Cold spell hits north, fog covers south

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said a cold spell in the north, which started yesterday afternoon, was likely to continue for the next five to six days.

It is forecast that the cold will continue to be felt in north and northern central Viet Nam today and also affect the remainder of the central region.

Meanwhile, several cities and provinces across the Mekong Delta have seen dense fog in recent days, mostly in areas near rivers, canals or ditches.

This fog has obscured visibility in Can Tho, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Soc Trang and Hau Giang, restricting vision to a distance of 20-30m in the early morning, before dissipating around sunrise. The unusual weather is forecast to continue in the coming days.

Ship with 260 on board rescued

The Quang Ngai Province Port Authority yesterday rescued a ship with its 260 passengers after it ran aground near Sa Ky Port.

Vice chairwoman of Ly Son district's people's committee Pham Thi Huong confirmed to Viet Nam News that the ship was caught on a sandbar as it was sailing from Ly Son Island to Sa Ky port.

"Rescue ships and two other passenger ships were called and carried all passengers to the port safely within one hour," Huong said, adding that ship was one mile away from Sa Ky Port when it went aground.

The port authority is investigating the incident.

Last October, a Panamanian cargo vessel, the Bright Royal, crashed into a reef off the coast of the province.

Three dead and four injured in car crash

Three persons were killed and four others injured seriously yesterday morning in an accident occurred on National Highway 1A in Thanh Trach Commune, Bo Trach District, central Quang Binh Province.

They are members of the same family.

When a broken down seven-seat passenger car carrying the family collided with an oncoming lorry, the car heavily damaged. The driver, Bui Van Hai, together with his mother and his son, were pronounced dead at the scene, while his four other relatives were seriously injured.

The local police collaborated with relevant authorities to send the injured to hospital and address the traffic jams.

On the same day, another traffic accident occurred on National Highway 1A, section through central Ha Tinh Province's Cam Xuyen District after a car crashed into two motorbikes traveling in the opposite direction, killing one and seriously injuring three. The case is under further investigation.

Authorities bust drug smuggling syndicate

An investigative team of the Public Security Ministry has announced the busting of a large-scale drug trafficking ring.

The team seized 14,000 synthetic pills and arrested three alleged gang members: Nguyen Thi Huyen, 51; Nguyen Hong Tham, 37, of northern Son La Province's Moc Chau District; and Nguyen Quoc Chinh, 42, of northern Bac Ninh Province.

Earlier, Huyen was caught while transporting the pills on National Highway 6, the section near Luong Son Yard Gold in northern Hoa Binh Province.

Huyen confessed that Tham had paid her VND10 million ($476) to deliver the drugs to Chinh. Tham had hired Huyen a week ago to deliver another batch of 6,000 synthetic pills to Chinh. —

Five houses burnt in severe fire

A fire burnt five houses to the ground in southern Binh Duong Province yesterday.

The fire started on a lawn under a high-voltage electricity line on Tan Hoa Street, Di An Township around mid-day, with flames spreading to the nearby houses.

Residents tried but failed to put out the blaze. Firefighters succeeded after several hours.

The five houses are built temporarily by migrant workers who work at nearby construction sites.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Khanh Hoa to develop nature reserve in Hon Ba

The People’s Committee of central coastal Khanh Hoa province has approved a 95 billion VND plan to sustainably develop its Hon Ba nature reserve until 2020.

The area in question covers over 19,000 hectares and is 30 kilometres from Nha Trang city. It was discovered in 1863 by Dr. Alexandre Yersin.

The province decided to establish reserve areas in Hon Ba in order to protect and preserve natural resources and biodiversity, including animals and plants.

Local authorities have invested in the construction of a base to support forest management and protection and to undertake scientific research, while providing livelihood security for local buffer communities.

Hon Ba, at 1,578m higher than sea level, enjoys a year-round cool and humid climate, which contributes to its rich biodiversity. The reserve is home to 592 plant species and 255 kinds of animals, including 100 rare fauna and flora species listed in the Red Book of Endangered Species.

People returning to HCM City skyrocket after Tet

The number of people flocking to Ho Chi Minh City has skyrocketed in these days after the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) festival ended.

