Australian project helps improve mango famers’ income

Some 270 farmer households in the Mekong Delta provinces of Dong Thap and Tien Giang will receive support to improve their mango supply chain’s competitiveness under the Australia Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)’s project launched in Cao Lanh city, Dong Thap province on September 19.

According to Professor Robin Robert, director of ACIAR project, mango is among advantageous products of Vietnam. However, technology, cultivation knowledge, agricultural chemical practices, export market access and participation in the value chain maintain challenges to local farmers.

Thus, the project will focus on cultivating techniques, preservation, market development, and creation of added value for local mangos through processing, he said, adding that it is designed to create more jobs and help mango growers increase incomes by forming linkages between farmers and enterprises.

Speaking at the event, Le Van Duc, deputy head of the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that after years of cooperation between Vietnamese and Australian agencies, the “Improving smallholder farmer incomes through strategic market development in mango supply chains in southern Vietnam” project was approved in July 2018, and it will be carried out in three and a half years. 

The ministry will make evaluation on the project’s mid-term report and provide the Government with consultancy on support policy for the project, he added.

Mango is among key plants of the Mekong Delta region. The country is currently home to 85,000 hectares of mango, 55 percent of which are grown in the Mekong Delta localities. Dong Thap takes lead in mango cultivation area with 9,200 hectares, and ranks second in terms of production with 95,000 tonnes per year.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Hung said that mango is one of the five main products in the local agricultural shakeup master plan until 2020 with vision to 2030.

The province has invested heavily in technical infrastructure, advanced technologies, good agricultural practices (GAP), post-harvest technologies, and Blockchain application to develop local mangos.

However, experts pointed out that connection between production and consumption has not been paid due attention. In addition, the mango sector is facing considerable losses and high logistic costs.

A visitor exploring documents kept in the National Archive of Vietnam 

An online exhibition of archived documents highlighting the history of Vietnam-Japan relations was launched on September 20 as part of activities to celebrate the 45-year ties between the two countries.

The exhibition, jointly organised by the National Archives of both Vietnam and Japan, introduces various documents kept by the two agencies, showing some of the important milestones in the Vietnam-Japan partnership through the decades, many of which are to be made public for the first time.

The exhibition will be run for three years on the websites of the two agencies in Vietnamese and Japanese.

According to Dang Thanh Tung, Director of the National Archive of Vietnam, said that the exhibition is the result of active and effective cooperation of the two sides in promoting the values of national achieved documents, while realising a memorandum of understanding on cooperation signed between the two agencies earlier.

The documents show that Vietnam and Japan set up relations very early in the eighth century.

Since the early first exchanges in religion and culture, the relationship between Vietnam and Japan has been expanded to many other areas such as marine and trade. In the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), many Japanese trade vessels visited Vietnam and contributed to the formation of trading ports in the central region, including Hoi An in Quang Nam province.

Despite significant historical developments during the 19th-20th centuries, Vietnam-Japan relations have never been disrupted.

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Trieu Van Cuong said that Vietnam and Japan share many similarities in history, culture, tradition, and humanitarian values.

After 45 years of ties, the two sides have become each other’s important partners in many fields, he said, adding that the exhibition will give visitors a deeper understanding on the history of the ties, while showing the important role of national archive agencies of both sides in maintaining and transferring historical memories to younger generations.

Addressing the launch ceremony, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Umeda Kunio said that the organisation of the exhibition has a significant meaning, showing both the past and future of the Vietnam-Japan partnership.

The diplomat also expressed his delight at the growth of the extensive strategic partnership between the two countries, especially in economy, trade, and education, stressing that the sustainable development of ties with Vietnam has an important role in the diplomatic policies of Japan. 

Vietnam-Korea Friendship Association holds third congress

Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vu Tien Loc voted as President of the Vietnam-Korea Friendship Association

The Vietnam-Korea Friendship Association (VKFA) organised its third national congress for the 2018-2013 term in Hanoi on September 20.

The congress elected a 47-member executive committee for the 2018-2023 tenure with Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Vu Tien Loc voted as President of the VKFA.

A reported delivered at the congress showed that during the past term, the VKFA effectively carried out a wide range of activities in different fields such as politics, economy, cultural exchange and charity, thereby helping to strengthen and enhance friendship and mutual understanding between the people of Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK).

