Rangers catch pig-tailed macaque thief red-handed

Forest rangers in the Central Highlands’ Lâm Đồng Province caught red-handed a man illegally transporting 21 southern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) yesterday.

Huỳnh Minh Tiền, 22, was nabbed near a local forest in Tam Bố Commune. He admitted he was taking the macaques to Phan Thiết City to sell for profit. The forest rangers found the macaques in poor health.

The southern pig-tail macaque has been listed under Group IIB – the group of endangered species protected under Government Decree No. 32 – issued in 2006.

Local police are investigating the case further. 

Hanoi seeks help from JICA in transport projects

Hanoi wants to continue getting help from Japan in many fields, particularly urban transport, greening, and the environment. 

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung made the remark in his meeting with President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Kitaoka Shinichi in Hanoi on September 8. 

Chung said the city has been calling for long-term investment in transportation infrastructure with priority to public transport like urban railway.

The city is working on the planting of 1 million trees and will break ground for a new wastewater treatment facility in October, he told the Japanese official. 

Kitaoka Shinichi said that Hanoi has been developing dynamically over years and JICA’s cooperation with the city is effective. 

JICA will continue working with Hanoi to seek solutions and ideas to solve transport issues emerged during the urban development, he said.

HCM City’s procuracy cement ties with Busan prosecutors’ office

The People’s Procuracy of Ho Chi Minh City inked a cooperation agreement with the Prosecutors’ Office of the Republic of Korea’s Busan city on September 8. 

Accordingly, the two sides will increase the sharing of information and documents within their capacity so as to assist each other to fulfill their respective duties. 

They will create the best possible conditions for delegation exchanges in case they need consultation, research or personnel training. 

At the signing ceremony in HCM City, Duong Ngoc Hai, head of the municipal People’s Procuracy, said the southern city is an economic, cultural and social hub of Vietnam. Like Busan, it is facing an array of modern social problems such as pollution, social crime, smuggling, tax evasion and hi-tech crime. 

Therefore, cooperation and experience sharing in crime prevention is of critical importance to their duty performance, he noted. 

Hwang Cheol Kyu, head of the Busan Prosecutors’ Office, said he hopes for closer bilateral cooperation to intensify the two agencies’ professional competence, as well as their countries’ friendship.

VN Coal and Mineral beat Sơn La at nat’l event

Việt Nam Coal and Mineral beat Sơn La 2-0 in the 13th round match of the National Women’s Football Championships yesterday.

Việt Nam Coal and Mineral dominated from the first minute of the match. In the seventh minute, Nguyễn Thị Vạn volleyed the ball towards the goal of Sơn La but the goalkeeper Mè Thị Hóa saved the goal.

Seven minutes later, Coal and Mineral’s Trịnh Hà Trang netted one for Sơn La, but her goal wasn’t recognized because her teammate Vạn was offside.

After the break, Hoài Thu passed the ball and Trang opened the score for Coal and Mineral in the 47th minute.

Trang’s goal encouraged her team to attack continuously in search of more goals. And Hà Thị Nhài doubled the score for Coal and Mineral in the 71st minute.

Sơn La had several chances to narrow the gap during the final minutes of the game but failed.

Phong Phú Hà Nam will meet Hà Nội 1 and HCM City 1 face Hà Nội 2 today. 

Saigon Heat beat Hanoi Buffaloes in third meet

Despite a strong effort, Hanoi Buffaloes lost 63-65 to Saigon Heat in the last minutes of the Việt Nam Basketball Association League on September 7 in Hà Nội.

It was their third meet this season and the first win for Heat, which is the first Vietnamese professional club.

On home turf at the Bách Khoa Gymnasium, the Buffaloes received strong support from fans, however, the team failed to repeat their performance of the previous games.

The hosts let Heat set the pace in all the sets, who quickly moved ahead in the early minutes of the game. The first set ended 19-13 in favour of Heat.

Foreigner Miller Darrell was on the court in the second set to push Heat’s lead further. He immediately scored six points in a row and extended the gap for the visitors to 25-13. Darrell and Trần Đăng Khoa continued their awesome performance to end the set at 42-26.