On average, about 1,400 trips have carried some 40,000 passengers per day from other provinces and cities nationwide to Ho Chi Minh City .

However, no traffic congestion has been recorded, according to officials from the Mien Tay and Mien Dong Bus Stations.

To meet the people’s travel demand, the Mien Tay Bus Station has prepared parking areas and arranged security guards to maintain the order as well as coordinated with bus owners to increase trips, said Tran Van Phuong, deputy director of the station.

Meanwhile, the Tan Son Nhat International Airport also increased its flights to more than 500 per day from February 4-6 to serve passengers after Tet, according to the airport director Dang Tuan Tu.

Tunnel to be built in Hoan Kiem District

An underground tunnel will soon link Tran Nguyen Han and Chuong Duong Do streets in Ha Noi's downtown Hoan Kiem District.

Construction on the VND90 billion (US$4.2 million) project, funded by the municipal budget, is scheduled to start in the second quarter of this year and be completed by late 2015.

The tunnel, which includes a passageway for pedestrians, aims to ease traffic jams and ensure safety for drivers in an area that sees frequent accidents.

The municipal People's Committee has entrusted the city's transport department with coming up with an investment plan to submit to authorities for approval.

Architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem told Dan Tri online newspaper that the 1992 urban plan states that Ha Noi must build road junctions to connect the inner city with the suburbs. To connect these areas, an overpass or underground tunnel should be built, and considering the current conditions, an underground tunnel was the most reasonable solution, he said.

He also cautioned authorities to take into account geological conditions and the rising sea level, which could lead to serious flooding.

Local people in Phuc Tan ward in Hoan Kiem District, where the tunnel will be built, have proposed pedestrian flyovers to connect the streets in recent years. However, the department decided the tunnel was a better solution, as it would be less of an eyesore.

Rotten meat seized in Dong Nai Province

Dong Nai Province's Market Watch Division in co-operation with the veterinary division seized over 600kg of rotten pork and internal organs after raiding a slaughter house in the province's Thong Nhat District on Saturday.

The owner of the slaughter house, Tran Thi Kim Dung, failed to provide valid documents for the slaughter and origins of the meat.

The local veterinary division took samples of the pork and organs for analysis. The slaughter house had already been cited for illegal practices, according to police.

Nation put on bird flu alert

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will allocate 10,000 litres of sterilization chemicals to Bac Ninh Province as part of efforts to prevent bird flu infections in the northern province.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the order and also said that the chemicals must be used in compliance with the State's current regulations.

From February 2-9, the H5N1 virus has been spreading in four localities in the province - Yen Phong and Tien Du districts, Tu Son Town and Bac Ninh City. Nearly 8,000 infected fowls have been killed so far.

In a related move, the Ministry of Health on Thursday sent a message to provinces and cities nationwide urging them to implement measures against the spread of the avian flu virus, saying there is a high risk of it developing into an epidemic.

The ministry required all localities to strictly monitor the situation, stepping up scrutiny at border gates. They should also take steps to ensure that infected people are promptly treated and quarantine those suspected of having the virus.

Health inspectors in border areas have been told to tighten checks on people travelling from epidemic-hit regions and the poultry trade.

Localities have also been asked to crack down on the illegal smuggling of chicken, and to ensure that poultry markets are sterilised and disinfected.

Viet Nam has recorded two bird flu deaths from the H5N1 strain this year. A 60-year-old woman from Mekong Delta Dong Thap Province died on January 28. She had tested positive for the H5N1 virus.

Earlier, on January 18, a 52-year-old man from the southern province of Binh Phuoc died of the H5N1 virus infection despite receiving treatment in HCM City.

Viet Nam has recorded 127 cases of the H5N1 virus infection since 2013, including 64 deaths.

Rice aid supplied to poor households

As many as 444 tonnes of rice have been sent to support households in need of food aid in the central southern coastal province of Phu Yen, as well as those suffering serious damage caused by natural disasters.

The aid is part of the 676 tonnes of rice approved by the Government to support Phu Yen during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday and the 2014 between-crop period, under a decision reached last month.