Charitable and humanitarian activities are among the priorities of the VKFA. In the last term, the association mobilized RoK businesses to grant scholarships, clothes, sewing machines and production materials to poor students and orphans across the country.

The VKFA also called on RoK companies and partners to donate money and necessities to residents affected by natural disasters.

In the new term, the association plans to disseminate the Party and State’s internal and external policies as well as Vietnam’s achievements in the reform process so that the people of both nations get a better understand about their countries, people, cultural-historic tradition and Vietnam-RoK relations.

The VKFA will also call for more support from the RoK and partners for the cause of socio-economic development in Vietnam.

Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Bui Khac Son commended the VKFA’s successes in the last term, saying that its activities have made practical contributions to friendly and cooperative relations between the Vietnamese and Korean people.

Meanwhile, RoK Ambassador to Vietnam Kim Do-hyun promised to accompany and support the VKFA in implementing activities to reinforce and promote friendship and mutual understanding between the Korean and Vietnamese people.

Thua Thien-Hue: 21 women awarded title of “Heroic Mothers”

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue held a ceremony on September 20 to confer the noble State-given title of “Heroic Vietnamese Mother” to 21 women whose husbands and children laid down their lives in the struggle for national liberation and protection.

Among them, only Le Thi Hai from Dien Loc commune of the province’s Phong Dien district is still alive.

On the occasion, local authorities presented the Order of Independence to 14 families of martyrs and the Order of Labour to 13 organisations and individuals in the province.

In addition, 15 other organisations and seven individuals with outstanding achievements and great contributions to national building and safeguarding were honoured at the event.

According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs, more than nine million people have been recognised as revolutionary contributors to date, including 1.2 million war martyrs, 127,000 heroic mothers, and 800,000 war invalids.

Contest raises children awareness of water resources protection

Children drawing for the contest (Source: http://hanoimoi.com.vn)

A water resources protection education idea and painting contest was launched at Dich Vong B primary school in Hanoi on September 20 to raise children’s awareness of the role of clean water and measures to protect and use water efficiently as part of a programme named “Mizuiku – I love clean water”.

The contest is jointly organised by the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organisation Central Council and Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage Company.

It is a chance for children to show their ideas on clean water and the need to preserve water resources through paintings, while contributing to building a suitable education programme on water protection for children in a creative, practical and effective ways.

Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organisation Central Council Nguyen Pham Duy Trang said that the “Mizuiku – I love clean water” programme was first launched in Vietnam in 2015.

This year, the programme has been organised in 17 primary schools in the four provinces of Ha Giang, Quang Nam, Ben Tre and Lang Son at a hope to give children knowledge on environmental and water resource protection.

At the launching ceremony, the organisation board also introduced an e-learning site on water conservation at http://mizuiku-emyeunuocsach.vn.

The contest is designed for children aging 6-15. Entries are sent to the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organisation Central Council from now until November 30.

PM orders intensifying measures against IUU fishing

Fisherman provided with knowledge on fishing-related laws 

The Prime Minister has issued a public dispatch ordering ministries and People’s Committees of 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities to further intensify measures to stop illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. 

The document acknowledged progress in the fight against IUU fishing thanks to implementation of the PM’s Directive 45/CT-TTg dated December 13, 2017 on urgent tasks and measures to respond to the EC’s warning about IUU fishing. It noted improvements in institutions and better awareness of fishermen and society in general about the IUU situation, while international cooperation with other countries and international organisations in fighting IUU practices has been strengthened. 

Despite those outcomes, the dispatch stressed that the work has not met requirements, citing assessment of the EC delegation after a field survey in Vietnam from May 16-24 this year. The EC delegation said Vietnamese ships’ violations of foreign waters are still common, law enforcement on IUU practices is not strict enough, the credibility of certification of seafood is not high, and the system for monitoring fishing vessels has not met requirement. 

To address existing shortcomings and prepare for a working session with a delegation of the European Parliament Committee on Fisheries in October this year and the second inspection of the EC in early 2019, the PM listed urgent tasks for relevant ministries and authorities of 28 coastal provinces and cities in the dispatch. 