Early in the third set, the Buffaloes increased their speed and stole 10 points, while Heat got three points, with the set ending at 52-45.

While Buffaloes’ Nguyễn Phú Hoàng and Nguyễn Tiến Dương did not succeed with their attempts, Nguyễn Văn Hùng and Darrell pushed Heat up with their shoots.

Near the end of the match, Nguyễn Thành Đạt scored three points for the Buffaloes to narrow the gap to 54-61, and later 63-64.

However five seconds were enough for the experienced Heat team to finish the match with one point by Nguyễn Thành Nhân, after Berkeley of the hosts failed to score from two free throws.

Despite their loss, the Buffaloes remain at the top of the ranking with eight wins. The Heat are second, followed by HCM City Wings.

In the next fixture, the Buffaloes will welcome Cantho Catfish, while Heat entertain Danang Dragon on September 10. 

Paper mill continues polluting, ignores ban

Trấn Yên Paper Mill in the northern mountainous province of Yên Bái continues to cause environmental pollution by producing paper, after disregarding the provincial authority’s ban to suspend its operations.

Phùng Đình Thân, a representative of residents in Trấn Yên District’s Cổ Phúc Town, said the factory failed to comply with environmental protection requirements, discharging terrible odors and paper dust in the air and seriously affecting the health of local people.

In the past 10 years, more than 20 locals suffered from lung and stomach cancer and many children suffered from skin diseases due to paper dust.

Now the water is also yellowish.

The paper mill was not legally allowed to operate in residential areas, Thân said. Local residents have sent many complaints to the provincial authorities.

On August 5, the provincial People’s Committee ordered the paper factory to suspend operations. But the factory ignored the ban and continued production.

Phạm Thị Thanh Trà, chairwoman of the Committee, said the committee will find a place to move the factory as soon as possible.

Trấn Yên Paper Mill began operating in 2002 with a production capacity of 4,000 tonnes of paper per year. The factory registered to produce votive papers used for religious offerings and committed to not causing smoke, waste water and noise pollution. 

Environmental protection an urgent issue in Vietnam

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered that urgent measures be applied to the country’s environmental protection initiatives, a move backed by many experts fearing the fallout from growing pollution issues across Vietnam.

PM Phuc has set up several measures aimed at dealing with existing limitations in the protection of local environments and actively preventing and minimizing the effects of pollution.

Factories and facilities utilizing outdated technology will be prohibited from operating in the Southeast Asian country, according to the Vietnamese head of government.

PM Phuc’s orders require that local authorities, in coordination with relevant agencies, be thorough in the inspection of all investment projects across the nation.

Professor Tran Hieu Nhue, a member of the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment, expressed his support for the prime minister’s decision, stating that attracting investors must be contingent on their selection of suitable technology.

“Methods of operation must be evaluated by the Ministry of Science and Technology and must be in line with standards set by Vietnam and the world,” Prof. Nhue elaborated.

According to Tran The Loan, former official of the Vietnam Environment Administration, environmental protection is an urgent and vital issue in Vietnam.

Against the backdrop of current developmental conditions, competent agencies must be assertive in the selection of appropriate investors with operation methods that pose no harm to the atmosphere, Loan continued.

The ex-official stressed the responsibility of environmental management agencies in Vietnam charged with the approval of investment projects.

“Such agencies need to focus their attention on each facility’s equipment and technology before allowing it to operate,” he stated.

Trinh Le Nguyen, director of PanNature, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting natural diversity and improving human well-being, said significant shortcomings remain prevalent in the evaluation of the environmental impact of business operations in Vietnam.

Several steps in the assessment process were conducted with subpar methods while opinions from local residents were ignored, Nguyen continued.

He noted that the two mandatory phases in evaluating a facility’s impact on the environment include a general and a more detailed assessment.

The expert also emphasized the importance of regular inspections and monitoring in factories and facilities throughout the country.  

