014, under which, 10 of Blue Dragon’s staff were trained and accredited to be MoneyMinded facilitators by ANZ.

Over 10,000 children with congenital heart diseases wait for surgeries

The number of children with congenital heart diseases is quite large with 10,000 kids every year and they have to wait for surgeries, said The Children Hospital No.1 in Ho Chi Minh City at a seminar two days ago.

The report was released at its meeting to review a program on heart surgeries for children for 10 past years. According to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, hospital’s director, said that the program was launched in 2005 and the hospital surgeons have performed over 3,000 cases including 645 kids with serious congenital heart diseases and 125 neonates.

However, it still does not meet the increasing demand; hence, over 1,300 kids are waiting for operations.

Head of the hospital’s Heart Division Dr. Vu Minh Phuc said that the rate of children with congenital heart diseases in Vietnam was recorded 1/100; accordingly, if 1 million were born in a year, 10,000 of them suffer the disease.

Very few medical facilities can conduct heart surgeries for children. There are 8 hospitals in the South but only Children Hospital No.1 and No.2 can perform heart operations for newborn babies.

Binh Thuan improves vocational training

Authorities in the central province of Binh Thuan met with a Canadian review mission to discuss the implementation of the Vietnam Skills for Employment Project (VSEP) on July 8.

The 20-million-CAD VSEP project, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), aims to enhance the management of vocational and technical training in Vietnam, and improve access to high quality skills training for women, youth, ethnic minorities and rural residents.

The project has been implemented in Binh Thuan and the Mekong Delta provinces of Hau Giang and Vinh Long, as well as at the Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City.

As part of the project, select training institutions ran training programmes that were demand-driven; incorporated gender equality, and the environment; and focused on each locality’s key sectors.

The review mission assessed the project’s implementation in Vietnam and in Binh Thuan in particular. They suggested developing new curricula that meet the standards of universities in Vietnam and in Canada in order to facilitate exchanges and develop a high caliber workforce.

They also called for increased cooperation between colleges and universities, and closer links with businesses.

In Binh Thuan, the project focused on providing vocational and technical training in tourism and hospitality at the Binh Thuan Community College in order to meet the local demand for trained staff.

The VSEP also contributed to the improvement of vocational training quality and management of the college.

Brenda Cooke, VSEP Canada’s project manager, spoke highly of the achievements Binh Thuan made by implementing the project, highlighting the important role of involving local businesses in developing training curricula.

The mission is scheduled to work with relevant bodies, sectors, schools and businesses in the province to survey labour demand and foster links between training institutions and enterprises.

According to the local socio-economic development plan until 2020, Binh Thuan requires more than 870,000 trained workers, up by 40 percent compare to 2010.

Vietnam helps Laos build school and communal house in Sekong province

The Electricity of Vietnam's Central Power Corporation and the Border Guard Command of Thua Thien-Hue province on July 8 held a groundbreaking ceremony for a school and communal culture house in Xe Sap village, Ka Lum district, Sekong province in Laos.

The school covers 140 square metres including two classrooms, one staff room and one toilet with a total investment of VND1 billion (US$46,000) funded by the EVN Central Power Corporation.

The facility is scheduled to be completed in early September this year which will provide a better study place for Lao children in the locality.

On the occasion, the Red Cross Society and the Women's Union of Thua Thien-Hue province sponsored VND100 million (US$4,600) for local people in Ka Lum district to build five social houses.

Senior lieutenant colonel Le Van Phuong, Deputy Commander of the Border Guard Command of Thua Thien-Hue province said the support for Lao people in the neighbouring province of Thua Thien-Hue province aimed to improve the life of the locals and contribute to strengthening the traditional friendship and solidarity between the two nations.

Fewer tourists take waterway tours

The number of tourists taking the waterway tours operated by member companies of Saigontourist Holding Company in HCMC in the first half of this year fell 20% year-on-year to 10,896.

The first six months saw bookings for the waterway tour to HCMC’s outlying district of Cu Chi faring well but fewer tourists taking tours to District 9, Tau Hu Canal, Can Gio and Binh Quoi Tourist Village. At least one waterway tour has been put on hold.

Chiem Thanh Long, director of Binh Quoi Tourism Village, said the Bach Dang-Binh Quoi waterway tour has been called off after tourist boats were not allowed to use Bach Dang Wharf as the wharf stopped operating earlier this year to make room for an upgrade project.

“We lost customers as we were unable to find a convenient place to pick them up. In addition, the tour turned out to be boring as the scenes along the way were unchanged,” Long said.

Two years ago, the HCMC government assigned Saigontourist to develop waterway tours into a major tourism product of the city. The city had plans to build piers and waiting lounges to better serve guests.

Many tourism firms said waterway tours in the city are unattractive as they lack interesting destinations for tourists to stop by during their journeys.

Duong Thanh Thuy, chairwoman of Trung Thuy Group, told the Daily that attractive waterway tours should have many destinations. “Tourists need places to visit during their journeys as it is very boring to sit on the boat for hours,” she said.

To boost the development of waterway tourism, local residents along the waterways should be encouraged to join developing tourism products and services to woo visitors, Thuy suggested.

In late June, HCMC vice chairman Nguyen Thi Hong pointed out important tasks for waterway tourism development. The Department of Tourism was told to work with Saigontourist and relevant agencies over plans to diversify products and services for waterway tourists, especially those on the canals running through the inner-city area and stops for guests to visit.

Saigon Boat Co. Ltd. plans to put into service oared boats to take tourists on excursions along Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal this September.

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