Accordingly, the People’s Committees of coastal provinces and cities must accelerate the recovery of Movimar satellite geo-positioning devices installed in fishing vessels of below 24 metres in length for installation in those of 24 metres and over in length, and impose strict punishment on those ships which fail to operate the monitoring equipment around the clock as required. 

The provinces and cities are required to further tighten the control of fishing vessels’ movement through ports along with vessels’ catches and fishing itineraries, and the verification and granting of certification for seafood origin in line with regulations. 

Local authorities must hold patrols in waters under their management in order to timely detect and stop IUU fishing, and keep close monitoring of local fishing vessels on long fishing trips. They should coordinate and share information with other localities and relevant agencies for quick response to any IUU activity. 

Meanwhile, the PM instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to work out a plan for the establishment of a national steering committee for controlling IUU fishing.

The Defence Ministry should coordinate with relevant agencies to enhance inspection and supervision work at sea, particularly overlapping and disputed waters, and at fishing ports, while imposing stricter punishment of violations of anti-IUU rules. 

The Finance Ministry is required to allocate funds to the system monitoring fishing vessels using Movimar technology during 2019-2020.

The PM also specified tasks for several other ministries in the dispatch.

Congratulations, gifts sent to children on Mid-Autumn Festival

On September 20 night, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (third from left) joined about 1,000 children in Hanoi at a programme to celebrate the Full-Moon Festival in Hoang Mai district. 

President Tran Dai Quang has sent a letter of congratulations to Vietnamese children at home and abroad on the occasion of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on September 24.

In his letter, the President applauded efforts made by children to become good students at school and good children at home, especially those who won high prizes at national and international contests. 

He called on children to continue following Uncle Ho’s teachings and contributing to building Vietnam into a strong and wealthy nation.

On September 20 night, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan joined about 1,000 children in Hanoi at a programme to celebrate the Full-Moon Festival in Hoang Mai district. 

The children, including many from welfare centres for children of disadvantaged circumstances in Hanoi, represent 1.8 million kids in the capital city. 

In his opening remarks, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Hoang Trung Hai hailed efforts of departments, agencies and localities in the city in organising full-moon activities, creating a healthy playground for children, particularly those in difficult circumstances. 

The programme is also a meaningful present to local kids on the occasion of the new school year, the official said. 

Hanoi leaders presented 16 scholarships, each worth 2 million VND (86 USD), and bicycles to disadvantaged children with outstanding academic performance, along with 1,000 gifts to the participating kids. 

Held in the 15th of the eighth lunar month, the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important and meaningful traditional festivals in Vietnam.

Free health care services, medicine provided to Cambodians

The programme benefits about 400 locals in the two villages (Source: thanhnien.vn)

A volunteer doctor delegation from the Border Guard High Command of the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum has given free health checkups and medicines to locals in Ta Nga and Choong villages of Angonmias district, Cambodia’s Rattanakiri.

The programme is held annually in Cambodian localities sharing the border with Kon Tum, aiming to further foster the solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and the neighbouring country.

In the two villages, doctors provided checkups and medicines with total value of 60 million VND for over 400 poor locals.

Alongside, the doctors educate the local residents about preventive measures against malaria, dengue fever and diarrhea.

Ta Nga and Choong villages are remote areas of Rattanakiri, which face many difficulties in accessing health care services.

Phat Sam Bath, a leader of Angongmias district, said that the free checkups and medicine by Vietnamese border guards significantly help ease difficulties for locals in the villages, showing the close cooperation between the two countries’ localities.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Quang Cong from the Kon Tum Borger Guard High Command, the programme has contributed to enhancing information exchange and sentiments of people along the border for each other.

It also contributes to the building of a borderline of peace, stability and sustainable development between the two countries, he added.

An aerial view of Da Nang city at night 

From a small city with an underdeveloped economy, Da Nang has made several breakthroughs and turned itself into one of Vietnam’s most livable cities since the Politburo issued a resolution on its development 15 years ago.

In November 1996, the province of Quang Nam-Da Nang was separated into Da Nang city and Quang Nam province.

On October 16, 2003, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 33 on the building and development of Da Nang city during the national industrialisation and modernisation period.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Truong Quang Nghia said shortly after the issuance, the city’s authorities issued detailed documents and built action plans to implement Resolution No. 33.