Drunk driving kills 4,000 in Vietnam every year

Traffic accidents kill thousands of people every year in Vietnam and more than 40% of road fatalities involve drinking and driving, official data have shown.

"Last year, more than 8,700 people were killed in traffic accidents nationwide and nearly 4,000 of them died in alcohol-related accidents," said Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee.

Binh was speaking at a conference in Hanoi on September 7 to discuss measures to improve traffic safety, after a sudden surge in accidents last month.

In August, there were 1,760 traffic accidents nationwide, killing 705 people and injuring 1,495. The number of fatalities increased 7.8% from the same month last year. 

“Traffic accidents have become more complicated with many serious cases, causing great human and property damage,” Binh said.

Major General Tran Son Ha, director of Traffic Police Department, said police have stepped up surveillance against drinking and driving nationwide.

In Vietnam, drunk driving can be fined for up to VND18 million (US$807) for car drivers and VND4 million for motorbike drivers.

Man arrested with 21 protected monkeys in central Vietnam

Forest rangers in Lam Dong province in the Central Highlands have caught a man with 21 rare monkeys.

The rangers said the monkeys belong to the southern pig-tailed macaque species, which has been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as vulnerable. In Vietnam, the species is protected.

The monkeys weigh a total of 35 kilograms. They are weak, after being held in bags for a long time.

Huynh Minh Tien, 22, has admitted hunting the monkeys and planned to sell them in his hometown Phan Thiet in the south. 

He is facing cash fines for violating wildlife protection rules.

The southern pig-tailed macaque is threatened by loss of habitat, particularly to oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia. 

The species is also shot as a crop pest and hunted for food.

HCMC Party Chief visits South Korea, seeking stronger cooperation, investment

Chairman of the Republic of Korea's National Assembly Chung Sye-kyun yesterday received a delegation of Ho Chi Minh City led by the city’s Party Chief Dinh La Thang during their visit to the country from September 7-14. 

At the National Assembly headquarters, Mr. Chung welcomed Secretary Dinh La Thang to his country on the occasion that Vietnam and South Korea are heading towards the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Highly approving Ho Chi Minh City on intensifying cooperation with Korean localities, he affirmed that Korean firms will be encouraged to step up investment in Vietnam and HCMC in the upcoming time.

Chairman Chung said that Vietnam and South Korea have many similarities especially in culture, so the relationship between the two nations has been more and more attached. Of these, the relationship between HCMC and Korean localities is a significant highlight.

He hoped that Vietnam and HCMC in particular will pay attention to stronger investment and development in tourism and cultural exchange because the number of Korean visitors to Vietnam and HCMC has been increasing.

The city’s leaders should assist agencies to solve procedures and difficulties for Korean businesses to invest in the city, he hoped.

He believed that the strategic partnership between Vietnam and South Korea and HCMC and Korean localities will develop ceaselessly to be worthy of the belief of their senior leaders and citizens.

At the meeting, Secretary Dinh La Thang hoped that the Rok NA chairman will pay heed to upholding the two sides’ high level exchanges.

Moreover, the chairman will increase professional training cooperation in legislation, parliament and supervision of central and local government as well as authorized agencies which include the HCMC People’s Council and Korean people’s councils at all levels, Mr. Thang hoped.

He expected that South Korea will continue supplying Vietnam official development fund (ODA) funds in fields that the two sides pay attention to such as infrastructure, human resource investment and climate change adaption.

The two sides will boost implementation of memorandum of understandings in labor cooperation. Specifically, South Korea will boost the receiving of Vietnamese workers. From that, the country will help train high quality manpower for Korean investors in Vietnam, Mr. Thang expressed his desire.

According to Secretary Dinh La Thang, the strategic partnership Vietnam-South Korea has developed quickly and effectively in many fields. Exchanges among high level leaders, ministries and localities of the two countries have been maintained and their political confidence has been fortified.

South Korea has kept Vietnam’s position of its important partner in many fields especially economics and to be the largest investor and the second largest ODA sponsor of Vietnam.

At present, the two countries are preparing for large and significant activities to mark the 25th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship in 2017.