US magazine honours Vietnamese architect

The US magazine ArchDaily has presented its 2014 “Building of the Year” Award to architect Vo Trong Nghia and his Binh Thanh House design in HCM City.

The votes of more than 300,000 international ArchDaily readers helped Binh Thanh House win the prestigious award over 1,500 other entries.

The six-storey building, covering 500 square metres, took shape in June 2013. It was also included among ArchDaily’s final five nominees for its Housing and Hospitality Architecture prize categories.

ArchDaily arrives at what it considers the year’s best architecture by judging buildings according to criteria weighing aesthetics, intelligence, creativity, and community service and function.

HCM City looks to increase resident housing area

HCM City hopes to increase per capita housing availability to 16.8 square metres this year from 16.4sq.m last year, according to its Department of Construction.

To achieve this target, the city plans to speed up its housing development programmes and build an additional 8 million square feet this year.

It will complete construction of two housing projects with 793 apartments besides seven blocks of dormitories to provide accommodation for 13,500 students at the National University in HCM City.

Construction of an 18,000sq.m tenement to provide accommodations for 2,500 workers will also be completed this year.

Work on three other tenements to house 10,400 workers will start this year.

The city will also complete 3,000 apartment projects under a housing programme to provide 30,000 units to the city's resettlement programme.

Last year many programmes, including one each to build houses for poor people and dormitories for students and evacuation of houses along canals, progressed smoothly.

Ha Noi steps up efforts to expand highway section

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has urged Ha Noi authorities to implement the expansion of National Highway 32 to meet the needs of traffic from the Vinh Thinh Bridge.

The Vinh Thinh Bridge is scheduled to open for traffic in June.

The 14-kilometre-long route, which connects the Nhon and Son Tay townships, will be upgraded to four lanes from the current two lanes. This will help the flow of vehicles from the Dien-Nhon route, which has been upgraded to four lanes, and will ease traffic congestion on the Vinh Thinh Bridge, when it becomes functional.

The Vinh Thinh Bridge, the longest bridge over the Hong (Red) River, stretching almost 5,500 metres, will link Highways 32 and 2. The four-lane bridge will see a total investment of US$137 million and is expected to connect the satellite urban areas and the high-tech zones.

According to MoT, the expansion of this section is a "vital and urgent task" that must be finished before next year.

This is the second time MoT has urged the city authorities to upgrade this route. Last November, MoT's request to expand the route was rejected due to a shortfall in finance.

The ministry has asked the city to take the build-operate-transfer model to implement the project.

The project to expand the 27-kilometre-long section of National Highway 32, which will use government bonds, was approved in 2003.

Half of the project, including the Lai Xa-Tram Troi-Phung-Phuc Tho route, has been completed. The rest has been delayed or is being implemented slowly, due to the increase in the prices of fuel, labour and materials.

HCM City plans major push for pre-nursery childcare

HCM City hopes to ensure that by next year all children from the age of one will be cared for at schools, according to the Secretary of the municipal Party Committee.

Le Thanh Hai told a meeting on Friday that to achieve this target the administration would draft preferential policies to enable districts to build schools and hire staff especially to care for pre-nursery children.

"The committee has also instructed the Department of Education and Training to work with teachers training colleges to make plans for training at least 2,000 pre-nursery teachers by 2015," he said.

The department would have to coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh Women's Association and people's committees of districts to start short-term professional training courses.

Authorities in the city's 24 districts have been told to survey and report to the city administration about the demand for pre-nursery schools and availability of land and funds so that appropriate measures can be taken.

According to Thai Thi Bich Lien, deputy chief of the city Party Committee Office, there are 417 public pre-nursery schools which have 156,212 children aged from 18 months to five years.

But there are still 11 wards and communes without such schools.

Thai Van Re, director of the Department of Planning and Investment, said in 2000-08 priority was given to building primary, junior, and senior secondary schools.

"In the last three years the city has focused on building pre-nursery schools," Re said.

In the period 118 schools costing VND4.39 trillion (US$208.15 million) have been approved.