Over the last 15 years, the city has recorded comprehensive socio-economic development and obtained many important achievements, he noted. 

The gross regional domestic product (GRDP) has increased by about 10 percent annually in the five years between 2013 and 2018 – with estimations of 63.96 trillion VND (2.8 billion USD) this year, 4.2 times higher than in 2003. Per capita GRDP is expected at 82.8 million VND (3,677 USD) in 2018, rising seven-fold from 2003 and 1.45 times higher than the national average.

Aside from economic development, Da Nang has also paid attention to ensuring social security. The city now has over 5,400 patient beds, equivalent to 79.17 beds per 10,000 people, and 17.4 doctors per 10,000 people. About 96.5 percent of the local population have been covered by health insurance, rising by 2.9 times since 2003.

Nghia added that Da Nang has almost fulfilled the goals of a city without poor households. It has also achieved certain outcomes in efforts to eradicate issues such as homelessness and street-begging, drug addiction, and murder for robbery.

Meanwhile, many large, modern structures have now been completed and put into use, becoming architectural highlights of the city. Technical and social infrastructure has developed rather synchronously, helping to expand the urban space by over three times since its size 15 years ago, creating an image of a civilised and modern port city.

Da Nang is also one of the prime examples of tourism development over the last two decades, according to Deputy General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Ha Van Sieu.

He said local tourism has broken many records with the surging numbers of domestic and foreign tourists, as well as the continuously diversified tourism services and products. The industry has greatly contributed to economic restructuring, investment attraction, job creation, and the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values.

At a working session with municipal authorities in last month, Nguyen Van Binh, Politburo member and Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission, said Resolution No. 33 is considered as the committee’s most important decision regarding Da Nang.

In the 15 years of resolution implementation, Da Nang has achieved a number of outstanding successes, including relatively comprehensive socio-economic development and effective economic restructuring.

Binh noted that the city has gradually established itself as an important national and international transport gateway, a socio-economic centre, and a growth locomotive of the central and Central Highlands regions. It has also set an example of how to better integrate into the world.

To build on existing attainments, Da Nang has set up tasks to further promote local development. Accordingly, it is pushing ahead with fast and sustainable socio-economic expansion and economic restructuring. Economic development will be based on the three pillars of services, high-tech industry, and sea-based economy.

It will also pay more attention to Party building; improving leadership capacity and the strength of Party organisations, along with the quality of officials and Party members in the administration; promoting the efficiency and effectiveness of the State’s management activities; and seeking a suitable administration model.

The city has asked the Politburo to consider issuing a resolution on building and developing Da Nang until 2030, with a vision towards 2045. It has also called for special mechanisms and policies to be provided for the city, and obstacles in legal documents to be removed to help with its development.

With its own efforts, central agencies’ support and people’s consensus, Da Nang is striving to become an ecological and smart city with modern technical and social infrastructure by 2030. It also looks to become a dynamic port city, a transit point, and an economic, IT, and educational and medical hub of the region, while also playing a major role in ensuring defence-security and firmly protecting the national marine sovereignty.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the People’s Committee of northern Bac Ninh province held a conference on September 21 to review clean water management and set future orientations. 

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang said clean water management in rural areas still faces challenges such as rising population, worsening water environment pollution, climate change and poor State management on clean water. 

Director General of the Directorate of Water Resources Nguyen Van Tinh said over the past years, the State, international organisations and people nationwide have made important contributions to rural water supply and improving people’s health. 

With the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) over the past four decades, the rate of rural dwellers accessing clean water has soared from 36 percent in 1999 to 88.5 percent now. Roughly 44 percent of rural residents (over 28 million) have accessed water from concentrated water stations and the remaining from household-scale works. 

At present, there are 16,300 water supply works nationwide in service of 44 percent of the rural population, 5,653 of which work stably, 35,552 operate inefficiently and over 2,000 fail to work, affecting about 800,000 people, or 1.25 percent of the rural population. 

As of late 2016, the rate of people accessing water from small-scale works accounted for 56.55 percent of the country’s population, mostly in the Central Highlands (75.6 percent) and the southeast (35.3 percent). 