The community of about 100,000 Koreans and 2,000 Korean firms in HCMC is one of factors contributing to the city’s development. They play the role as a bridge to strengthen the two countries’ cooperation, Mr. Thang stated.  South Korea is one of HCMC’s leading partners in trade, investment and tourism now.

Korean firms to boost investment in HCMC

On the same day afternoon, Korean Prime Minister Kwang Kyo-Ahn received the HCMC delegation.

Estimating HCMC to be a dynamic and creative development model of the region, the PM hoped the visit of Secretary Dinh La Thang will contribute in fostering the two countries’ relationship.

Mr. Hwang said that he would encourage Korean firms and localities to invest in Vietnam and HCMC more drastically. In addition he would instruct relevant agencies to consider promoting necessary procedures so that Vietnamese and Korean airlines can open more flight routes and increase the frequency of flights between the two countries to boost trade.

Authorized organs would be required to provide the most advantageous conditions for Vietnamese workers to work and reside in South Korea, the PM affirmed.

At the reception on the previous day, Seoul's first deputy mayor Ryu Gyeong-Gi asserted that the capital city and HCMC would establish friendly cooperation relations by 2017.

Mr. Thang revealed that HCMC is now focusing on developing four key industries and seven breakthrough programs including a scheme on traffic jam reduction.

The city has called on investors including Korean companies to invest in major infrastructure projects, including metro and monorail routes, programs on flooding and environment pollution reduction together with urban planning and development.

French Minister of State visits Le Hong Phong High School in HCMC

French Minister of State for Development and Francophonie Mr. André Vallini who accompanied with the French President in a three day visit to Vietnam yesterday visited Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in Ho Chi Minh City. 

Minister of State for Development and Francophonie André Vallini talks with students of the school.

The visit aims to boost the special friendly and educational cooperative relations between the two countries, especially to maintain teaching and studying French language in Vietnam’s schools under the declaration on teaching French language and in French language between the French and Vietnamese governments which was signed in Hanoi on September 5.

Principle of Le Hong Phong High School Mrs. Nguyen Thi Yen Trinh said that the high school desires the French government will continue supporting French language teaching in city’s colleges.

The principle also suggested the French to support the innovation of educational documents, training programs for teachers as well as French language lovers in Vietnam.

Mr. André Vallini said that Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted is one of the best-known and the oldest high schools in Ho Chi Minh City.

There are many students choosing French as the second language after English to study. Therefore, he also hoped that the school reconstruction following French architecture style will be implemented as soon as possible.

The French minister also wanted to strengthen French language teaching and learning in Vietnamese  colleges.

Beside English, studying French will bring you more chances in the international job market and in learning different cultures, the minister added.

The French minister and the delegation also visited 12th graders who are studying bilingual program at the school.

Vietnam began the bilingual curriculum in 1991 and Ho Chi Minh City started the curriculum in 1994. The bilingual program has been running in 90 schools nationwide with 13, 000 students and 300 teachers.

HCMC leaders join MIPIM 2016

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Tat Thanh Cang led the city’s high- level delegation to take part in the 2016 Real Estate Exhibition for Asia Pacific (MIPIM 2016) in Osaka, Japan on September 8. 

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Tat Thanh Cang visits exhibition pavillions.

At the exhibition, more than 100 speakers have been introducing intelligent urban prediction models and solutions, integration between vehicles and infrastructure systems, new destinations for hotel & restaurant, resort, guesthouse business that contributed investment and development of real estate.

In parallel factor, heath care service also contributes to social development.

This event is considered as an opportunity for investors to build and develop modern  health care services and centers to suit intelligent urban tendency.

Moreover, the MIPIM 2016 is presented for high- level leaders working in the world and regional real estate. During the two day exhibition, experts and financiers working in real estate sector will provide their services of office investment, retail and infrastructure systems, entertainment services and new residential areas.

The host country also provided relevant services to real estate and high- level transaction on the Internet network between Japan and partners.

Taking part in the exhibition Ho Chi Minh City will provide relevant information about operation of Japanese enterprises and attraction of foreign investment projects in the city.