The director of the Department of Education and Training, Le Hong Son, said the city would continue to lack facilities to take care of children aged six to 12 months, but did not have the resources to build schools and train teachers for the purpose.

"The department's immediate solution to this shortage problem is to set up trial classes in some rural and urban districts and [later] expand the effective model.

"From now to 2015 the city is expected to have a shortage of 5,000 pre-nursery teachers.

"To resolve this problem, the department has recommended that the government should waive 50 per cent of fees for students at non-State teacher training colleges and pay higher allowances to newly graduating pre-nursery teachers to attract more people".

Vietnam active at environment workshop in Thailand

Experts and scientists from many Vietnamese universities and government agencies participated in a workshop on the environment and the management of river basin in Bangkok from February 8-9.

Also under discussion was how to enhance Asian countries’ capacity in response to climate change.

During the workshop, international delegates were very impressed by Vietnam’s research projects in the field.

The river basin management talk was initiated by Yamanashi University of Japan and a network of International Research Centres for River Basin Environment (ICRE-Net) was established to undertake further research in this area.

Many universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City along with Vietnam’s research institutes on environment and weather also joined the network, which is sharing the latest findings made by its members to interested countries.

Participants also discussed ways to set up greater cooperation them in the future.

Vietnamese scientists introduced their achievements in the fight against floods and natural calamities as well as in protecting environment. They also expressed their hope to partner with teams from other countries to cope with climate change in Vietnam.

Participants said that the management of river basin is an urgent issue in many countries as scarce water resources and low quality of water have the potential to be disastrous.

The workshop heard 19 projects, five of which were from Vietnam, focusing on the fields of climate and water environment, treatment of polluted water and health care.

Cao Dai Church holds yearly ritual

Tens of thousands of the Cao Dai Church followers and dignitaries on February 7 gathered in the southwestern province of Tay Ninh to join an annual grand ritual dedicated to the Duc Chi Ton (Supreme Being) who they believe to be the ancestor of the world.

Attending the event were also representatives of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs and leaders of Tay Ninh province.

Speaking at the event, Monsignor Thuong Tam Thanh, head of the Executive Council of the Cao Dai Tay Ninh Church called on followers to lead a pure life and exert a greater effort to share difficulties with other people in society.

The same day, 26 booths were also organised to showcase photos on activities and ancient stories of the church, helping visitors understand the religion more clearly.

Founded in 1926 in Tay Ninh province, the Cao Dai religion worships the Divine Eye, known as the eye of heaven and a symbol of its supreme being.

Cao Dai’s doctrine honours the Divine and the miraculous quality of supreme spirits, and considers them as the means for human beings to unify with the God. It is now the third largest religion in Vietnam with over 46,000 followers nationwide.

Employers face labour shortage after Tet

Many enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City are facing a serious shortage of labourers after Tet (Lunar New Year) as many employees quit to seek new and better jobs, the news-in-English website dtinews.vn reported on February 8.

Even before Tet, a number of enterprises in the city had already put up hiring ads. The signs are easy to find along the streets near industrial and processing zone of Tan Tao, Tan Binh and Linh Trung.

A variety of jobs are advertised along with the benefits and bonuses that go along with them. Some firms even send out vehicles to northern and central provinces to bring new employees.

According to the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, labourers often switch jobs after Tet, so companies take the opportunity to hire. It is estimated that businesses will hire around 30,000 new labourers in first quarter of 2014.

A leather shoe company in Tan Binh Industrial Park announced they have 10,000 labourers but only 65 percent returned after the holiday.

"Some people are taking their maternal leave or their holiday while the rest have found a new jobs," a representative said.

The head of Pou Yuen Corporation in Vietnam, Cu Phat Nghiep, said they had lost 10 percent of their labourers after Tet.

Le Minh Giang, a resident of Go Vap district, said he worked at a textile company but found a new job with a more stable income and less working hours.

An official that manages industrial zones in the city said this is a difficult problem for businesses because they still depend on cheap labour sources in other provinces.

Enterprises in the city not only lost labourers to different jobs, this year also to new industrial zones that have appeared in the central region.-

Source: VNA/VOV/VNS