Tinh pointed out shortcomings in the process of fulfilling goals in the national strategy on water supply and rural hygiene until 2020 and the United Nations Millennial Development Goals on rural water supply, including slow enforcement of policies and private involvement in water supply works, yet-to-meet-demand planning on rural water supply in localities, limited public awareness of the effort due to inefficient communications and climate change hurting water quality and reserves. 

The meeting reviewed mechanisms, policies and private involvement in rural water supply as well as management on community-based water supply works. 

It set the goal of supplying clean water to 90 percent of rural residents by 2020 and 90-95 percent during 2020-2030 period.

HCM City People's Committee has asked the police to find real estate investors who are spreading false information and responsible for overly-high property prices in the city. 

The city people's committee sent a directive document to related agencies on September 19 on how to deal with private housing and land speculation. The Department of Construction was asked to work with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, investors and localities authorities to publicise information about real estate and infrastructure projects.

The police were asked to investigate the spreading false real estate information to increase project values. Any difficulties should be reported to the HCM City People's Committee for help as soon as possible.

According to the HCM City People's Committee, many individuals and small investors have hoarded private houses and plots of land in order to resell them for profits. False information was spread out and caused the real estate prices to skyrocket. 

In May, the Housing and Real Estate Market Management Agency also pointed out that property speculation had increased prices across Vietnam. The investors often find ways to inflate real estate prices in locations that will have new urban area or economic zone projects.

They often bought several plots of lands when prices were still low and spread the information that the real estate in those areas boomed to attract other investors and customers. As the result, investors sold the land almost immediately afterwards but those who were slow would be in difficulty. Customers with real housing demand can't afford the houses and investors are unable to sell products to break even.

The Housing and Real Estate Market Management Agency suggested that the Ministry of Construction should ask city and provincial authorities to review and inspect their real estate markets. Measures must be taken to control the situation to avoid a real estate bubble.

Vietnamese language class for Lao officials opens

A short-term course providing lessons on Vietnamese language for staff of the General Department of Politics under the Public Security Ministry of Laos opened in Vientiane on September 20 

A short-term course providing lessons on Vietnamese language for staff of the General Department of Politics under the Public Security Ministry of Laos opened in Vientiane on September 20.

The opening ceremony of the course was attended by Major General Alou Valyxu, head of the General Department of Politics and Nguyen Thanh Tung, Minister at Vietnamese Embassy in Laos, along with head of the representative office of Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security in Laos Major General Hoang Quang Huong, and staff of the General Department of Politics of Laos.

Addressing the event, Major General Alou Valyxu said it is the first-ever Vietnamese language class to be held in the General Department of Politics, which aims to improve the foreign language skills of its staff and members of its department’s youth union in order to raise the quality of their work.

The six-month Vietnamese language course is comprised of 44 students, who will be taught by teachers and textbooks from Vietnam.

Vietnam Trade Union to convene 12th congress

President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Bui Van Cuong 

As many as 950 Vietnamese delegates and seven international delegations will attend the 12th congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), which is scheduled to take place in Hanoi from September 24-26, said VGCL President Bui Van Cuong.

The congress will look to accelerate organisational reform and trade union activities, focus on protecting and taking care of trade union members and labourers, as well as enhancing popularity to build a strong working class that can contribute to building and protecting the country, he told a press conference in Hanoi on September 20.

The 12th Congress will open on September 25.

The congress will discuss and adopt various reports of the VGCL, including reviews of the last five years in implementing the 11th Congress’s resolution and missions for the 2018-2023 tenure, and the amendment of the Charter of the Vietnam Trade Union, among others.

Participants will work to pass the resolution of the 12th Congress, with missions, solutions, and breakthroughs in the 2018-2023 tenure, and elect an executive board of the 12th VGCL with 175 members.

“The VGCL accompanying the Government to improve the nation’s competitiveness and sustainably developing the country” forum will be held on September 26, creating opportunities for participants to express their wishes and affirm their determination in joining hands with the Government to boost socio-economic development, he added. 

Coastal provinces coordinate in monitoring fishing boats

Eight Mekong Delta and south central coastal provinces in Vietnam have signed a coordination agreement on the management of fishing vessels in a bid to have the European Commission (EC)’s “yellow card” warning on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing lifted.