President sends best wishes to children on Mid-Autumn Festival

President Tran Dai Quang has conveyed his best wishes to Vietnamese children throughout the country and abroad on the occasion of the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.

In a letter penned by the State leader, he commended schoolchildren who gained excellent achievements in the previous academic year.

He said the Party and State always give special attention to childcare, protection and education while holding the expectation that children will continue to follow Uncle Ho’s teachings to become good citizens and contribute to national development.

President Quang wished children to a happy and enjoyable Mid-Autumn Festival.

This year the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 15.

Russians give street performances

Free performances by Russian artists in Hanoi’s Old Quarter have entertained people using the pedestrianised streets.

MOSCOW city’s authorities have sent a troupe of Russian artists to Hanoi for most of September. During the stay, the artists have performed in Hanoi’s pedestrian streets from Friday to Monday every week at 9-10.30 am and 8-9.30 pm. 

Their shows featuring Russian culture and arts always attract crowds, particularly in the evening.

Nguyen Thi Huong in Dong Da District said that Russian shows such as bubble blowing and stilt walking impressed him the most among activities displayed on Hanoi’s pedestrian streets.

Artist Pavel said that this was the first time he has visited Vietnam and was really surprised by the public reaction. The response, especially from children, encouraged the artists very much. He hoped that he would have more chances to perform in Vietnam in the future.  

Hanoi on September 1 started piloting walking streets in the vicinity of Hoan Kiem Lake.

The scheme will run until the Lunar New Year in 2017 with traffic closed from 7pm Friday to midnight Sunday.

Hanoi’s authorities believe that pedestrian streets could become a tourism selling point for the city.

L’Officiel runs week-long photo show

L’Officiel Library - The Fashion Bible: 95 Year Heritage Fashion and Art, a week-long exhibition to mark the first anniversary of the Vietnamese edition of French fashion magazine L’Officiel, is on until Sunday.

Visitors to the open exhibition can see five areas featuring eight outstanding covers of L’Officiel Vietnam since its launch in July 2015, documentaries about the establishment and development of the 95-year-old magazine and secrets to the success of founders Max Brunhes and Andrée Castaniée, a showcase of L’Officiel magazines in different languages, and a display of covers of the first issue of the French magazine and its international versions on the wall. The creator of this exhibition is Dzung Yoko, a fashion veteran in Vietnam and creative director of L’Officiel Vietnam. The exhibition takes place at Dia Projects at 103 Dong Khoi Street in HCMC’s District 1 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily until Sunday.

Australia launches aid program in Vietnam

The Australian Consulate General in HCMC has started receiving applications for the Australian government’s Direct Aid Program (DAP) grant round 2016-2017 for projects in central and southern localities from Danang to Ca Mau.

The grant is available for projects of non-governmental organizations (NGO), community groups and other not-for-profit entities to undertake small-scale development projects with a focus on the economic empowerment of disadvantaged communities and groups. 

The deadline for applications is October 2016, the consulate general said in a statement.

DAP projects directly support sustainable development by improving gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, healthcare, sustainable income generation, environmental protection, education, poverty relief and human rights for marginalized groups.

In 2015-2016, the Australian Consulate General awarded grants to 18 projects in various sectors from healthcare to education, environment and small-scale infrastructure projects in many central and southern localities in Vietnam.

Guidelines and application forms for the 2016-2017 DAP grants are available at http://hcmc.vietnam.embassy.gov.au. For queries about DAP or the application process, interested people can email to DAP.hcmc@dfat.gov.au.

Farming cooperatives funded to build irrigation systems

The International Development Association (IDA) under the World Bank (WB) will finance local farming organizations and cooperatives to develop infield canal and irrigation systems to water their crops in the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta.

Document No. 7211 issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said agricultural infrastructure facilities will be built with 80% of their capital to be funded by IDA and 20% by local reciprocal capital.

In previous years, coffee growers in the Central Highlands and rice farmers in the Mekong Delta suffered big losses as they lacked water for their farms in the dry season. This partly resulted from the lack of pumping stations and canals that channel water into drought-prone areas.

Owing to the Vietnam Sustainable Agriculture Transformation Project (vnSAT), IDA will support farming organizations and cooperatives to build pumping stations, canal and irrigation systems and roads linking production areas and markets, as well as reinforce storage and processing facilities and drying yards for farm products.

Thirteen localities will benefit from the project, with five in the Central Highlands and eight in the Mekong Delta including Long An, Tien Giang, Dong Thap, An Giang, Can Tho, Soc Trang, Hau Giang and Kien Giang.

The Department of Science, Technology and Environment under the agriculture ministry said VnSAT is worth US$300 million lent by the WB. At the end of March, Long An was the first of 13 localities implementing the project before the parties involved did not reach agreement on assistance categories and proportions for farming organizations and cooperatives.

On April 12, the agriculture ministry wrote to the ministries of science-technology and finance asking for comment on the assistance categories and ratios for farming organizations and cooperatives eligible to benefit from VnSAT.

The agriculture ministry got the WB’s response to the assistance categories and ratios on August 1 and informed relevant provinces of the project on August 26.

HCM City, China’s Qingdao discuss cooperation

Attracting resources from international businesses and investors, including those from China, is very important to HCM City as the city has been making efforts to bring its development to a new level. 

Le Thanh Liem, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, made the remark at a trade dialogue meeting between the city and China’s Qingdao city in HCM City on September 8.

He highlighted the event as a platform for the two sides update their respective market information as well as share experience and seek partners for future cooperation. 

Zhang Xinqi, Mayor of the Qingdao municipal people’s government, said he hopes enterprises from HCM City in particular and Vietnam in general to boost activities discovering market and seek business opportunities in Qingdao. 

He said Qingdao will create favourable conditions for its enterprises to trade with and invest in HCM City. 

According to Vo Tan Thanh, Director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)’s office in HCM City, there are many opportunities for the two cities to cooperate in such fields as construction, banking, finance and real estate. 

VCCI’s office in HCM City has been implementing many activities to promote trade and investment and has signed 20 memorandums of understanding with Chinese trade organisations. 

In the first eight months, China invested in nearly 30 projects in HCM City with a combined capital of 7.3 million USD. 

HCM City exported goods worth 3.1 billion USD to China in the January-August period, up 29 percent, and imported 4.5 billion USD, an increase of 9.2 percent.

Hoa Binh works to develop Hoa Binh Lake national tourist area

The northern province of Hoa Binh and the Hanoi National University have jointly organised a conference to collect ideas on a project to develop the Hoa Binh Lake national tourist area, contributing to the sustainable development of the Northwestern region. 

Addressing the event, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Quang asked for central investment to help Hoa Binh develop the area as well as its Mai Chau tourist site. 

He also hopes for support in researching and building diverse tourism products, as well as personnel training for the province’s tourism sector. 

Meanwhile, Rector of the National University held that the project should focus on regional connectivity with close link to neighbouring localities. Hoa Binh should also design policies to attract human resources, while ensuring social security and the ecosystem for tourism development. 

On August 2, the Prime Minister issued a decision approving the planning of the Hoa Binh Lake national tourist site until 2030. 

Currently, Hoa Binh has 173 tourist sites, including 41 national relic sites, 30 provincial-level others as well as many other archaeological relics of the “Hoa Binh culture”. 

Hoa Binh is also home to four natural reserve areas, together with hot mineral water sources suitable for ecotourism. 

Spanning 70km along 17 communes in five districts and cities, Ho Binh Lake was built during the construction of the 1,920MW Hoa Binh hydropower plant, which is also a popular tourist destination, in 1979-1994. It has 8,000 hectares of surface area and a capacity of 9.5 billion cubic meters. 

With its special location within the northern tourism region and next to Hanoi, the lake has high potential for tourism development thanks to its diverse landscapes with various islands, as well as unique culture of ethnic minority groups living in surrounding areas. 