They include the Mekong Delta provinces of Ben Tre, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, and Kien Giang; and the south central province of Binh Thuan.

Speaking at a conference in Ben Tre on September 19, Nguyen Chi Quang, deputy commander of the province’s Border Guard Command, said that the signing of the agreement would put measures in place to prevent and resolve fishing boats and their crew committing violations when operating on the provincial waters involved.

The agreement also aimed to put an end to illegal fishing and work towards the removal of the EC’s yellow card warning on Vietnamese seafood.

According to Quang, besides information exchanges, the participating provinces will coordinate to educate the public on the Law on Fisheries, inspect fishing boats and crew members and address violations.

Vice Chairman of the provincial Ben Tre People’s Committee Nguyen Huu Lap said that the eight provinces are home to 31,133 fishing vessels, including 14,114 offshore boats. 

Most of them have abided by the laws of Vietnam and surrounding countries. However, some fishermen have been fishing illegally in foreign waters for greater economic gains.

Prior to the EC’s warning, none of the involved provinces had mechanisms in place to coordinate and exchange information, making it difficult to prevent and deal with IUU fishing.

Luu Van Huy, Director of the Vietnam Fisheries Resource Surveillance, said there are some 109,000 fishing boats nationwide, including 28,600 offshore boats, with last year’s catch reaching some 3.2 million tonnes of fish.

However, according to Huy, the rapid increase in the number of fishing boats compared with the current fishery resources has created a negative impact, particularly with local fishing boats operating in foreign waters.

As many as 95 illegal fishing cases involving 156 boats have been reported since the beginning of the year. Many of these cases involve fishing boats from Binh Thuan, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Bac Lieu, Kien Giang, and Ca Mau.

As such, the coordination among these localities has significantly improved and is now in line with the recommendations of the European Union, Huy said.

The EC issued a yellow card warning to Vietnam last year, after the country failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in the fight against IUU fishing worldwide. While the measure was only considered a warning, which should not technically affect the EC’s trade policy, the Vietnamese fishing industry was concerned that the yellow card would seriously harm the reputation of Vietnamese seafood worldwide, and thus weaken sales. 

To address IUU fishing activities, the EC evaluates exporting countries. Countries that fail to meet EC standards are issued a “yellow card” warning, followed by a “green card” if issues are resolved or a “red card” if they are not. A red card can lead to a trade ban on fishery products.

According to the EC’s requirements, the Vietnamese fisheries sector had to implement nine recommendations in six months from October 23, 2017 through until April 23, 2018.

The EC also wanted Vietnam to issue sanctions and increase the level of sanctions against IUU fishing, which should be written in the revised Law on Fisheries, and give concrete evidence proving Vietnam’s efforts in the fight against IUU fishing.

A working delegation from the EC’s General Directorate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries visited Vietnam from May 16-24 to inspect the country’s implementation of these recommendations. However, Vietnam failed to carry out all nine recommendations well.

The EC inspectors will return to Vietnam in January 2019 to review the country’s progress in addressing its yellow card warnings.

Scholarships presented to students in northern mountainous provinces

Students in 10 northern mountainous localities receive "Vietnamese Seeds Fund" scholarships from Nhan dan newspaper

Disadvantaged students in 10 northern mountainous localities received “Vietnamese Seeds Fund” scholarships from Nhan dan (People’s) Newspaper on September 18.

Some 1,000 scholarships worth 3 million VND each were handed to outstanding students during a ceremony held in Dien Bien Phu city of the northern province of Dien Bien. 

They are students from the provinces of Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Son La and Dien Bien.

The scholarships aim to ease difficulties of students in mountainous regions and support their studies.

Transport challenges and modest economic growth have caused various obstacles for education in these provinces. In addition, the areas are hit by floods and landslides each year, affecting people’s livelihoods and the education sector.

Prior to the start of the 2018-2019 academic year, various schools in Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau suffered great losses due to heavy rains and flooding. 

Established in 2012, the “Vietnamese Seeds Fund” of Nhan dan newspaper aims to step up the campaign for building a learning society, which involves improving the quality of learning at schools nationwide.