Over the past years, Hoa Binh has maintained an average annual growth of 20 percent in the number of tourists. In the first half of this year, the province welcomed over 1.3 million visitors, including about 104,000 foreigners.

Canadian consulate in City expands visa centre

The Canadian consulate in HCM City has expanded its visa application centre to cope with a rise in the number of visitors and students applying to travel and study in Canada.

Last year there were 15,000 applicants, 1,000 more than in 2014.

More than 15,000 applications have already been received this year.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the opening ceremony, Canadian Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion said 5,000 Vietnamese students study in Canada.

“5,000 are good but it is not enough. We would like to have more.”

Vietnamese in Australia called to support Hanoi’s development

Vietnamese expatriates in Australia are hoped to make more contributions to the socio-economic development of Hanoi and Vietnam in general.

Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee’s chapter in Hanoi Vu Hong Khanh expressed the wish at a meeting with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Sydney as part of his working visit to Australia from September 2-9.

He said the capital successfully organised the elections of deputies to the 13th National Assembly and all-level People’s Council for the 2016-2021 tenure, while promoting movements to modernise rural areas and support underprivileged people.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Luong Thanh Nghi said around 300,000 Vietnamese are living and working in Australia, adding that the host’s Government highly values Vietnamese people for labour creativity and good social integration.

Khanh later had a working session with Consul General in Sydney Hoang Minh Son who affirmed overseas Vietnamese always look towards the homeland and actively support the national building and defence.

While meeting with over 20 expats from the Vietnam Business Association in Australia in Melbourne, Khanh said he hopes entrepreneurs will invest in food safety and hygiene and environmental protection in Vietnam.

Hoang Sa, Truong Sa exhibition held in Binh Thuan

Nearly 100 maps, documents and objects on Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos are being displayed at an exhibition, which opened in the southern central province of Binh Thuan on September 8.

Titled “Vietnam’s Hoang Sa, Truong Sa – Historical and Legal Evidences”, the four-day event aims to firmly affirm Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagos and reject allegations distorting history and groundless claims of China for the islands.

The exhibited materials are in Chinese, Nom (old Vietnamese writing using Chinese characters), modern Vietnamese and French issued from the 17th to the 20th century by the Vietnamese feudal states and the French government in Indochina (on behalf of the then Vietnamese state).

The event also introduced publications, documents and studies relating to Vietnam’s sea and island sovereignty by domestic and foreign researchers and scholars.

Many photos and documents reflect the process Vietnam continuously exercised and defended its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa.

Director of the provincial Department of Information and Communications Vu Van Tuan said the event helps the community, especially young people, gain a deeper understanding of Vietnam’s history, and raise their awareness of firmly safeguarding the country’s sacred sea and island sovereignty.-

IFAD continues to back Vietnam in agricultural development

A cooperation agreement signing ceremony between the Vietnam Farmer’s Union (VFU) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) phase 2016-2020 took place in Hanoi on September 7.

Addressing the ceremony, Chairman of the VFU Lai Xuan Mon praised the remarkable outcomes of the two sides’ cooperation agreement phase 2010-2015, helping to develop the country’s agriculture substantially and environmentally friendly. He said the second phase 2016-2020 of the agreement will create a driving force for agricultural staffs and farmers, helping to increase competitiveness in the context of integration.

In return, Director of the IFAD in Vietnam Henning Pedersen said IFAD has operated effectively for the country’s agricultural and rural development in the past two decades. He also highly evaluated the fruitful affiliation between local farmers and enterprises.

The director asserted IFAD will continue to work closely with Vietnamese farmers in several aspects including resources allocation, market orientation and capacity improvement for poor households to cope with climate change.

IFAD is implementing five projects in nine provinces across Vietnam, including the project for the sustainable economic empowerment of ethnic minorities in Dak Nong province (3EM); the agriculture, farmers, and rural areas support project in the Gia Lai, Ninh Thuan, and Tuyen Quang provinces; the sustainable rural development for the poor project in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces (SRDP), the project for adaptation to climate change in the Mekong Delta in Ben Tre and Tra Vinh provinces, among others.

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